"Give 'em Hell, Fifty-Fourth"
Illustration
1Bobb Vann
In this 20th Century piece by the black artist Bobb Vann, we have the soldiers of the Fifty-Fourth featured. The flag and Robert Shaw are simply part of the piece, rather than focal points as in most depictions. It is not unthinkable that this could be a representation of the final moments before Shaw led his men up the parapet of Fort Wagner in the hopeless dash against all odds that ended with him and many of his men in a common grave.
This was meant to be an insult by the Confederate commanders who left him there, but instead it turned out to be a symbol of the integration that was dawning, the infancy of integration that started with Shaw taking the chance to lead a regiment of African American troops. Even his father felt that it was an appropriate place for him to lie for eternity.
Other Links:
The Hero of Fort Wagner – Pheobe Cary
One Grave – Anonymous
The Flag – Anonymous
Robert Gould Shaw – Paul Laurence Dunbar