Robert Gould Shaw Memorial

History

The monument marks Shaw's death on July 18, 1863 after he and his troops attacked Fort Wagner, one of two forts protecting the strategic Confederate port of Charleston, South Carolina. Joshua Bowen Smith, a Massachusetts state legislator, led the effort to obtain authorization for the monument; others participating in its early planning included Governor John Albion Andrew, who had urged Shaw to take command of the 54th Regiment, Samuel Gridley Howe, and Senator Charles Sumner. The monument was meant to show the public's gratitude to Shaw and commemorate the events that recognized the citizenship of Black men.[[File:Robert Gould Shaw Memorial 2021.jpg|alt=A photo of the Robert Gould Shaw Memorial taken after the completed renovations in 2021. The photo depicts the sculpture set further back from the street to allow for more standing room and benches.|thumb|309x309px|The Robert Gould Shaw Memorial after the completed restoration project in 2021.|left]]In celebrating Shaw, Saint-Gaudens depicted Shaw on horseback, while the Massachusetts 54th is depicted in bas-relief, thus creating a "stylistically unprecedented" and "hybrid" work that modifies the traditional Western equestrian monument. Saint-Gaudens would later draw upon this new model in his 1903 memorial to William T. Sherman in New York's Central Park. Each of the twenty-three Black soldiers is rendered with distinct, individualistic features that were based on those of live models hired by Saint-Gaudens.

Fundraising for the monument, led by the survivors of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry and emancipated Black people from Beaufort, South Carolina, began immediately after the battle, but funds were redirected because the Beaufort site was found unsuitable and local white people expressed resentment.

The monument was vandalized in 2012, 2015, and 2017. On May 31, 2020, as part of the 2020 George Floyd protests, the back of the monument was vandalized with phrases such as "Black Lives Matter", "ACAB," and "Fuck 12". As part of a renovation plan, the front had been covered with plywood, which also received graffiti. In July 2020, the monument became a focus of discussion during the iconoclasm that took place as part of the George Floyd protests.

Restoration of the monument began on May 20, 2020, and was completed in March 2021. The memorial was removed and taken to an offsite location for restoration. While the bronze sculpture was being cleaned and repaired, a new concrete foundation was built. The project cost $2.8 million and includes an augmented reality mobile app that assists visitors in experiencing the monument. New signage was added detailing the history of the Civil War, the 54th Regiment, and the monument itself, with QR codes for the AR app.

In November 2023, a copy of the monument in the National Gallery of Art was damaged by an activist.

Dedications and inscriptions

The work was dedicated by philosopher William James of Harvard:

A Latin inscription on the relief reads ("He left behind everything to save the Republic"). The pedestal below carries lines from James Russell Lowell's poem "Memoriae Positum":

On the rear are words by Charles W. Eliot, president of Harvard University:

A plaster cast, which was exhibited at the 1901 Pan-American Exposition, is displayed at the National Gallery of Art, on loan by the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site, Cornish, New Hampshire. The inscription running along the bottom of this plaster cast incorrectly states that the assault on Fort Wagner and Shaw's death in 1863 occurred "JULY TWENTY THIRD," five days later than the historic events.

In popular culture

• William Vaughn Moody describes Shaw and the monument in the poem "An Ode in Time of Hesitation."
• The "St. Gaudens" in Boston Common (Col. Shaw and his Colored Regiment), is the first movement of Three Places in New England (1903-1929), by Charles Ives.
• Robert Lowell's famous poem "For the Union Dead", the title poem of a 1964 collection by the same name, refers to the monument in the poem. The first edition of the book featured a drawing of the relief on the cover.
• The memorial was depicted in the ending credits scene of the 1989 film, Glory, directed by Edward Zwick, which was partially based on One Gallant Rush, a biography of Shaw and history of the Massachusetts 54th Regiment by Peter Burchard.
• The memorial was used as the background for the 1998 U.S. postage stamp honoring author and poet Stephen Vincent Benét on the 100th anniversary of his birth.
• shows a group of southern girls visiting and being told about the history by a local guide.

References

References

1. "Robert Gould Shaw Memorial". [[National Park Service]].
2. Dupré, Judith. (2007). "Monuments: America's History in Art and Memory". Random House.
3. (1897). "The Monument to Robert Gould Shaw: Its Inception, Completion, and Unveiling ..". Houghton, Mifflin.
4. "[https://www.wcvb.com/article/shaw-54th-regiment-memorial-defaced/32733306 Shaw 54th Regiment Memorial defaced during protests] {{Webarchive. link. (2020-06-05 ," ''WCVB5,'' a Boston ''ABC News'' affiliate, 1 June 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2020.)
5. (3 June 2020). "16 Statues And Memorials Were Damaged During Sunday's Protests, Including One Dedicated To African American Soldiers".
6. (July 27, 2020). "Boston's memorial to Robert Gould Shaw and the Massachusetts 54th Regiment's black soldiers faces scrutiny in monument debate".
7. (March 3, 2021). "Civil War memorial to 54th Regiment returns to Boston Common". Boston Globe.
8. Sweeney, Emily. (2019-10-15). "Civil War memorial across from State House will be taken down for major face lift". [[The Boston Globe]].
9. "Restoration Work on Shaw 54th Memorial Now Underway – Beacon Hill Times".
10. Ladden-Hall, Dan. (7 February 2024). "Climate Activist Arrested Over Damage to Civil War Memorial Honoring Black Soldiers: DOJ". The Daily Beast.
11. Boston City Council. (1897). "Exercises at the dedication of the monument to Colonel Robert Gould Shaw and the Fifty-fourth regiment of the Massachusetts infantry (May 31, 1897)". Municipal Printing Office.
12. (1997). "Memorial to Robert Gould Shaw, (sculpture)". Save Outdoor Sculpture, Massachusetts survey.
13. "NGA -- Shaw Memorial Home Page".
14. (1993). "Memorial to Robert Gould Shaw, (sculpture)". Save Outdoor Sculpture, New Hampshire survey.
15. (1943). "Moody's "An Ode in Time of Hesitation"". College English.