A Brief Summary Of The Movie Glory

Glory is the story of Robert Gould Shaw and his command over the 54th Massachusetts Infantry, which was one of the first all-black active duty regiments in the Union Army. The movie speaks of Colonel (Col) Shaw’s bravery, his pride, his empathy and love for his Soldiers. Col Shaw himself was from a wealthy Boston family with parents who were influential abolitionists. At 23 years old, Robert Shaw dropped out of Harvard to go to be commissioned in the Union Army to fight in the Civil War of the States. This movie is based on a true story and the letters that Robert Shaw wrote home and in his personal journal are currently located in the Houghton Library of Harvard University. The manner in which Robert Shaw led the 54th Infantry was a direct

A mental health social worker could help him assess his feelings and fears. He would not have to learn how to adapt on his own; especially not while being in command of over 600 men. Although mental health social workers did not exist at this time, members of the unofficial Red Cross were. According to Raiha (2000) “Volunteers also visited with Union soldiers to provide support and relief during the Civil War” (as cited in Rubin, Weiss, & Coll 2013, p. 4). CPT Shaw needed someone to talk to. During those times, there is a pride and honor among the family and Soldiers for their military service, to need help was almost unheard of. The men are trained not to show weakness. CPT Shaw could have also spoke to his Chaplain. The movie does not speak on the religion or spirituality of CPT Shaw (only that of his men), but the Chaplain is a confidential resource (in most cases) for all military members, whether religious or not. Would CPT Shaw enlist help if it was readily available? Seeking the aid of mental health still carries a slight stigma today, so in the 1800s, seeking help probably held even more of a stigma. The movie did not address his possible PTSD issues, nor did CPT Shaw address his mental issues in writing or verbally among

He risks his reputation and name to get his Soldiers what they need. He especially realizes this when one of his Soldiers is caught after an attempt to run away. He later realizes after having his First Sergeant flog the man in front of the rest of the regiment the man did not attempt to run away, he ran away only to try to find boots. His feet were swollen, bloody, and full of sores, as were the rest of the men. Another incident is when the men finally get issued weapons, they begin horseplaying. They are fake shooting and killing one another. Col Shaw appears frozen. Although not depicted in the movie, I believe he is reminded of the Battle of Antietam and the loss of most of his Soldiers. Here shows another symptom of PTSD. A symptom that could possibly have been alleviated had he sought aid. One other time, Col Shaw’s first in command, Major (Maj) Forbes witnesses the Colonel yelling at his men and tells him that he does not treat his Soldiers like men. Col Shaw’s response is that he is preparing them for war and there is no time for niceties. Maj Forbes responds with, these men will probably never get to fight anyway. I do not know if Col Shaw believes that, but I think he does not want to relive the experience of the Battle of Antietam and lose lives as he did before. He wants to make it his personal duty to ensure