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Characteristics Of Captain Robert Gould Shaw

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Bold. Honest. Hardworking. These are some characteristics of Captain Robert Gould Shaw, leader of the 54th Infantry of Massachusetts. Shaw was born into a lazy family, but it took him some courage to fight his way to being a good, healthy leader. He got there, but through major adversity. Coming out of the University of Harvard, Gould Shaw couldn’t find any occupation that fulfilled his wants. Once he joined the Union Army, he knew he had found something great. Robert Gould Shaw was influential in the Civil War because he led the 54th Infantry of Massachusetts, he fought threw the 54th Infantry of Massachusetts, and he fought with his team at Fort Wagner. The 54th Infantry of Massachusetts was the first African-American team to be formed in …show more content…

Everytime that the battle got serious, he was there with his people. One of these situations was when the 54th Infantry was asked to defeat a little Georgia town, and instead of taking the command and just going along with it, Shaw depended on his man to help him fight back against the command. In Britannica School, it reads, “With the rank of colonel, Shaw oversaw the recruitment and training of the 54th, then led it into combat. At one point the 54th was commanded to torch a defenseless Georgia port town, an action to which Shaw objected.” Gould Shaw wasn’t just a captain of a military team, he was a leader of a group with very little experience. Without Shaw, there is no way that African Americans would have had their chance to fight. No matter what bad luck may have been given to Shaw, he got through it with his team. Adversity is what Shaw loved, and that is what made his team so successful. In American National Biography, it reads, “In May the untested regiment was sent to Hilton Head, South Carolina. The Fifty-fourth’s first engagement proved an embarrassment to Shaw and his men. Despite Shaw’s objections, the regiment took part in the burning of the undefended port town of Darien, Georgia.” As you can see, he wasn’t just a captain who sat on the sides and didn’t do anything. He put his life out on the line, just like his soldiers, every battle or …show more content…

During the end of the time Shaw was captain of the 54th Infantry, the group was in charge of fighting Fort Wagner. Their duties were to fight them with everything they had, and the 54th Infantry went all the way. In Britannica School, it redas, “The regiment distinguished itself on July 16, 1863, when it responded to a Confederate surprise attack at James Island, South Carolina. Two days later the regiment heroically assaulted Fort Wagner, which protected Charleston, South Carolina. Approaching along the ocean, the 54th attacked the fort’s sand and dirt embankment and after fierce fighting temporarily held it before being forced to retreat.” Therefore, with the aggressiveness of the 54th Infantry, Shaw and his men went strong on their journey to assault Fort Wagner. Through the fight, there was a lot of blood and tears, and especially tears. In that same article, it reads, “Nearly half of the regiment’s troops were casualties, including Shaw, who was killed in the evening of July 18, 1863.” Since the 54th Infantry of Mississippi led the battle, it was horrible that they were the victims of death. When Gould-Shaw died in the fight at Fort Wagner, there was sadness but also gratefulness. Shaw was the perfect guy to lead the first African-American team, and this helped show the importance of African

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