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African-American Troops in the Civil War
African-American Troops in the Civil War: The 54th Massachusetts
The Fifty-fourth Massachusetts was organized in early 1863 by Robert
Gould Shaw, twenty-six year old member of a prominent Boston abolitionist family.
Shaw had earlier served in the Seventh New York National Guard and the Second
Massachusetts Infantry, and was appointed colonel of the Fifty-fourth in
February 1863 by Massachusetts governor John A. Andrew.
As one of the first black units organized in the northern states, the
Fifty-fourth was the object of great interest and curiosity, and its performance
would be considered an important indication of the possibilities surrounding the
use of blacks in combat. The regiment was composed primarily
Approximate words: 1648
Approximate pages: 7
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