The 54th Regiment

The 54th Massachusetts Regiment, the first African-American regiment formed after the Emancipation Proclamation, included dozens of Vermonters, with 20 enlisted in Rutland and many born in Rutland County. The regiment helped debunk military beliefs that African Americans were unsuitable for service. President Lincoln said, "When victory is won, there will be some black men who can remember that, with silent tongue and clenched teeth, and steady eye and well-poised bayonet, they have helped mankind on to this great consummation. I fear, however, that there will also be some white ones, unable to forget that with malignant heart and deceitful speech, they strove to hinder it."

Rutland, Vermont · United States