Marching in Unison

When Augustus Saint-Gaudens was commissioned to create a memorial honoring Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, he could not ignore the sacrifice of the individual soldiers who served with Shaw. African American men from 24 states joined the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment during the Civil War. Each enlisted despite clear racial inequalities in military service. Each paraded past those who doubted their abilities. These soldiers had the most to lose and the most to gain in a war over slavery. Only a fraction had been enslaved, but all marched for the promise of equality.

Cornish, New Hampshire · United States