54th Massachusetts Regiment

Izayha (Student)

Through their heroic, yet tragic, assault on Battery Wagner, South Carolina in July 1863, the 54th helped inspire the enlistment of more than 180,000 Black soldiers…a boost in morale and manpower that Lincoln recognized as essential to the victory of the United States and the destruction of slavery throughout the south.

The 54th Massachusetts numbered 600 men at the time of the assault.  Of these, 270 were killed, wounded, or captured during the engagement.  Colonel Shaw was killed, along with 29 of his men; 24 more later died of wounds, 15 were captured, 52 were missing in action and never accounted for, and 149 were wounded.

Many soldiers of the 54th Massachusetts remain in the South Carolina Lowcountry. Section 16 of Beaufort National Cemetery is one of the largest burial sites for soldiers of the regiment, many of whom died in the hospitals around the city of injuries and disease.