Memorial to Robert Gould Shaw and the Massachusetts Fifty-fourth Regiment

This isn't your typical Civil War monument. For starters, it’s not just another general on a horse. Well, okay, Colonel Robert Gould Shaw *is* on a horse, looking every bit the noble leader. But it's the men marching alongside him—the soldiers of the 54th Massachusetts, one of the first Black regiments to fight for the Union—who steal the show. And that was a revolutionary act in 1897. The artist took the time to give each soldier a distinct, individual face, a stark contrast to the racist caricatures common at the time. The whole scene is a bit of a creative fib. It depicts the regiment parading down Beacon Street in Boston before heading off to war, a moment of pride and purpose. The composition is a clever mash-up of high-relief sculpture, with the soldiers almost marching out of the bronze background. Above them floats an ethereal angel, clutching poppies—a rather unsubtle hint that this glorious march isn't going to end well for many. And it didn't. The 54th's famed and brutal assault on Fort Wagner in South Carolina resulted in massive casualties, including Shaw himself. Their bravery, however, helped shatter racist doubts about the ability of Black soldiers and inspired thousands more to enlist. The monument took a painstaking fourteen years to complete, but the result is a powerful and unusually honest tribute. It acknowledges the hierarchical reality of a white officer leading Black troops but insists on the shared humanity and sacrifice of all involved.