Robert Gould Shaw and 54th Regiment Memorial

Following the Civil War, a committee of black citizens immediately formed to determine how to memorialize Colonel Robert Gould Shaw for his bravery at the Battle of Fort Wagner as the leader of the 54th Regiment. It took years of organizing and committees to decide upon the artist, design, location and concept to create the monument. The sculptor, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, spent fourteen years working on the Robert Gould Shaw monument and it is widely considered to be one of his best works. The monument was dedicated on Memorial Day in 1897 with a military procession through Boston and a celebratory event at Boston’s Music Hall. Over two hundred black veterans, including the remaining members of the 54th Regiment, were in attendance and Booker T. Washington delivered a keynote address.