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February is Black History Month.
This is a news items from the AP released on November 19, 2008 that I have held up until now. The Massachusetts 54th and Black History Month are a natural pairing. For those not familiar with the heroic exploits of this regiment in the American Civil War before Fort Wagner down in South Carolina the film "Glory" starring Denzel Washington is very definitely recommended. As is a documentary "Glory, Too" directed by Anthony Cromwell Hill.
Famed 54th Massachusetts reactivated
November 21, 2008
BOSTON—An all-black Civil War infantry unit depicted in the Academy Award-winning moving "Glory," starring Denzel Washington, is making a real-life comeback.
The 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry was reactivated Friday at a Statehouse ceremony and redesignated as the Massachusetts National Guard's ceremonial unit, which renders military honors at funerals and state functions.
The revival pays homage to the group of black soldiers who fought on behalf of the state in the Civil War.
The unit won praise for its doomed charge on Battery Wagner in South Carolina in 1863and produced the nation's first black Medal of Honor winner, Sgt. William Carney.
It was deactivated after the Civil War and its colors were retired.
The 1989 movie "Glory," based on the letters of the unit's commander Colonel Robert G. Shaw, depicted the prejudice the unit and Shaw faced. The film was honored with three Academy Awards, including best supporting actor for Washington's portrayal of a private in the unit.
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