Robert Gould Shaw Memorial Explained

Robert Gould Shaw Memorial
Artist:Augustus Saint-Gaudens
Type:Bronze
Height Imperial:11
Width Imperial:14
Metric Unit:m
Imperial Unit:ft
City:Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Coordinates:42.3575°N -71.0635°W
Owner:National Park Service

The Memorial to Robert Gould Shaw and the Massachusetts Fifty-Fourth Regiment is a bronze relief sculpture by Augustus Saint-Gaudens opposite 24 Beacon Street, Boston (at the edge of the Boston Common). It depicts Colonel Robert Gould Shaw leading members of the 54th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry as it marched down Beacon Street on May 28, 1863 to depart the city to fight in the South. The sculpture was unveiled on May 31, 1897.[1] This is the first civic monument to pay homage to the heroism of African American soldiers.[2]

History

The monument marks Shaw's death on July 18, 1863 after he and his troops attacked Fort Wagner, one of two forts protecting the strategic Confederate port of Charleston, South Carolina.[2] Joshua Bowen Smith, a Massachusetts state legislator, led the effort to obtain authorization for the monument; others participating in its early planning included Governor John Albion Andrew, who had urged Shaw to take command of the 54th Regiment, Samuel Gridley Howe, and Senator Charles Sumner.[3] The monument was meant to show the public's gratitude to Shaw and commemorate the events that recognized the citizenship of Black men.[3] In celebrating Shaw, Saint-Gaudens depicted Shaw on horseback, while the Massachusetts 54th is depicted in bas-relief, thus creating a "stylistically unprecedented" and "hybrid" work that modifies the traditional Western equestrian monument. Saint-Gaudens would later draw upon this new model in his 1903 memorial to William T. Sherman in New York's Central Park. Each of the twenty-three Black soldiers is rendered with distinct, individualistic features that were based on those of live models hired by Saint-Gaudens.

Fundraising for the monument, led by the survivors of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry and emancipated Black people from Beaufort, South Carolina, began immediately after the battle, but funds were redirected because the Beaufort site was found unsuitable and local white people expressed resentment.

The monument was vandalized in 2012, 2015, and 2017. On May 31, 2020, as part of the 2020 George Floyd protests, the back of the monument was vandalized with phrases such as "Black Lives Matter", "ACAB," and "Fuck 12". As part of a renovation plan, the front had been covered with plywood, which also received graffiti.[4] [5] In July 2020, the monument became a focus of discussion during the iconoclasm that took place as part of the George Floyd protests.[6]

Restoration of the monument began on May 20, 2020, and was completed in March 2021.[7] The memorial was removed and taken to an offsite location for restoration. While the bronze sculpture was being cleaned and repaired, a new concrete foundation was built. The project cost $2.8 million and includes an augmented reality mobile app that assists visitors in experiencing the monument.[8] New signage was added detailing the history of the Civil War, the 54th Regiment, and the monument itself, with QR codes for the AR app.[9]

In November 2023, a copy of the monument in the National Gallery of Art was damaged by an activist.[10]

Dedications and inscriptions

The work was dedicated by philosopher William James of Harvard:

A Latin inscription on the relief reads ("He left behind everything to save the Republic").The pedestal below carries lines from James Russell Lowell's poem "Memoriae Positum":

On the rear are words by Charles W. Eliot, president of Harvard University:

A plaster cast, which was exhibited at the 1901 Pan-American Exposition, is displayed at the National Gallery of Art,[11] on loan by the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site, Cornish, New Hampshire.[12] The inscription running along the bottom of this plaster cast incorrectly states that the assault on Fort Wagner and Shaw's death in 1863 occurred "JULY TWENTY THIRD," five days later than the historic events.

In popular culture

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Robert Gould Shaw Memorial. History and Culture: Boston African American National Historic Site: Massachusetts. National Park Service. November 22, 2020. May 4, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160504094805/https://www.nps.gov/boaf/learn/historyculture/shaw.htm. dead. .
  2. Book: Dupré, Judith. Monuments: America's History in Art and Memory. 2007. Random House. 978-1-4000-6582-0. New York. 80–85. Judith Dupré. 2023-03-19. 2023-02-25. https://web.archive.org/web/20230225052239/https://books.google.com/books?id=6kUaAQAAIAAJ. live.
  3. Book: 1897. The Monument to Robert Gould Shaw: Its Inception, Completion, and Unveiling ... Cambridge . Houghton, Mifflin . June 30, 2013.
  4. "Shaw 54th Regiment Memorial defaced during protests," WCVB5, a Boston ABC News affiliate, 1 June 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  5. Web site: 16 Statues And Memorials Were Damaged During Sunday's Protests, Including One Dedicated To African American Soldiers. 2020-06-14. www.wbur.org. 3 June 2020 . en. 2020-06-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20200614024441/https://www.wbur.org/artery/2020/06/03/16-statues-memorials-damaged. live.
  6. News: MassLive. July 27, 2020. Boston's memorial to Robert Gould Shaw and the Massachusetts 54th Regiment's black soldiers faces scrutiny in monument debate. July 29, 2020. July 29, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200729045046/https://www.masslive.com/news/2020/07/bostons-memorial-to-robert-gould-shaw-and-the-massachusetts-54th-regiments-black-soldiers-faces-scrutiny-in-monument-debate.html. live. .
  7. News: Sweeney. Emily. Andersen. Travis. March 3, 2021. Civil War memorial to 54th Regiment returns to Boston Common. Boston Globe. live. March 20, 2021. March 10, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210310033619/https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/03/03/metro/civil-war-memorial-54th-regiment-returns-boston-common/.
  8. News: Sweeney. Emily. 2019-10-15. Civil War memorial across from State House will be taken down for major face lift. The Boston Globe. 2019-10-16. 2019-10-16. https://web.archive.org/web/20191016070729/https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2019/10/15/civil-war-memorial-across-from-state-house-will-taken-down-for-major-facelift/oonvgnq6trv7LbXP5nsM7N/story.html. live.
  9. Web site: Restoration Work on Shaw 54th Memorial Now Underway – Beacon Hill Times. 2020-06-14. beaconhilltimes.com. 2020-06-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20200614004725/https://beaconhilltimes.com/2020/05/28/restoration-work-on-shaw-54th-memorial-now-underway/. live.
  10. News: Ladden-Hall . Dan . 7 February 2024 . Climate Activist Arrested Over Damage to Civil War Memorial Honoring Black Soldiers: DOJ . The Daily Beast . New York . 8 March 2024 .
    News: Lewis . Scott . 7 February 2024 . Sandy man arrested for defacing African-American Civil War memorial as part of climate protest . KTVX . Utah . 8 March 2024.
  11. Web site: NGA -- Shaw Memorial Home Page . 2011-10-24 . 2011-08-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110805082254/http://www.nga.gov/feature/shaw/ . dead .
  12. Web site: Memorial to Robert Gould Shaw, (sculpture). Save Outdoor Sculpture, New Hampshire survey. 1993. October 22, 2011. April 2, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150402152333/http://siris-artinventories.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=H3194704K95H7.99512&profile=ariall&source=~!siartinventories&view=subscriptionsummary&uri=full=3100001~!18620~!22&ri=2&aspect=Keyword&menu=search&ipp=20&spp=20&staffonly=&term=robert+shaw&index=.GW&uindex=&aspect=Keyword&menu=search&ri=2#focus. live.
  13. Moody's "An Ode in Time of Hesitation". College English. 5. 3. 121–129. 371137. Francis. J.. Glasheen. Adaline. 1943. 10.2307/371137.

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