Thomas F. (hardtack) -
If you have seen the movie Glory and wish to know as much as possible about this brave regiment, then this is the book to read. Captain Emilio was one of the white officers of the 54th and he was tasked with writing its history after the American Civil War (or War of the Rebellion as Abraham Lincoln called it).
From the early days when the first company was forming up, through its training, then shipping out to the Department of the South's headquarters at Hilton Head Island, the initial skirmishes and raids, the assault on Battery Wagner, the slow recovery from that battle and its following skirmishes, and then shipping out for the Florida Expedition, more fighting in the coastal southern states, then mustering out -- it's all here in stunning detail as only a man who served with the regiment could relate.
I use this book constantly as a source for information on the enlisted men and officers for the Battle of Olustee - the largest Civil War battle in Florida where the 54th stood and fought - Web site.
The book also contains numerous period photographs of the enlisted men and officers.
I especially enjoyed reading about Stephen Atkins Swails, who rose from private to sergeant major and then was the first Negro put forward for commissioning as an line officer in the Civil War. It took Swails, the officers of the 54th and the governor of Massachusetts over a year, but eventually 2nd Lieutenant Swails became the first of the black officers of the 54th.
A wonderful story of black Americans - all free men of color - who enlisted to fight for their country and prove their worth to America. And after Battery Wagner no one would ever be able to claim that Negroes could not fight and die with courage. While several other unofficial regiments of black Americans were already in existence, it was the 54th Massachusetts which first pushed open and held the gate for the enlistment of over 180,000 black American who served their country as soldiers during these trying years.
From the early days when the first company was forming up, through its training, then shipping out to the Department of the South's headquarters at Hilton Head Island, the initial skirmishes and raids, the assault on Battery Wagner, the slow recovery from that battle and its following skirmishes, and then shipping out for the Florida Expedition, more fighting in the coastal southern states, then mustering out -- it's all here in stunning detail as only a man who served with the regiment could relate.
I use this book constantly as a source for information on the enlisted men and officers for the Battle of Olustee - the largest Civil War battle in Florida where the 54th stood and fought - Web site.
The book also contains numerous period photographs of the enlisted men and officers.
I especially enjoyed reading about Stephen Atkins Swails, who rose from private to sergeant major and then was the first Negro put forward for commissioning as an line officer in the Civil War. It took Swails, the officers of the 54th and the governor of Massachusetts over a year, but eventually 2nd Lieutenant Swails became the first of the black officers of the 54th.
A wonderful story of black Americans - all free men of color - who enlisted to fight for their country and prove their worth to America. And after Battery Wagner no one would ever be able to claim that Negroes could not fight and die with courage. While several other unofficial regiments of black Americans were already in existence, it was the 54th Massachusetts which first pushed open and held the gate for the enlistment of over 180,000 black American who served their country as soldiers during these trying years.
