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

Memorial to Robert Gould Shaw and the Massachusetts Fifty-Fourth Regiment, also known as the Shaw Memorial, is a bronze sculpture by Saint-Gaudens in Boston, Massachusetts. It is located opposite 24 Beacon Street, on the edge of Boston Common. The work depicts Colonel Robert Gould Shaw leading members of the Massachusetts infantry regiment as they marched along Beacon Street, leaving the city to fight in the South during the American Civil War. The sculpture was unveiled in 1897. It is regarded as the first monument to honor the heroism of African American soldiers.

The Shaw Memorial appears behind trees and a stone wall, with a Boston Duck Tours vehicle passing in front.
The Shaw Memorial in Boston is seen behind trees and a stone wall as a Duck Tours vehicle passes by.
June 2007 © Infrogmation of New Orleans · CC BY 2.5
Shaw Memorial bronze relief with a mounted leader, marching soldiers, and a winged figure above them.
The Shaw Memorial’s bronze relief shows a mounted leader guiding marching soldiers beneath a winged allegorical figure.
© Scan by NYPL · Public domain
Shaw Memorial relief sculpture showing marching soldiers, an officer on horseback, and a winged figure above them.
Detail of the Shaw Memorial relief sculpture with marching soldiers, a mounted officer, and an allegorical figure overhead.
1910 © · No restrictions
Bronze figure from the Shaw Memorial with flowing drapery, leaves at the chest, and a rectangular panel behind the head.
A bronze figure from the Robert Gould Shaw Memorial, shown in close-up at the Brooklyn Museum.
October 2013 © · CC0
Handwritten poem in cursive on lined paper with a signature at the bottom left and the number 13 at the top right.
A handwritten memorial poem page associated with the Shaw Memorial.
1863 © · Public domain

Identification

TitleMemorial to Robert Gould Shaw and the Massachusetts Fifty-Fourth Regiment
Alternative namesShaw Memorial; Shaw monument; Robert Gould Shaw Memorial
TypeBronze relief sculpture; memorial monument

Creator

ArtistAugustus Saint-Gaudens

Historical context

SubjectRobert Gould Shaw and the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry
Depicted sceneColonel Robert Gould Shaw leading the 54th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry marching down Beacon Street on May 28, 1863, as they left Boston to fight in the South during the American Civil War
Commemorated eventShaw's death on July 18, 1863, after the attack on Fort Wagner during the Civil War
PurposeTo show public gratitude to Shaw and commemorate events recognizing Black men's citizenship
Historical significanceFirst civic monument to honor the heroism of African-American soldiers

Discovery and provenance

Initial monument advocacyLed by Joshua Bowen Smith, a Massachusetts state legislator
Early plannersJoshua Bowen Smith, Governor John Albion Andrew, Samuel Gridley Howe, and Senator Charles Sumner
John Albion Andrew's roleHe had urged Shaw to take command of the regiment
FundraisingBegan immediately after the battle, led by survivors of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry and emancipated Black people from Beaufort, South Carolina
Original proposed siteBeaufort, South Carolina
Reason for site changeThe Beaufort site was judged unsuitable and local white people expressed resentment

Physical characteristics

StyleStylistically unprecedented hybrid work that modifies the traditional Western equestrian monument
Figure styleEach soldier is rendered with distinct, individualized features based on live models hired by Saint-Gaudens
Figures representedShaw on horseback and twenty-three Black soldiers in bas-relief

Materials

Primary materialBronze
Base materialConcrete foundation

Location and ownership

LocationOpposite 24 Beacon Street at the edge of the Boston Common, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Dedicated byWilliam James
InscriptionsA Latin inscription appears on the relief; the pedestal bears lines from James Russell Lowell's "Memoriae Positum"; the reverse bears words by Charles W. Eliot
Plaster castA plaster cast exists; it was exhibited at the 1901 Pan-American Exposition and is now in the National Gallery of Art, on loan from the Saint-Gaudens National Historical Site, Cornish, New Hampshire
Plaster cast inscriptionThe cast's bottom inscription incorrectly gives the assault on Fort Wagner and Shaw's death as "July 21," five days later than the historical events

History and restoration

Restoration completedMarch 2021
Restoration costUS$2.8 million
UnveiledMay 31, 1897
RestorationBegan on May 20, 2020, with the memorial removed off-site; the bronze was cleaned and repaired, and a new concrete foundation was poured
Condition during renovationThe façade was covered with plywood, which also received graffiti
VandalismThe monument was vandalized in 2012, 2015, 2017, and on May 31, 2020, during the George Floyd protests, when the back was marked with "Black Lives Matter," "ACAB," and "Fuck 12"

Other

Visitor interpretationA mobile augmented-reality app and new signage with QR codes were added to help visitors learn about the monument, the Civil War, and the 54th Regiment
Later public debateThe monument became a focus of discussion during iconoclasm associated with the George Floyd protests, including in August 2021
Related workSaint-Gaudens later drew on this model in his 1903 memorial to William T. Sherman in New York's Central Park
2023 incidentA copy of the monument in the National Gallery of Art was damaged by a climate activist in November 2023