Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Regiment Memorial - State House lawn

The Robert Gould Shaw Memorial, sculpted by Augustus Saint-Gaudens and unveiled in 1897, honors Colonel Shaw and the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, one of the first official Black units in the Union Army. The 54th led the July 18, 1863 assault on Fort Wagner, South Carolina, a well-documented and influential action in the American Civil War. The bronze relief is installed on the northeastern lawn of the Massachusetts State House and has been a focal point for commemoration of the regiment's service.