Video: 'Colonel Robert Gould Shaw: 54th Massachusetts Regiment'

(Saturday, July 18, 1863, 7:45-10:00 p.m. local time; during the Second Battle of Fort Wagner of the American Civil War) — The first formal African American military unit, the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, unsuccessfully assaulted Confederate-held Fort Wagner on Morris Island, South Carolina, today but their valiant fighting still proves the worth of African American soldiers during the war.

Their commander, Colonel Robert Shaw (portrayed by Matthew Broderick in the 1989 film Glory) was killed leading the attack and was buried with his men (450 Union, 175 Confederate).

Video: 'Glory (7/8) Movie CLIP - Shaw and Trip Fall Together (1989) HD'