[War & Business] Glory

[Image source=Still cut from the movie 'Yeonggwang-ui Gitbal (Glory)']

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Edward Zwick's 1989 film "Glory" depicts the history of the United States' first Black infantry unit, the "Massachusetts 54th Regiment." Although they suffered near-total defeat in battle, the blood they shed is credited with ushering in a new era for the Black civil rights movement.

The 54th Regiment was originally a unit born out of great difficulty. During the American Civil War, Black people wanted to fight on the side of the Union Army for their own liberation, but Union commanders were just as deeply entrenched in racial prejudice as those in the Confederate Army. They believed that Black slaves should not be given guns. At the time, eugenics, which spread alongside Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, was widely accepted, and many soldiers and scholars openly stated that Black people, considered intellectually inferior and biologically inferior, could not be used as soldiers.

President Abraham Lincoln allowed Black enlistment after the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861. However, no state initially considered forming Black units. It was not until March 1863, three years into the war, that Massachusetts formed the 54th Regiment, the first Black unit in American history. Under the command of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, an abolitionist, about 1,000 Black volunteers enlisted and were organized.

However, the Union Army had no intention of sending them to the front lines. They were not properly supplied with basic equipment such as guns, boots, or uniforms and were only assigned rear support duties traditionally given to Black slaves. The excuse was concern for the safety of Black soldiers, as the Confederates did not recognize Black soldiers as prisoners of war and executed them all.

Nevertheless, as the 54th Regiment persistently requested to be sent to the front, the Union Army ordered them to assault Fort Wagner, then considered an impregnable fortress, and recapture it. This mission was tantamount to a suicide order, but the Black soldiers advanced without retreat. They were determined to demonstrate their passion for the emancipation of Black people, even at the cost of their lives.

As expected, the 54th Regiment suffered a crushing defeat, with over 40% of its forces, including Colonel Shaw, killed immediately after the battle. Despite the heavy casualties, they maintained discipline until the end, and there were no deserters. The Union Army abandoned its prejudices against Black soldiers, and by the end of the war in 1865, more than 180,000 Black soldiers, about 10% of the total forces, served.

It was from this time that Black people were recognized as official citizens of the United States rather than slaves. Subsequently, Black soldiers became a main force, accounting for 20-30% of all troops in every battlefield where the U.S. military participated. This was a much higher proportion than the 12% Black population in the U.S. Black civil rights were advanced not through violence and plunder but through blood, sweat, and sacrifice on the battlefield.