Complex sentence: The 54th's colonel, Robert Gould Shaw, was killed upon the parapet early in the action, some confederate reports claim his body was pierced seven times, the mortal of which was a rifle wound to his chest.
Split into simpler sentences: The 54th's colonel, Robert Gould Shaw, was killed upon the parapet early in the action. Some confederate reports claim his body was pierced seven times, with the fatal wound a rifle wound to his chest.