The Portland daily press., 1864-03-26

dying. One poor fellow, struck no doubt by
the Colonel's determined bearing, exclaimed as
he was passing him; "Colonel, will stay with
you till die;'' and he kept his word he has
never been seen since
The 54th colored Massachusetts, regiment held
the right wing of the storming column that at
tackled Fort Wagner ON the 18th of July last Ii
went into action $50 strong, and came out with
a loss of a third of the men. and still larger
proportion of officers, but eight out of twenty
three coming out uninjured. The regiment was
marched up in column by wings, the first being
under the command of Colonel Shaw. When
1000 yards from the fort, the enemy opened
upon them with shot, shell and canister. They
passed through the storm and cheered and
shouted as they advanced When within hun
dred yards of the fort, the musketry from it
opened with such terrible effect that the first
battalion hestated-only for an instant. Col.
Shaw sprang forward, and, waving his sword,
cried forward. my brave boys" and, with
another cheer and shout, they rushed through
the ditch. gained the parapet on the right, and
were soon hand to hand with the enemy. Colo
mel Shaw was one of the first to scale the walls.
He stood erect to urge forward his men, and,
while shouting to them to press forward, he was
shst dead and fell into the fort. His body was
found with twenty of his men lying dead around
him, two lying on his own body. In the MORN
ing they were all buried in the same pit.
must not forget to name one of Colonel
ouAh . ulcu-OHt VI ulpReTS kas t0e tO0-
federates called them,) when the Federals asked
for his body the day after the fight. "Colonel
Shawl" they said, Eve buried him below his
niggers' One of his nigcers was a Sergeant
William Carney, who caught the colors from
wounded color-bearer, and was the first man to
plant the stars and stripes on Fort Wagner. As
he saw the men falling back, himself wounded
in the breast, he brought the colors off, creep
ing on his knees, pressing his wound with one
hand, and with the other holding up the ban
ner, the sign of his freedom. The moment he
was seen crawling into hospital with the flag
still in his possession, his wounded companions,
both black and white, rose from the straw on
which they were lying and cheered him until,
exhausted, they could cheer no longer. In re-
sponse to this reception the brave standard
bearer said, "boys, but did my duty; the dear
old flag never touched the ground!''
And now Robert Gould Shaw is dead; the
rich, prosperous young man, who might have
lived at his house in the beautiful home on
Staten Island, is dead. He, who might have
fought gallantly in splendid uniform on noble
charger among his fellows in riches and station,
is dead-fghtng among the depised colored
people, among whom the last months of his life
were passed-buried beneath his niggers with
contempt and insult.
II makes my heart burn when read the false
statements sometimes put out by English papers
to the effect that the higher class of Northerners
shirk their part of sacrifice and suffering, and
that, in fact, the Federal regiments are filled with
mercenaries, German or Irish. /, one English
individual, know of my own personal knowl-
edge of three only sons of rich parents, living
in happy homes, full of gladness and hope, who
hayeileft ALL will say it - to follow Christ;
and have laid down their lives for no party OBJ
ject. for no mere political feeling; but to see if
their lives might avail, if ever so little, to set
the captive free. And the mother of one of
these dead sons is giving, her friends fear, far
too literally to procure comforts, and even lux
uries, for the Confederate prisoners in Fort
Lafayette.