Evening journal., 1911-04-19
NEW MEMS OF YESTERDAY
The Colonel Of the Civil
Wars First Negro
Regiment
By "HoIIand."

Fifty years ago today one of the
most famous of the many regiments
that fought on the Union side in the
Civil War marched down Broadway
New York. FOR the front, in response
to Lincoln's first call fer volunteers
the Seventh New York. Marching with
it to war as private vent that scion
Of Massachusetts family which had
been prominent from Revolutionary
days who was destined TO become the
leader OF the first regiment of negro
soldiers formed under state authority
in the North--Robert G. Shaw This
fact is so little known that most of the
biographies of Colonel Shaw state that
at the outbreak Of the war he entered
the service with the seoond Massachd-
setts as second lieutenant; yet there
is the roster Of the Seventh Regiment
with Shaw's name upon it, to prove
that Shaw saw his 1rst service in the
Civil War with the famous New York
city regiment, which furnished $50 If
ficers to the Union out of the men who
marched to The frolt v ith it on April |!
10, 1861
! have heard George William Curtis !
explain in this fashion how It was that /,
Colonel Shaw happened to begin lis
military service with the New York |
regiment
IT was lie to a chance visit that |
Robert Shaw made to my house on
Staten Island. My wife was his sister,
and though he was of Massachusetts |
citizenship. he was in the. habit of
speaking of our Staten Island home IS
his other home.
In the winter of 1861 he was with |
us. From day to day he followed close
ly the development of the relations be-
tween the North and the South. He was
sure that war was inevitable; he be-
lieved that it would be his duty to
enlist for ii, and with that idea in mind
he became a member of the Seventh
Regiment. Well, in the spring, the war
that he had looked TO came. and he
went to the front as a private. and we
were all proud. of mis- handsome ap- Il
parance. the patriotic earnestness
shining In his face, and his soldierly Il
bearing as he marched away with his
musket upon his shoulder
The Seventh enlisted first as a three
months regiment. At the end Of that
period Robert went back to his own
State and was given his first commits
sion in the Second Massachusetts.
Then, in 1903. when he was a captain,
came the incident of which all of his
family, and especially his father, was
very proud
Massachusetts was the first State
Of the North to raise a regiment of
negro soldiers; Robert was asked by
Governor Andrew if he would accept
The colonelcy Many persons thought
he would decline it. His family was
rich, they were members of the most
cultivated circles of Boston, and he
was himself a Harvard man But he
told us that he regarded it as a high
duty and opportunity to accept the Of
fer, for he believed that the moral ef-
feet produced by the leading of the
first negro regiment to the front by a
man who was no adventurer would be
Of great value At the head of the regi-
ment he again went TO the front with
his fathers blessing and the approval
Of all who were near him, and he fell
With many members Of his regiment at
he assault upon Fort Wagner, in
South Carolina, on July 18th of the
Eame year. !
When the news of his death was ;
'eceived by his father, and the father |
vas asked what disposition should be
made Of his boys body, he remained s
luiet for a few moments. His head was {
)owed with sorrow that his son should
lave died, and yet he was sustained ]
~ the feeling Of honorable pride for .
he brief career of this brilliant and
handsome son. At last he raised his
read and said:
I have only one answer to make
when you ask what disposition shall
De made Of my sons body, and that is
his: Let him be buried with the sol
Hers who perished with him. That,
Am sure, would have been his wish
Copyright, 1911, by f. ], Edwards. All
rights reserved)
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards viii tell Of
'The Miscarried Plan That Changed
History"