Robert John Simmons First Sergeant Robert John Simmons was a Bermudian who served in the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the American Civil War . He died in August 1863 , as a result of wounds received in an attack on Fort Wagner , near Charleston , South Carolina . Biography . A former clerk , probably from St . George ' s , Simmons joined the 54th on March 12 , 1863 . ( Many black and white Bermudians fought for the Union , mostly in the US Navy . Many more , like Thomas Leslie Outerbridge , profiteered from the war by smuggling arms to the blockaded South . ) The black regiment was raised in March 1863 by the Governor of Massachusetts , John A . Andrew . Commanded by Colonel Robert Gould Shaw , it sprang to life after the passage of the Emancipation Proclamation . Secretary of War Edwin M . Stanton decided white officers would be in charge of all " colored " units . Colonel Shaw was hand picked by Governor John Andrew . Governor Andrew also selected Norwood Penrose " Pen " Hallowell as the unit ' s second in command . Simmons was introduced to Francis George Shaw , father of Colonel Shaw , by William Wells Brown , a prominent abolitionist lecturer , novelist , playwright , historian and former slave , who described him as " " a young man of more than ordinary abilities who had learned the science of war in the British Army " " . In his book , " The Negro in the American Rebellion " , Brown wrote that " " Francis George Shaw remarked at the time that Simmons would make a ' valuable soldier ' . Col . Shaw also had a high opinion of him " " . Fort Wagner . The regiment gained recognition on July 18 , 1863 , when it spearheaded an assault on Fort Wagner near Charleston , South Carolina . Colonel Shaw was killed , along with one - hundred and sixteen of his men . Another hundred and fifty - six were wounded or captured . The total casualties of 272 would be the highest total for the 54th in a single engagement during the war . Although they were not able to capture the fort , the 54th was widely acclaimed for its valor , and the event helped encourage the further enlistment and mobilization of African - American troops , a key development that President Abraham Lincoln once noted as helping to secure the final victory . A letter written by First Sergeant Simmons shortly before the attack on Battery Wagner was published in the New York Tribune on the 23rd of December , 1863 . First Sergeant Simmons was among the casualties of the battle for Fort Wagner . He was wounded and captured by the Confederates . An article in the July 28 , 1863 edition of the " Weekly Columbus Enquirer " , described him as " " a brave man and of good education . He was wounded and captured . Taken to Charleston , his bearing impressed even his captors . After suffering amputation of the arm , he died there . " " The newspaper also described him as saying that he fought " " for glory " " . Although Simmons was not mentioned by name , he was described as a Bermudian sergeant , leaving no doubt as to his identity : " One of the negroes is a remarkably sprightly fellow from Bermuda where he was educated as a soldier . His position is that of an Orderly Sergeant , but he has lost an arm , and probably one leg will go . A third of the ` glory ' for which he says he came to fight , being thus amputated , he will in the future be a wiser man . The others are a mongrel set of trash and very fair representatives of the common type of free Northern negro . " Simmons also received special mention by Shaw ' s successor , Colonel Hallowell , brother of Norwood Hallowell , and was awarded a private medal . He died of his wounds in August , 1863 , at the age of 26 . Legacy . By 1989 , Robert Simmons was a forgotten footnote of the history of the 54th Massachusetts . His having fought " for glory " was not known to the filmmakers who , that year , released the Academy Award - winning film " Glory " , which told the story of the unit . The film starred Matthew Broderick as Shaw , Denzel Washington , Morgan Freeman , Cary Elwes , and Andre Braugher . The film re - established the now - popular image of the combat role African - Americans played in the Civil War , and the unit , often represented in historical battle reenactments , now has the nickname " The Glory Regiment " . First Sergeant Simmons is mentioned repeatedly in a documentary narrated by Glory actor Morgan Freeman , " The True Story of Glory " .