[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 113 (Monday, July 20, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1083-E1084]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  IN RECOGNITION OF THE 54TH MASSACHUSETTS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY REGIMENT

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                        HON. WILLIAM R. KEATING

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 20, 2015

  Mr. KEATING. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the 54th 
Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment. Established in 1863 as one 
of the first military units comprised of entirely African American 
soldiers to fight in the Civil War for the Union, the 54th 
Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment will further be memorialized 
with the unveiling of a historic mural in New Bedford, Massachusetts.
   While the declaration of the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 
1863 provided an avenue for free black men to serve as soldiers, it 
remained the responsibility of state governors to raise regiments for 
federal service. Massachusetts Governor John A. Andrews became the 
first governor in the nation to authorize an all-African American 
voluntary infantry regiment. In three months' time, the regiment had 
grown to consist of over 1,000 enlisted volunteers from across the 
Commonwealth, united under the command of Robert Gould Shaw, a white 
officer. Included among the regiment's enlistees were none other than 
Charles and Lewis Douglass--two sons of the well-known writer and 
abolitionist, Frederick Douglass, as well as the first African American 
Congressional Medal of Honor recipient and one of New Bedford's most 
famous sons, Sergeant William H. Carney.
   It was not long after its formation that the 54th Massachusetts 
Regiment earned the fighting recognition it had anticipated. Following 
a joyous parade and honorary celebration in the streets of Boston in 
May 1863, the regiment headed south to the hostile coast of South 
Carolina. By July 18, 1863, after several days of fighting on little 
sleep, food or water, the regiment prepared for an assault on Fort 
Wagner, which protected the Port of Charleston.
   Tragically, due to a fatal miscalculation of the number of 
Confederate troops, the 54th Massachusetts Regiment saw over 280 of its 
men killed, wounded, or captured during the siege on Fort Wagner, 
including Colonel Shaw. However, not all was lost. It was during this 
battle that the severely wounded Sergeant William H. Carney saved the 
regiment's flag

[[Page E1084]]

from being captured by Confederate troops. Upon his return to his 
regiment, he famously shouted, ``The Old Flag never touched the 
ground!'' For these heroic actions, Sergeant Carney became the first 
African American soldier awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.
   The courage, bravery, and dedication demonstrated by the 54th 
Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment over 150 years ago lives on 
in the pride of our community. Now, thanks to the partnership of the 
New Bedford Historical Society, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, 
Artworks, and the New Bedford National Historical Park, residents of 
and visitors to the City of New Bedford will further celebrate the 
memory of Sergeant Carney and the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry 
Regiment with a mural depicting the gallant men of the Regiment in the 
exact spot where local New Bedford volunteers enlisted throughout the 
Civil War.
   Mr. Speaker, it brings me great pleasure to recognize the unveiling 
of this historic mural and to call attention yet again to the bravery 
and dedication of the men who served in the 54th Regiment Massachusetts 
Volunteer Infantry.

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