54th Massachusetts memorial back in Boston Common after conservation; will remain under wraps as work continues at site

The Shaw memorial has been a beacon since 1897 (Picket photo)

A remarkably detailed bronze memorial depicting the valiant black men of the 54^th Massachusetts Regiment, the subject of the Civil War movie “Glory,” has been returned to Boston Common after extensive conservation.

The Shaw 54^th Regiment Memorial was lowered by crane Wednesday to the spot where it has presided since 1897, across from the Massachusetts State House. It will remain crated for at least a month as work is completed on its foundation and the Tennessee marble surround.

Leslie Singleton Adam, chair of the Friends of the Public Garden, one of the sponsors of the $3 million project, told WCVB  “the critical issue is the base, and any sort of event, seismic event, or weather event could have potentially toppled it over.” The foundation was deteriorating because of water damage.

The Friends of the Public Garden, the city, the National Park Service and the Museum of African American History in Boston partnered in the project. (Below, the bronze is put back in place. Video courtesy of Boston Parks and Recreation)

The bronze bas relief was hoisted off its base in August 2020 and was conserved at Skylight Studios in Woburn (photo below, courtesy of Friends of the Public Garden).

There, experts stripped previous coatings and refinished and repatinated the bronze. The memorial has 20 parts and was in structurally great condition, GBH Boston reported.

The site work is expected to be completed in mid-April. Susan Abell, director of communications and outreach for the Friends, told the Picket a formal rededication is planned for the fall.

The memorial originally was intended to be of Shaw, but his family wanted the men with whom he fought and died at Fort Wagner near Charleston in 1863 be included.

Sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens spent 14 years on the work. “The sculptor’s ability to combine startling naturalism with lofty allegory made his work eminently suited to such endeavors,” says the National Park Service.

The memorial depicts regimental commander Col. Robert Gould Shaw leading his all-volunteer regiment, an angel flying above.

A 1997 Washington Post article said this of the depiction: “Each is individualized. All were portrayed from life. They're not victims, they're heroes. It isn't just the drum -- or the marching rhythms of their blanket rolls, their canteens and their rifles -- that drives them to their destiny. They know where they are going. The justice of their cause leads them willingly to death.”

In more recent years, many have found the depiction of a white officer riding on horseback while 23 black soldiers walk in the background to be problematic.

But supporters say the memorial still projects a powerful message.

“It’s symbolic of social justice of the time, it is symbolic of freedom,” said Leon Wilson, CEO of the museum. “It is symbolic of a group of men who are absolute loyalists, patriots, and knew that they’re fighting for more than just change -- they were fighting for survival and freedom.”

The Shaw memorial before restoration (National Park Service)

In 2012, the Picket spoke with Joseph McGill, who reenacted in the Charleston, S.C., area with a group that portrayed men of the 54th.

“You have to look at the social aspect of it and what it meant to the African-American race and this nation,” said McGill. “There were doubts on the ability of these men to actually be soldiers. These men did prove they could be soldiers.”

About 280 of the 600 charging 54th soldiers were killed, wounded or captured in the assault on Fort Wagner, which fell two months later.

The crated memorial before it was set in place (Friends of the Public Garden)