Andre Braugher, who played Cpl. Thomas Searles in 'Glory,' dies at 61

Andre Braugher, who gained fame portraying a member of the 54^th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment in the 1989 film “Glory,” has died at age 61, according to news reports.

Braugher played Cpl. Thomas Searles, a sensitive African-American recruit who had a difficult time adjusting to army life and was ridiculed by many of his comrades.

But the bookish Searles, who was a family friend of white regimental commander Col. Robert Gould Shaw, toughened up and volunteered to carry the flag should the color bearer fall during the Union assault on Fort Wagner near Charleston, S.C., in July 1863.

When Shaw asks whether anyone would pick up the staff, Searles stepped forward and said, “I will” to cheers.

“I’ll see you in the fort, Thomas,” said an emotional Shaw, played by Matthew Broderick, who before then ordered the soldier not to speak to him by first name.

Shaw, Searles and many other members of the regiment died in the failed assault.

“Glory” also starred Denzel Washington, Cary Elwes and Morgan Freeman.

Braugher  (left, Peabody Awards photo via Wikipedia) later starred in a number of movies and television shows, including “Homicide: Life on the Street” and the comedy series “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” according to CNN.

In 2015, the actor introduced “Glory” when it was broadcast on USA Network.

“It was an incredible honor to be involved in ‘Glory’ and work amongst a tremendous cast to highlight some of our nation’s first black military heroes,” said Braugher, according to The Wrap.

“The film pays tribute to the brave soldiers and inspires us to defy adversity when all odds are against us, while paying tribute to those who selflessly fought to preserve the union during the American Civil War."

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)

Charleston events Wednesday will mark crucial role of the 54th Massachusetts

Every year, Joseph McGill and his comrades return to the island where the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry secured its place in American history.

They’ll do so again Wednesday afternoon, traveling on three boats to Cummings Point on Morris Island, where the regiment assaulted Confederate Battery Wagner.

Although the July 18, 1863, lead assault by the 54th was not a tactical success – although the damaged fort guarding Charleston, S.C., held on for just two more months – it has come to stand for so much more.

“You have to look at the social aspect of it and what it meant to the African-American race and this nation,” said McGill, member of Company I, 54th Massachusetts Reenactment Regiment. “There were doubts on the ability of these men to actually be soldiers. These men did prove they could be soldiers.”

The 54th, made famous in the 1989 film “Glory,” is undoubtedly the most famous U.S. Colored Troops unit in the war.

“It helped to convince me African-Americans had a major role in the Civil War,” McGill, a former Fort Sumter park ranger, said of “Glory,” which starred Morgan Freeman, Denzel Washington and Matthew Broderick.

Company I, with about 15 active members, on Wednesday will host members of other 54th re-enacting units from along the East Coast.

Battery Wagner – which guarded the southern approach to Charleston Harbor -- is long gone, a victim of erosion. The beachhead fort and remains of those killed in the assaults were washed out to sea.

About 280 of the 600 charging 54th soldiers were killed, wounded or captured. Col. Robert Gould Shaw was among those killed.

The boats, carrying re-enactors and spectators, will travel from three locations to Cummings Point. Participants will disembark for the 3:30 p.m. ceremony.

A wreath will be placed and members of the 54th will fire a salute.

McGill said owners of private boats are welcome to attend the event.

Also Wednesday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fort Moultrie, on the north end of the Charleston harbor, will sponsor events honoring the 54th’s service.

A special Junior Ranger program, which can be completed in less than an hour, will focus on the role of the 200,000 men in the U.S. Colored Troops. Children who complete the program will earn a special patch.

At 2 p.m., scholar and researcher Russell Horres will lead a free discussion in the visitor center.

“It is a fun way to engage them to learn about history,” Chief Ranger Dawn Davis said of the program for youth, geared to those between the ages of 4 and 12. Teens also can participate.

Davis told the Picket she and McGill’s group will soon start drawing up plans to mark Battery Wagner’s 150th anniversary next year.

“It’s an integral part to the story. It’s part of what we talk to on a daily basis,” she told the Picket.

The 54th’s bravery in Charleston inspired more African-Americans to join the Union army and Navy “It proved that they would stand up and fight their freedom,” Davis said.

McGill said African-Americans are playing a larger role than in the 1961-1965 Civil War centennial. Fifty years ago, African-Americans were engaged in a different fight: civil rights.

“There was not a whole time to commemorate a war that should have given us those rights,” said McGill.

Civil War scholarship has improved, he said, and colleges are telling the story that “Glory” helped along.

“We are a little more receptive to talking about this institution of slavery and not sugarcoating and falsifying information about it,” McGill said.

Some members of the 54th taking part in the Morris Island ceremony may try to get over to Fort Moultrie at some point Wednesday.

“We don’t just put these uniforms on for show,” McGill told the Picket. “We are obligated to make sure the story of these guys is told and not forgotten. That is not relegated to a footnote of history. What those guys did on the island was very important to not only African-American history, but to American history.”

For more information on the Morris Island event, and to learn whether any boat seats are available, contact Joe McGill at 843-408-7727. Illustration assault, courtesy of Library of Congress; Morris Island photo, courtesy of Joseph McGill; Fort Moultrie photo, courtesy of the National Park Service

• More information about Fort Moultrie
• History Channel's page on the 54th

Battle diorama finds a new home

A diorama depicting the 1863 assault by Union forces on the Confederate Battery Wagner near Charleston, S.C., will serve as a centerpiece for a restored lodge's new life: as a museum for the rich but unheralded history of James Island. • Article

This summer in history: Morris Island

Union forces spent the summer of 1863 trying to dislodge Confederates around Charleston, S.C.

Two attacks focused on Fort Wagner. The one made famous by the movie "Glory" took place on July 18, when the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, made up of African-Americans, tried in vain to take the fort.

On Aug. 1, the Union began a prolonged bombardment of entrenchments, according to Georgia's Blue and Gray Trail. Confederates fired back on Morris Island on Aug. 11, starting a barrage between the enemies that lasted four days.

Confederate-held Fort Sumter took fire beginning Aug. 17. The shells caused heavy damage but the Union made no assault. Federal assaults continued off and on until September 1864.