The monument marks Shaw's death on July 18, 1863 after he and his troops attacked Fort Wagner, one of two forts protecting the strategic Confederate port of Charleston, South Carolina. Joshua Bowen Smith, a Massachusetts state legislator, led the effort to obtain authorization for the monument; others participating in its early planning included Governor John Albion Andrew, who had urged Shaw to take command of the 54th Regiment, Samuel Gridley Howe, and Senator Charles Sumner. The monument was meant to show the public's gratitude to Shaw and commemorate the events that recognized the citizenship of Black men. Fundraising for the monument, led by the survivors of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry and emancipated Black people from Beaufort, South Carolina, began immediately after the battle, but funds were redirected because the Beaufort site was found unsuitable and local white people expressed resentment. The monument was vandalized in 2012, 2015, and 2017. On May 31, 2020, as part of the 2020 George Floyd protests, the back of the monument was vandalized with phrases such as "Black Lives Matter", "ACAB," and "Fuck 12". As part of a renovation plan, the front had been covered with plywood, which also received graffiti. Restoration of the monument began on May 20, 2020, and is expected to be completed in November 2020. The memorial will be removed and taken to an offsite location for restoration that is scheduled to take five to six months. While the bronze sculpture is being cleaned and repaired, a new concrete foundation will be built. The project will cost $2.8 million and includes an augmented realitymobile app that will assist visitors in experiencing the monument. There will be new signage detailing the history of the Civil War, the 54th Regiment, and the monument itself, with QR codes for the AR app. In July 2020, the monument became a focus of discussion during the iconoclasm that took place as part of the George Floyd protests
Dedications and inscriptions
Saint-Gaudens created distinct features for each of the African-American soldiers, distinguishing them as individuals, along with their commanding officer. The work was dedicated by philosopher William James of Harvard: A Latin inscription on the relief reads . The pedestal below carries lines from James Russell Lowell's poem "Memoriae Positum": On the rear are words by Charles W. Eliot, president of Harvard University: A plaster cast, which was exhibited at the 1901 Pan-American Exposition, is displayed at the National Gallery of Art, on loan by the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site, Cornish, New Hampshire. The inscription running along the bottom of this plaster cast incorrectly states that the assault on Fort Wagner and Shaw's death in 1863 occurred "JULY TWENTY THIRD," five days later than the historic events.
In popular culture
William Vaughn Moody describes Shaw and the monument in the poem "An Ode in Time of Hesitation."
Robert Lowell's famous poem "For the Union Dead" was the title poem of a collection by the same name published in 1964; he refers to the monument in the poem. The first edition of the book featured a drawing of the relief on the cover.
The memorial was depicted in the ending credits scene of the 1989 film, Glory, directed by Edward Zwick.
The memorial was used as the background for the 1998 U.S. postage stamp honoring author and poet Stephen Vincent Benet on the 100th anniversary of his birth.
