American Historical Ephemera & Photography, including African Americana

Chromolithograph, sheet 22 1/4 x 28 inch. (565 x 711 mm), light marginal toning, a few discrete marginal repairs verso, 6-inch. horizontal crease at lower margin affecting image area, matted and framed.

On July 18, 1863, the Second Battle of Fort Wagner marked a significant event in the American Civil War, as it was one of the earliest major engagements involving African-American troops. The Union forces launched a determined assault on a heavily fortified Confederate position guarding Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. At the forefront of this attack was the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, an all-African-American unit led by white officers.

Despite their valiant efforts, the regiment suffered devastating casualties. The assault, though ultimately unsuccessful, underscored the bravery and capability of African-American soldiers in combat. This battle, dramatized in the acclaimed 1989 film Glory, is vividly captured here portraying the 54th Massachusetts Infantry surging over the Confederate defenses, locked in fierce hand-to-hand combat. In the scene, Colonel Robert Gould Shaw stands alongside his flag-bearer on the fort's wall, clutching his chest after receiving his fatal wound.

Kurz & Allison, a Chicago lithography firm known for its vivid prints that memorialized the American Civil War by capturing famous battle scenes, was also unique for including numerous depictions of Black participation and heroism in the Union struggle. "No one else in the late nineteenth century produced such heroic depictions of black soldiers" (Neely & Holzer, Union Image, p.218). A BRIGHT COPY depicting one of the most important battles of the American Civil War with an all-Black regiment at the forefront.