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60-611: The school was named after Robert Gould Shaw , who led the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment , one of the first official African American units during the American Civil War . From 1902 until 1928 the building housed the William McKinley Manual Training School . It was a school for white students and opened the same time as Armstrong Manual Training School for African Americans. They were part of an educational trend that began in

120-579: A line officer in the field and as a staff officer for General George H Gordon . Twice wounded, by the fall of 1862 he was promoted to the rank of captain. Since the start of the war, abolitionists such as Massachusetts governor John A. Andrew urged enlistment of African Americans as soldiers to fight the Confederacy . This proposal was broadly opposed. Many men believed that African American troops would lack discipline, be difficult to train, and would break and run in battle. The general attitude in

180-676: A powerful lobbying group. She died of cancer in 1905, at her home in New York City, and is buried with her husband at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Josephine Shaw Lowell Memorial Fountain in Bryant Park , which is behind the New York Public Library Main Branch building, was dedicated in 1912. The fountain is reportedly New York City's first public memorial dedicated to

240-494: A proceeding; but it seems to me barbarous to turn women and children adrift in that way; and if I am only assisting Colonel Montgomery in a private enterprise of his own, it is very distasteful to me." It is not clear if Shaw ever received an answer from Halpine, but Montgomery was in fact carrying out a policy supported by Hunter. Colonel Shaw and the 54th Regiment were placed under the command of General Quincy Adams Gillmore and sent to Charleston, South Carolina to take part in

300-404: A soldier and a crusader for emancipation. In a letter to the regimental surgeon, Lincoln Stone, Frank Shaw wrote: We would not have his body removed from where it lies surrounded by his brave and devoted soldiers. ... We can imagine no holier place than that in which he lies, among his brave and devoted followers, nor wish for him better company. – what a body-guard he has! After the war,

360-509: A year after they were married and only one month before their daughter, Carlotta, was born. During her travels, Lowell made the acquaintance of Thomas Carlyle , who sympathised with the Confederacy. Feeling that he underestimated the quality and patriotism of Union soldiers, she sent him biographical sketches of her husband and brother. He wrote to her on 10 March 1870 in acknowledgment of them, saying that it would be hard "not to recognize

420-532: Is buried at the cemetery of Church-on-the Hill in Lenox. There they march, warm-blooded champions of a better day for man. There on horseback among them, in his very habit as he lived, sits the blue-eyed child of fortune, upon whose happy youth every divinity had smiled. The Robert Gould Shaw School, West Roxbury, Massachusetts, a Boston Public School, opened in 1936 but is now closed. The first scholarly collection of

480-543: Is composed of buff-colored brick and limestone trim. It features an arcade of Romanesque arches on the third floor. Robert Gould Shaw Robert Gould Shaw (October 10, 1837 – July 18, 1863) was an American officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War . Born into a abolitionist family from the Boston upper class , he accepted command of the first all- black regiment (the 54th Massachusetts ) in

540-464: The Jesuits . In 1851, while Shaw was still at St. John's, his uncle died from tuberculosis . Aged 13, Shaw had a difficult time adjusting to his surroundings and wrote several despondent letters home to his mother. In one of his letters, he claimed to be so homesick that he often cried in front of his classmates. While at St. John's, he studied Latin, Greek, French, and Spanish, and practiced playing

600-557: The Porcellian Club , and the Hasty Pudding Club , but he withdrew before graduating. He had been a member of the class of 1860. Shaw found Harvard no easier to adjust to than any of his previous schools and wrote to his parents about his discontent. After leaving Harvard in 1859, Shaw returned to Staten Island to work with one of his uncles at the mercantile firm Henry P. Sturgis and Company. He found work life at

660-503: The Shaw School Urban Renewal Area – which created a concept of a "Shaw neighborhood" larger than what is generally considered Shaw today, covering today's core Shaw neighborhood, the U Street Corridor, Logan Circle and Truxton Circle . The building was designed by architect Henry Ives Cobb. It is part of the city's effort to hire private architects to improve the designs of public schools. The exterior

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720-404: The 54th and was wounded in the assault on Fort Wagner. Following the battle, commanding Confederate General Johnson Hagood returned the bodies of the other Union officers who had died, but left Shaw's where it was, for burial in a mass grave with the black soldiers. Hagood told a captured Union surgeon that "Had he [Shaw] been in command of white troops ..." he would have returned Shaw's body, as

780-469: The 54th was sent with the 2nd South Carolina Volunteers (who were also of African-American descent) for a raid against the town of Darien, Georgia . Overall command of the force was with the senior officer, colonel James Montgomery of the 2nd South Carolina. Upon reaching the town, Montgomery set his troops to looting it. Shaw was outraged by this behavior by Union troops. He ordered his troops to limit their seizures to those items that would be useful for

840-574: The League from 1901-1905 and was a great advocate of Philippine independence. Lowell was committed to social justice and reform and seized the opportunity to become involved in Progressive reform and the eradication of poverty. She once said, "If the working people had all they ought to have, we should not have the paupers and criminals. It is better to save them before they go under, than to spend your life fishing them out afterward." Lowell viewed

900-863: The New York Charity Organization in 1882 where she worked with Jacob Riis , the House of Refuge for Women (later known as the New York Training School for Girls ) in 1886, the Woman's Municipal League in 1894, and the Civil Service Reform Association of New York State in 1895. Perhaps her most wide-ranging and effective organization was the New York Consumers' League which she established in 1890. This organization strove to improve

960-597: The North was that African American troops would prove to be an embarrassment and hindrance to regular army units. Andrew traveled to Washington, D.C., in early January 1863 to meet with Secretary of War Edwin Stanton and repeat his argument for the use of African American troops in the Union army. Stanton was won to his side; on January 26, 1863, Stanton issued an order to Andrew to raise further volunteer regiments to fight for

1020-645: The Northeast. Supporting the promised equal treatment for his troops, he encouraged the men to refuse their pay until it was equal to that of white troops' wage. He led his regiment at the Second Battle of Fort Wagner in July 1863. They attacked a beachhead near Charleston, South Carolina , and Shaw was shot and killed while leading his men to the parapet of the Confederate-held fort. Although

1080-589: The South. Two sons of the prominent African-American abolitionist leader Frederick Douglass volunteered to serve with the 54th. Captain Shaw arrived in Boston on February 15, 1863, and immediately assumed his position. He was a strict disciplinarian, determined to train the men to high standards. On March 25, 1863, Shaw wrote to his father of his fledgling regiment: Everything goes on prosperously. The intelligence of

1140-638: The State Board of Charities established the New York State Custodial Asylum for Feeble-Minded Women in 1878. The asylum was a response to public concerns that "feeble-minded" women needed to be housed in a specialized facility. In several reports before the state legislature, Lowell stated that feeble-minded women disregarded moral and sexual restraint when placed in the undisciplined environment of an almshouse and frequently had illegitimate children who, in turn, became dependent on

1200-670: The Union Army disinterred and reburied all the remains—including, presumably, those of Col. Shaw—at the Beaufort National Cemetery in Beaufort, South Carolina . Their gravestones were marked as "unknown." Shaw's sword had been stolen from the first gravesite but was recovered in 1865 from a house in Virginia and returned to his parents. It disappeared after being passed down within the family. In June 2017, it

1260-432: The Union, adding the new recruits "may include persons of African descent, organized into special corps." Andrew immediately set about doing so, and the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry began to be formed. For the unit's officers, Andrew sought a certain type of white gentleman, young men of military experience, of firm antislavery principles, ambitious, superior to a vulgar contempt for color, and having faith in

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1320-473: The approach was narrow and only one regiment could attack at a time. At the battle on July 18, 1863, the 54th approached the fort in the late afternoon and then waited out of range for a night assault. After a heavy bombardment from the sea the 54th charged forward to take the Confederate batteries. Shaw led his men into battle, shouting "Forward, Fifty-Fourth, forward!" The 54th crossed the moat and scaled

1380-435: The battle, and he fell on the outside of the fort. Some Confederate reports claim his body was hit as many as seven times. The fighting continued until 10 p.m. when the Union forces withdrew, having suffered heavy losses. Among the fatalities were Gen. George Crockett Strong , mortally wounded; Col. Haldimand S. Putnam shot and killed instantly; and Col. John Lyman Chatfield , mortally wounded. Shaw's 54th Regiment suffered

1440-528: The behest of his uncle Joseph Coolidge Shaw, who had been ordained as a Roman Catholic priest in 1847. He converted to Catholicism during a trip to Rome, in which he befriended several members of the Oxford Movement , which had begun in the Anglican Church. Robert began his high school-level education at St. John's in 1850, the same year that Joseph Shaw began studying there for entrance into

1500-504: The building was referred to as “Shameful Shaw.” It was illustrative of the city's neglect of African Americans. In 1977, Shaw was moved to a new school at 9th Street and Rhode Island Avenue NW. In 2008, Shaw again moved, this time to the Garnet-Patterson school building at 10th and V Streets NW, where it became known as Shaw Middle School at Garnet-Patterson. In 2013, Shaw at Garnet-Patterson closed due to low enrollment following

1560-406: The camp, and committed only one company to the task. After the town had been emptied of all valuables and livestock, Montgomery told Shaw, "I shall burn this town." To Shaw the burning of the town appeared to serve no military purpose, and he knew it would create a great hardship to its residents. In a letter to his family he recalled, "I told him I did not want to take the responsibility of it, and he

1620-450: The capacity of colored men for military service. Most importantly, he wanted men who understood the stakes, that the success or failure of the endeavor would elevate or depress the manner in which the character of African Americans were viewed throughout the world for many years to come. Andrew wrote to many individuals prominent in the abolitionist movement, including Morris Hallowell of Philadelphia and Francis Shaw of Boston. To command

1680-502: The company office as disagreeable as some of his other experiences. With the outbreak of the American Civil War , Shaw volunteered to serve with the 7th New York Militia . On April 19, 1861, Private Shaw marched down Broadway in Lower Manhattan as his unit traveled south to man the defense of Washington, D.C. Lincoln's initial call-up asked volunteers to make a 90-day commitment, and after three months Shaw's new regiment

1740-644: The family moved to a large estate in West Roxbury , adjacent to Brook Farm , which he visited with his father. During his teens he traveled and studied for some years in Europe. In 1847, the family moved to Staten Island , New York, and settled among a community of literati and abolitionists while Shaw attended preparatory school at the Second Division of St. John's College (now Fordham Preparatory School at Fordham University ). These studies were at

1800-439: The greater degree of personal freedom at his new school, on one occasion writing home to his mother, "It's almost impossible not to drink a good deal, because there is so much good wine here." While Shaw was studying in Europe, Harriet Beecher Stowe , an abolitionist friend of his parents, published her novel Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852). Shaw read the book multiple times and was moved by its plot and anti-slavery attitude. Around

1860-477: The heaviest losses. Two sons of Frederick Douglass , Lewis and Charles Douglass, were with the 54th regiment at the time of the attack. Lewis was wounded shortly after Shaw fell, and retreated with the rest when the force withdrew. Another casualty was Captain Garth Wilkinson James, younger brother of philosopher William James and novelist Henry James . “Wilkie” had volunteered to serve in

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1920-481: The high and noble spirit that dwelt in those young men". A young widow, Lowell moved back to Staten Island with Carlotta, and lived with her parents. After her father's death, she lived with her mother and daughter in New York City. She became a businesswoman and a reformer. Lowell was active in the Anti-Imperialist League where she met other prominent Progressives. She served as Vice-President of

1980-533: The late 19th century of developing schools that taught industrial education along with the more traditional academic curriculum that prepared students for college. When McKinley moved to a larger campus in 1928 the building became Robert Gould Shaw Junior High School, which had previously opened for black students on M Street in 1921. The new Shaw was also a blacks-only school until segregation ended, but it remained primarily African-American. The school became overcrowded and poorly maintained. As it started to deteriorate

2040-545: The letters, Blue-Eyed Child of Fortune: The Civil War Letters of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw (1992), was edited by Russell Duncan. The book includes most of Shaw's letters and Duncan's brief biography of the officer, described as the best of those then current about him. Reid Mitchell notes Duncan "returns the historic Shaw" to readers, complete with his bias against the Irish and African Americans, both typical of his time. He wrote more frequently about his fellow officers than either

2100-616: The men is a great surprise to me. They learn all the details of guard duty and camp service infinitely more readily than most of the Irish that I have had under my command. There is not the least doubt that we will leave the State with as good a regiment as any that has marched. Shaw was promoted to major on March 31, 1863, and two weeks later on April 17 was made full colonel. On April 30 the regiment drew 950 Enfield rifled muskets and swords for non-commissioned officers (NCOs). By May 11 more troops had arrived in Boston than were required to man

2160-403: The muddy hill of the outer wall. With the cessation of the naval bombardment the largely intact Confederate garrison left their bomb-proofs and resumed their positions on the walls. In the face of heavy fire the 54th hesitated. Shaw mounted a parapet and urged his men forward, but was shot through the chest three times. By witness testimony of the unit's Color Sergeant, his death occurred early in

2220-644: The murder of its principal, Brian Betts. Shaw had a prolific music program with its band marching in the Macy's parade, the Rose Bowl and the Gimbel's parade in Philadelphia, PA. The band was directed by Mr. Lloyd Hoover. The old Shaw Junior High building now houses apartments. Until the 1960s, what is now Shaw was called Midcity. In 1966, planners used the enrollment boundary of Shaw Junior High School to define

2280-399: The overall command of Major General David Hunter . Initially the regiment was used to provide manual labor at the loading docks, but Colonel Shaw applied for action. Four days later his regiment boarded onto transport and was sent to Hilton Head, South Carolina . From there they moved further south to St. Simons Island , Georgia, which served as their base of operations. On June 11, 1863,

2340-426: The regiment was overwhelmed by firing from the defenses and driven back, suffering many casualties, Shaw's leadership and the regiment became legendary. They inspired hundreds of thousands more African Americans to enlist for the Union, helping to turn the tide of the war to its ultimate victory. Shaw's efforts and that of the 54th Massachusetts regiment were dramatized in the 1989 Oscar -winning film Glory . Shaw

2400-478: The regiment. Andrew assured recruits that they would receive the standard pay of 13 dollars a month, and that if they were captured, the government of the United States would insist they be treated as any other soldier. The Boston area provided enough recruits to form the regiment's "C" Company. The remainder of the regiment was formed with black recruits from all across the North. Few were former slaves from

2460-411: The regiment. The 55th Massachusetts was begun with the next round of new recruits. On May 28 Shaw led the men of the 54th through the streets of Boston to the docks, where the regiment boarded a transport steamer and sailed south. The regiment was to be used in a Union campaign against Charleston, South Carolina , a major port. The 54th arrived at Port Royal Island on June 4, and was placed under

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2520-527: The same time, Shaw wrote that his patriotism was bolstered after encountering several instances of anti-Americanism among some Europeans. He expressed interest to his parents in attending West Point or joining the Navy . Because Shaw had a longstanding difficulty with taking orders and obeying authority figures, his parents did not view this ambition seriously. Shaw returned to the United States in 1856. From 1856 until 1859 he attended Harvard University , joining

2580-403: The second attempt to take Charleston. To do so, they would have to capture Fort Wagner , which defended the southern approach to the harbor. A significant Confederate garrison had been stationed there. The fort was well armed with an assortment of heavy guns. The overall strength of the defenders was underestimated by the Union command. The Union effort was supported by two other brigades , but

2640-527: The social reformers". Josephine Shaw was born in the West Roxbury section of Roxbury, Massachusetts into a wealthy New England family in 1843. Her parents, Francis George and Sarah Blake (Sturgis) Shaw , were Unitarian philanthropists and intellectuals who encouraged their five children to study, learn and become involved in their communities. They lived for some years in France and Italy, and then settled on Staten Island while Josephine (known as "Effie")

2700-552: The state for their welfare. Women of child-bearing age, fifteen to forty-five, were admitted into this institution, in order to "prevent them from multiplying their kind" (New York State Board of Charities Report, 1879). Lowell described these women as "promiscuous and criminalistic" carriers of a "deadly poison" which reproduced through successive generations, and charities must not allow "men and women who are diseased and vicious to reproduce their kind". Throughout her lifetime, she also founded many charitable organizations including:

2760-496: The unit, Andrew already had Shaw's son in mind. Andrew wrote to Francis Shaw about the need to find a leader who would accept the responsibility of the command "with a full sense of its importance, with an earnest determination for its success." Included in Andrew's letter was a commission for Robert Shaw to take command of the new regiment. Carrying the commission, Francis Shaw traveled to Virginia to speak with his son. Robert Shaw

2820-418: The very poor as "worthless men and women" who were "vicious and idle" individuals that needed to "learn to enjoy work". She proposed imprisoning "all women under thirty who had been arrested for misdemeanors or who had produced two illegitimate children". She blamed New Yorkers who gave to the poor for the death of a baby who was living on the streets with her poor mother during a cold winter. She believed that

2880-527: The very poor should be "committed, until reformed, to district work-houses, there to be kept at hard-labor, and educated morally and mentally". In 1876, Governor Samuel Tilden of New York State appointed Lowell to Commissioner of the New York State Board of Charities. She was the first woman to ever hold this position. She served actively on the Board until 1889. Josephine Shaw Lowell and

2940-623: The violin, which he had begun as a young boy. He left St. John's in late 1851 before graduation, as the Shaw family departed for an extended tour of Europe. Shaw entered a boarding school in Neuchâtel , Switzerland , where he stayed for two years. Afterward, his father transferred him to a school with a less strict system of discipline in Hanover , Germany , hoping that it would better suit his restless temperament. While in Hanover, Shaw enjoyed

3000-520: The wages and the working conditions of women workers in New York City. The League was particularly concerned with retail clerks. Lowell published a "White List" that contained a list of stores known to treat women workers well. Initially, the list was very short. The New York Consumer's League was adopted in many other cities as chapters opened across the country. The umbrella organization, the National Consumers League (NCL), became

3060-573: The war began. The two became engaged just after Christmas in 1862. Despite misgivings by both sets of parents because of the war, they were married May 2, 1863, less than a month before Shaw's regiment moved out. The ceremony was in New York City . The pair spent a brief honeymoon at the Haggertys' home of Vent Fort , in Lenox, Massachusetts . Two and half years older than Shaw, "Annie" Shaw

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3120-537: The white or black soldiers who served with him, but expressed pride in the 54th. Josephine Shaw Lowell Josephine Shaw Lowell (December 16, 1843 – October 12, 1905) was a Progressive Reform leader in the United States in the Nineteenth century. She is best known for creating the New York Consumers League in 1890. Seth Low 's biographer described her as the "grand dame of

3180-532: Was a child. Her brother was the Civil War officer Robert Gould Shaw . Josephine Shaw married Charles Russell Lowell , a businessman, in 1863. She followed him to Virginia when he was called into service during the Civil War. Lowell helped wounded men on the battlefield. She also prepared and send parcels through United States Sanitary Commission to soldiers on the front. Charles died in battle, less than

3240-463: Was born in Dartmouth, Massachusetts , to abolitionists Francis George and Sarah Blake (Sturgis) Shaw , well-known Unitarian philanthropists and intellectuals. The Shaws had the benefit of a large inheritance left by Shaw's merchant grandfather and namesake Robert Gould Shaw (1775–1853). Shaw had four sisters: Anna, Josephine (Effie), Susanna, and Ellen (Nellie). When Shaw was five years old,

3300-457: Was customary for officers, instead of burying it with the fallen black soldiers. Although the gesture was intended as an insult by Hagood, Shaw's friends and family believed it was an honor for him to be buried with his soldiers. Efforts had been made to recover Shaw's body (which had been stripped and robbed prior to burial). His father publicly proclaimed that he was proud to know that his son had been buried with his troops, befitting his role as

3360-544: Was discovered in a family attic of Mary Minturn Wood and brother Robert Shaw Wood, descendants of Shaw's sister Susanna. They donated it to the Massachusetts Historical Society. (See § Legacy and honors .) His silk sash was also recovered and returned to his family many years later. Shaw met Annie Kneeland Haggerty in New York at an opera party given in 1861 by his sister Susanna before

3420-479: Was dissolved. Following this, Shaw joined a newly forming regiment from his home state, the 2nd Massachusetts Infantry . On May 28, 1861, Shaw was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the regiment's Company H. Over the next year and a half, he fought with his fellow Massachusetts soldiers in the first Battle of Winchester , the Battle of Cedar Mountain , and at the bloody Battle of Antietam . Shaw served both as

3480-543: Was hesitant to take the post, as he did not believe that authorities would send the unit to the front lines, and he did not want to leave his fellow soldiers. Finally he agreed to take the command. On February 6 he telegraphed his father with his decision. He was 25 years old. The command came with a colonelcy , the rank commensurate with the position of regimental commander. Andrew had some difficulty finding enough African American volunteers in Massachusetts to form

3540-462: Was only too happy to take all of it on his own shoulders." Montgomery had the town burned to the ground. After the regiment's return to camp, Shaw wrote to X Corps Assistant Adjutant General Lieutenant-Colonel Charles G. Halpine , seeking clarification of what was required of him. He asked if Montgomery was acting under orders from General Hunter, stating in part "I am perfectly willing to burn any place which resists, or gives some reason for such

3600-564: Was widowed at the age of 28. She spent many years after the war living abroad in Europe , returning in later years when her health failed. The Haggerty property had been sold to George and Sarah Morgan, who built a large mansion there. They also kept the Haggerty home, and allowed Anna to live there when she returned from Europe. She spent the last two years of her life living at her former family house, and died in 1907, never having remarried. She

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