The 54th Massachusetts volunteer infantry is the first all-black regiment (except for the officers) of the Civil War. The regiment was formed in March 1863 after the Emancipation Proclamation although it did not actually free a single slave, it was an important turning point in the war. The regiment was organized by the governor of Massachusetts, John A. Andrew. Colonel Robert Gould Shaw commanded the regiment, and Andrew himself handpicked the officers. Prominent blacks such as Frederick Douglass help to get as many recruited soldiers as possible. The men were mostly free blacks from the Massachusetts and Pennsylvania areas. The regiment was made up of five hundred men and thirteen officers. Instead of the standard $13-a-month wage for soldiers, the colored regiment was paid $10. The regiment, including officers, refused to accept the unequal pay until they got an equal amount as the other soldiers. Many blacks fought and died without accepting a penny from the federal government until Congress approved equal pay in 1864.
The 54th left Boston to fight for the Union on May 28, 1863. In early 1864, the regiment was moved into Florida. President Abraham Lincoln hoped to win a military victory in Florida and secure enough support to return the state into the Union. On February 7th, troops including the 54th moved towards Jacksonville. Snipers opened fire on the troop ships, and members of the 54th became the first soldiers to land of Jacksonville and proceeded to chase the snipers away from the ships. On February 20th, the troops began moving toward Lake City in Northern Florida. The battle with the Confederates began in the morning, and each side had about five thousand soldiers. The battle did not go well for the Union soldiers, and by late afternoon it was clear that Union troops were losing. At around four that afternoon, the 54th was ordered forward and held its ground against the Confederates. The unit fired about 200,000 cartridges and was running out of...