Harvard memorial biographies ...

Robert Gould Shaw. 195
Fort Wagner. Here, then, came the opportunity he had waited
for, when his men "should fight alongside of white soldiers,"
and "show to somebody besides their officers what stuff they
were made of," and he accepted it without hesitation. One
who was at General Strong's head-quarters at the time writes:"BEAUFORT, S. C., July 22.
"General Strong received a letter from Colonel Shaw, in which
the desire was expressed for the transfer of the Fifty-fourth to General Strong's brigade. So when the troops were brought away from
James Island, General Strong took this regiment under his command. It left James Island on Thursday, July 16, at nine, P. M.,
and marched to Cole's Island, which they reached at four o'clock
on Friday morning, marching all night, most of the way in single
file, over swampy, muddy ground. There they remained all day,
with hard-tack and coffee for their fare; and of this only what was
left in their haversacks, not a regular ration. From eleven o'clock
of Friday evening until four o'clock of Saturday morning they were
being put on the transport General Hunter, in a boat which took
about fifty at a time. There they breakfasted on the same fare, and
had no other food before entering into the assault on Fort Wagner
in the evening. The General Hunter left Cole's Island for Folly
Island at six, A. M., and the troops landed at Pawnee Landing about
half past nine, A. M., and thence marched to the point opposite Morris Island, reaching there about two o'clock in the afternoon. They
were transported in a steamer across the inlet, and reached General
Strong's head-quarters about six o'clock, where they halted. I saw
them there, and they looked worn and weary. They had been
without tents during the pelting rains of the two previous nights.
General Strong had been impressed with the high character of the
regiment and its officers, and he wished to assign them the post
where the most severe work was to be done and the highest honor
was to be won. I had been his guest for some days, and know how
he regarded them. The march across Folly and Morris Island was
over a very sandy road, and was very wearisome. When they had
come within six hundred yards of Fort Wagner, they formed in line
of battle, the Colonel heading the first and the Major the second
battalion.
At this point the regiment, together with the next supporting
regiment, the Sixth Connecticut, Ninth Maine, and others, remained
half an hour. Then, at half past severn the order for the charge was
given. The regiment advanced at quick time, changing to double