captain dan

High-relief sculpture by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, with inscription on the base:

ROBERT GOULD SHAW
COLONEL OF THE FIFTY FOURTH REGIMENT OF MASSACHUSETTS
INFANTRY. BORN IN BOSTON OCTOBER X MDCCCXXXVII
KILLED WHILE LEADING THE ASSAULT ON FORT WAGNER
SOUTH CAROLINA JULY XVIII MDCCCLXIII

RIGHT IN THE VAN ON THE RED RAMPART'S SLIPPERY SWELL
WITH HEART THAT BEAT A CHARGE HE FELL
FORWARD AS FITS A MAN
BUT THE HIGH SOUL BURNS ON TO LIGHT MEN'S FEET
WHERE DEATH FOR NOBLE ENDS MAKES DYING SWEET

Sculpture from the right side

Colonel Robert Gould Shaw

The top of the back

TO THE FIFTY FOURTH REGIMENT
OF MASSACHUSETTS INFANTRY

THE WHITE OFFICERS
TAKING LIFE AND HONOR IN THEIR HANDS - CAST IN THEIR LOT WITH MEN OF
A DESPISED RACE UNPROVED IN WAR, AND RISKED DEATH AS INCITERS OF
SERVILE INSURRECTION IF TAKEN PRISIONERS, BESIDES ENCOUNTERING
ALL THE COMMON PERILS OF CAMP MARCH AND BATTLE

THE BLACK RANK AND FILE
VOLUNTEERED WHEN DISASTER CLOUDED THE UNION CAUSE. SERVED
WITHOUT PAY FOR EIGHTEEN MONTHS TIL GIVEN THAT OF WHITE TROOPS -
FACED THREATENED ENSLAVEMENT IF CAPTURED. WERE BRAVE IN ACTION -
PATIENT UNDER HEAVY AND DANGEROUS LABORS, AND CHEERFUL AMID
HARDSHIPS AND PRIVATIONS

TOGETHER
THEY GAVE TO THE NATION AND THE WORLD UNDYING PROOF THAT
AMERICANS OF AFRICAN DESCENT POSSESS THE PRIDE COURAGE AND
DEVOTION OF THE PATRIOT SOLDIER. - ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY THOUSAND
SUCH AMERICANS ENLISTED UNDER THE FLAG IN
MDCCCLXIII - MDCCCLXV

Down the stairs and around the back, the inscription reads:

THE MEMORY OF THE JUST IS BLESSED
HENRY ALBERT - THOMAS R. AMPEY - THOMAS BOWMAN - WILLIAM BRADY
ABRAHAM BROWN - JAMES H. BUCHANAN - HENRY F. BURGHARDT - ELISHA BURKETT
JASON CHAMPLIN - ANDREW CLARK - LEWIS CLARK - HENRY CRAIG
JOSEPHUS CURRY - EDWARD DARKS - HENRY DENNIS - WILLIAM EDGERLY
ALBERT EVENS - WILLIAM S. EVERSON - SAMUEL FORD - RICHARD M. FOSTER - CHARLES S. GAMREL - LEWIS C. GREEN
JOHN HALL - WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON II - EDWARD HINES - BENJAMIN HOGAN - CHARLES M. HOLLOWAY - GEORGE JACKSON
JAMES P. JOHNSON - JOHN H. JOHNSON - DANIEL A. KELLEY - HENRY KING - CYRUS KRUNKLETON - AUGUSTUS LEWIS
THOMAS LLOYD - WILLIAM LLOYD - LEWIS J. LOCARD - FRANCIS LOWE - ROBERT McJOHNSON - JOHN MILLER
JAMES H. MILLS - WILLIAM H. MORRIS - CHARLES E. NELSON - STEPHEN NEWTON - HARRISON PIERCE
CORNELIUS PRICE - THOMAS PETER RIGGS - DAVID R. ROPER - ANTHONY SCHENCK - THOMAS SHELDON
WILLIAM J. SMITH - SAMUEL SUFSHAY - JOHN TANNER - WILLIAM THOMAS - CHARLES VAN ALLEN
GEORGE VANDERPOOL - CORNELIUS WATSON - EDWARD WILLIAMS - FRANKLIN WILLIS
JOSEPH D. WILSON - WILLIAM WILSON - JOHN W. WINSLOW
INSCRIBED MCMLXXXM

Looking up, five officers are memorialized:

CABOT JACKSON RUSSEL - CAPTAIN
WILLIAM HARRIS SIMPKINS - CAPTAIN
EDWARD LEWIS STEVENS - 1ST LIEUTENANT
DAVID REID - 1ST LIEUTENANT
FREDERICK HEDGE WEBSTER - 2ND LIEUTENANT

I KNOW NOT MR COMMANDER WHERE IN ALL HUMAN HISTORY TO ANY GIVEN THOUSAND MEN IN ARMS THERE HAS BEEN COMMITTED A WORK AT ONCE SO PROUD SO PRECIOUS SO FULL OF HOPE AND GLORY AS THE WORK COMMITTED TO YOU
-GOVERNOR ANDREW