Rare Mass 54th Enlistment Document

This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/6/2014

Massachusetts 54th Regiment Enlistment Record, signed by Colonel Hallowell and Lt. Colonel Hooper, 1pp. quarto, Folly Island, South Carolina, May 28, 1864. This document records that Stephen Warren Morehouse enlisted in the Massachusetts 54th Infantry, the famous black regiment depicted in the 1989 movie Glory. The document is accompanied by an envelope dated August 11, 1864, serving as proof of payment of enlistment. There are signatures across the front in blue, red, and brown ink approving the document. Morehouse was paid the sum of fifty dollars at the time of his enlistment, and this document clearly outlines every step of the recruitment procedure. The upper portion of the document states: "No. 363. Fort Green May 28th, 1864. I hereby Certify on honor, That Private Stephen W. Morehouse of Mealone N.Y. has been enlisted into Company E, 54th Regiment Mass. Vols., and duly mustered into the service of the United States." Fine condition.Edward N. Hallowell took over as the Colonel of the 54th regiment after the death of Col. Robert Gould-Shaw who died in July of 1863 during the ill-fated attack on Fort Wagner in South Carolina. Hallowell, in contrast to the fallen Shaw, treated his soldiers badly. One Virginia captain, George Washington Nelson, recalled later that when Hallowell was dissatisfied with his soldiers, "He would rise at them, knock and beat them over the head with his saber, or draw his pistol and shoot at them." It is this commandeering officer who has approved and signed the enlistment offered here. One interesting judgment that can be made is that Morehouse was white, because he was paid $50, when men were generally paid $25, black or white. This was also before Congress passed the equal pay law for African American soldiers later that year. Therefore, it is clear that he was one of the first white soldiers in an ordinarily all-Black regiment.The history of the 54th Infantry is one of much heroism and advancement for African Americans. It was because of the valiant history of this infantry unit that men such as Stephen Morehouse joined the Union Army at all. During the Civil War, racial stereotypes and institutional discrimination against Blacks in the military restricted African Americans from service. By the fall of 1862, however, the lack of Union enlistments and high number of Confederate victories forced Lincoln to reconsider his policy on excluding Black enlistees. As a result, the 54th Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry was founded, becoming the first all-Black Union regiment raised in the North. Colonel Shaw hesitantly accepted the leadership position, and began preparing his troops for the Battle at Fort Wagner. Strategically, a successful attack on Fort Wagner would allow Union Forces to seize control of Charleston Harbor, as well as taking Battery Gregg, a Confederate stronghold overlooking Fort Sumter. Thus, seizure of Fort Wagner was valuable because it enabled the Union the shell Sumter and close the harbor to Confederate blockade runners, thereby paving the way for further Union attacks on Charleston. On July 18, 1863, the 54th regiment attacked Fort Wagner while struggling through darkness, four-foot deep water, and marshland. As the smoke cleared, the Confederate army had maintained control, but the 54th regiment fought on. Colonel Shaw and most of his men were badly wounded or killed while attempting to charge the hill. This battle marked a major step forward for proving the gallantry of African American soldiers - their bravery forever changed the public perception of Black soldiers in the military. As a result of the 54th's existence, over 180,000 Black men enlisted under the Union flag between 1863 and 1865.

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