Glory

Glory

The movie Glory is an epic Civil War picture seen largely through the eyes of Robert Gould Shaw. The young Shaw becomes the commanding officer of the newly formed Fifty-fourth Massachusetts Regiment--the first all black regiment. It is a story that brilliantly displays the struggles and the victories that the regiment achieved. The picture not only shows the challenges that an all black regiment faced, but portrays the courage and honor in which they fought.

Robert Gould Shaw, the son of a wealthy Boston abolitionist, was 23 years old when he enlisted to fight in the war. In the beginning of the film, he is seen as eager and idealistic. He states, "how grand it is to meet the men from all the states, east and west, ready to fight for their country!" He quickly attains the rank of Captain despite being so young. It seems that his promotion has more to do with his father's influence rather than his skill. At the Battle of Antietam, Shaw's leadership skills are lacking as he is seen dazed and confused in the chaos. Just slightly wounded, he passes out on the ground. While getting his wounds fixed, he is ashamed of such a minor injury while others are getting limbs amputated. Having survived the battle, he returns home a hero though. His father, the wealthy abolitionist, recommends Shaw to the governor to become the commanding officer of the Massachusetts 54th Regiment. The governor puts a commission in for Shaw for the rank of Colonel after accepting the post. He is given command of the regiment simply because of his father's influence. Despite his lack of qualifications, he does his best to train the regiment into a serious fighting machine. He refuses to go easy on the men, even his former friend Private Thomas. Shaw realizes that he must prepare these men for combat if they are ever to be taken seriously. He treats his men firmly and fairly, eventually