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The Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Infantry

The men of the Fifty-Fourth reach the parapet during the second Battle of Fort Wagner—lithograph by Kurz and Allison.

The program discusses the raising and service of the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Infantry, the first black regiment raised in the Northern states east of the Mississippi. The Heroic actions of this regiment opened the door to approximately 180,000 black soldiers to enlist in the Union Army.