The 54th Massachusetts—the second African-American regiment, following…

The 54th Massachusetts—the second African-American regiment, following the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry Regiment organized in the northern states during the Civil War—leaves Boston to fight for the Union on May 28, 1863.

Authorized by the Emancipation Proclamation, the regiment consists of African-American enlisted men commanded by white officers.

The unit had begun recruiting in February 1863 and trained at Camp Meigs on the outskirts of Boston, Massachusetts.

Prominent abolitionists have been active in recruitment efforts, including Frederick Douglass, whose two sons had been among the first to enlist.

Massachusetts Governor John Albion Andrew, who has long pressured the U.S. Department of War to begin recruiting African-Americans, places a high priority on the formation of the 54th Massachusetts.

Andrew has appointed Robert Gould Shaw, the son of Boston abolitionists, to command the regiment as Colonel.

The free black community in Boston has also been instrumental in recruiting efforts, utilizing networks reaching beyond Massachusetts and even into the southern states to attract soldiers and fill out the ranks.

After its departure from Massachusetts, the 54th Massachusetts will be shipped to Beaufort, South Carolina and become part of the X Corps commanded by Major General David Hunter.