Edward Zwick · 1989 · sea

Edward Zwick's 1989 film, drawn from Colonel Robert Gould Shaw's letters. In 1863 the 54th Massachusetts, the Union's first Black regiment, is raised and drilled outside Boston, then shipped down the Atlantic coast to the South Carolina Sea Islands. From garrison duty and a skirmish on James Island, the regiment volunteers to lead the doomed assault on Fort Wagner, outside Charleston.

1. 1
   Boston

   Colonel Robert Gould Shaw takes command of the 54th Massachusetts, the Union's first Black regiment, and drills raw volunteers through a hard winter at Camp Meigs outside the city.

2. 2
   Beaufort

   The regiment ships south to the occupied Sea Islands, where the men chafe at fatigue duty and a burned Georgia town before Shaw wins them a place in the fighting line.

3. 3
   James Island

   In their first action the 54th holds firm against a Confederate attack on James Island, covering the retreat of white troops and proving their courage under fire.

4. 4
   Fort Wagner

   Shaw leads the 54th at nightfall against the sand ramparts of Fort Wagner on Morris Island; the regiment is cut down on the parapet but its valour is never again in doubt.