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Assault on Fort Wagner Earned Respect for Black Soldiers in Glory Lets U.S. Root for Abolition
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The movie Glory received widespread popular and critical acclaim. The 1989 film depicts the Union assault on Fort Wagner on July 18,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], 1863,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], during the U.S. Civil War. It pays particular attention to the valiant efforts of the all-black regiment, the 54th Massachusetts. Countless examinations of the veracity of the film's portrayal are available on the internet,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], so an extended discussion of this question is unnecessary. However,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], it is interesting to consider some of the possible reasons why this particular movie has been called one of the "best American war movies,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych],[link widoczny dla zalogowanych],[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]," and why it received so much public applause.
Truthfully,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych],[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], there was a 54th Massachusetts and it did play an important role in capturing Fort Wagner and Charleston Harbor by leading the frontal charge on the fort that resulted in an incredible casualty rate for the regiment. Sergeant Carney did hold up and protect the regiment's flag despite suffering many serious wounds,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], an act that earned him the Medal of Honor. But many of the details,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], including the time of day of said charge,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], the lack of artillery fire, and the companionship that the movie develops between four soldiers through training camp before the assault, were all inaccurate, either deliberately for the sake of the movie's commercial success or because making everything closely adhere to the history based on accounts can cost more than it is worth. However, the essential component of the story, that a regiment of some 600 African American soldiers fought,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], many to the death,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych],[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], for the right of all men to be free,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], was true.
This simple story seems to play a large role in why viewers connected with this film so completely. Popular misconception holds that President Abraham Lincoln began the war with the succeeded states in order to eradicate slavery. Though this oversimplification misses several important nuances, it is understandable that we as citizens of the United States would want to identify with a history that prioritizes eradicating slavery. The duration of slavery in the United States and the continued difficulty that our country has with racial and economic inequality as a result are for many people a matter of deep-seated,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], almost subconscious shame.
We rightly view the condition enslaving humans as an abomination and act of inhumanity,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], and wish to identify with anything that pays homage to efforts to end slavery, such as the glorification of the 54th Massachusetts. So when widely loved actors Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman, supported by Andre Braugher and Jihmi Kennedy,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], portrayed their characters in the regiment as admirable soldiers that we want to both empathize with and respect for their heroism, it is no wonder viewers flocked to praise the film. It tugged on our heartstrings and played to several national scars that are still open wounds.
Interestingly,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych],[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], the real importance of the role that the 54th played in the assault on Fort Wagner was that after this moment,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], commanders across the Union lost their reticence to trust and rely on black brigades. Up to that point, neither the North nor the South made any real effort to take advantage of the mammoth resource that each side had in their black populations. Though the South hung onto the foolish belief that black soldiers would be too inferior to be helpful, African American soldiers went on to significantly bolster Northern armies. President Lincoln went as far as to say that black soldiers won the war for the Union. Of course,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], the movie Glory needs make no mention of these facts to earn our interest and praise. Even knowing all this,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], it is difficult to do anything else than cheer for the 54th while watching the film.