Robert was the principal subject of the 1989 film Glory, where he is portrayed by Matthew Broderick.
26 year-old Robert Gould Shaw, the son of wealthy abolitionists. Shaw led the 54th, Massachusetts whose contingent of all black troops included two of Frederick Douglass' sons through training as well into battle in South Carolina.

In July 1863, Shaw requested "the honor" of the 54th to lead the Union charge against Fort Wagner, in Charleston Harbor. There, Shaw and many of his men were killed in a failed attempt to capture the fort. On the evening of July 18, believing that he would not survive the attack, Shaw sought out Edward L. Pierce, a reporter with the New York Daily Tribune, and gave him several letters and personal papers. He then returned to the regiment which was formed up for the assault.

Marching over open beach, the 54th came under heavy fire from the Confederate defenders as it approached the fort. With the regiment wavering, Shaw sprung to the front yelling "Forward 54th!" and led his men as they charged. Surging through ditch surrounding the fort, the 54th scaled the walls. Reaching the top of the parapet, Shaw stood and waved his men forward. As he urged them on he was shot through the heart and killed. Despite the regiment's valor the attack was repulsed with the 54th suffering 272 casualties (45% of its total strength).

The flag of truce sent by the Federals was refused. Any and all attempts to regain the bodies of those who had been killed were thwarted. Shaw's body was stripped of its uniform...his personal belongings taken by various Rebel soldiers. He was placed on display inside the fort for a brief time before being thrown in the bottom of a large pit...the bodies of black enlisted men piled on top of him. When Robert's father learned of the attempts to return his son's body, he wrote to General Gilmore, requesting that Robert remain where he was...with his men. The attempt by the Confederates to humiliate the memory of the young Colonel had somehow turned him into a martyr.

Roberts Father Said:
"We would not have his body removed from where it lies surrounded by his brave and devoted soldiers....We can imagine no holier place than that in which he lies, among his brave and devoted followers, nor wish for him better company. -- what a body-guard he has!"

Poems and books would proclaim him and his men, the heroes that they were. There would be paintings of Shaw that would first adorn the family house and then Memorial Hall at Harvard. The regiment and their brave commander would be cast in bronze as part of a memorial on Boston Common. Just this past May, the City of Boston celebrated the 100th anniversary of the dedication of this monument. And, a movie would even be made to tell their story. Since then, many more books have been written about this fascinating regiment, reenactment groups have been organized, and an uneducated society has finally been turned on to the many black units that served this country during the Civil War. And, what happened to Robert's wife Anna? She lived the remainder of her life as his widow... somehow content in knowing that she had been briefly married to the young Colonel who gave his life for his country. She died on March 17,1907 and is buried in The Cemetery of the Church on the Hill in Lenox, Massachusetts.