July 18 - Glory

Here is a film with a scene that happens today - July 19. I hope you enjoy the movie and watch it tonight. 

GLORY

Captain Robert Gould Shaw is injured in the Battle of Sharpsburg and learns afterwards that President Lincoln is planning to free the slaves. Back in Boston, he is promoted to Colonel and made commander of the 54^th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry regiment, which is to be the first all-colored regiment. Shaw asks his friend, Cabot Forbes to be his second-in-command. Many African-American men volunteer for the regiment.  Sergeant Major Mulcahy drills the men incessantly. When told that African-Americans could be executed if captured, none of the men request a discharge. The regiment finally gets their rifles.  Shaw has to browbeat a supply sergeant to get proper boots for the men. The men are told they are only to be paid $10 a month, rather than $13 like white troops. The regiment finally gets uniforms and are sent to Beaufort, South Carolina. The regiment and Colonel James Montgomery’s unit march on Darien, Georgia.  Montgomery’s men start looting and burning, in spite of Shaw’s protests.  Shaw blackmails Col. Montgomery and Gen. Harker into letting the regiment go into combat instead of serving as manual labor. They are sent to James Island, near Charleston and get their first taste of combat, driving off a Confederate attack, but suffering casualties.  At dusk on July 18, 1863, [1:35:55 to 1:52:20] the regiment leads the assault on Fort Wagner. Shaw is killed and the attack is repulsed with the regiment taking over 50% casualties. 

An excellent combat film. The film is very historically accurate in its uniforms and equipment. All the actors give very good performances, making this a character film and not just an action movie.

Battery Wagner by Timothy Bradshaw, Jr. (Palmetto Historical Works, Columbia, SC,

1993) at pages 45-60 gives the date of the assault

Producer -Freddie Fields

Director - Edward Zwick

Awards – The film won the Best Supporting Actor(Washington), Best Sound and

                 The Best Cinematography Oscars and was nominated for the Best Art

                 Direction and Best Film Editing Oscars at the 82^nd Academy Awards. 

Screenplay - Kevin Jarre

Runtime – 2 hours 2 minutes

Released – December 14, 1989

Starring –

Matthew Broderick as Colonel Robert Gould Shaw

Denzel Washington as Private Silas Trip

Morgan Freeman as Sergeant Major John Rawlins

Cary Elwes as Major Cabot Forbes

Cliff De Young as Colonel James Montgomery

Andre Braugher as Private Thomas Searles

Jihmi Kennedy as Private Jupiter Sharts

Alan North as Massachusetts Governor John Albion Andrew

John Finn as Sergeant Major Mulcahy

Donovan Leitch as Captain Charles Fessenden Morse

Bob Gunton as General Charles Garrison Harker

Jay O. Sanders as General George Crockett Strong

Raymond St. Jacques as Frederick Douglass