Robert John Simmons
First Sergeant Robert John Simmons was a
Biography
A former clerk, probably from
The black 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment was raised in March 1863 by the
Simmons was introduced to Francis George Shaw, father of Colonel Shaw, by William Wells Brown, a prominent abolitionist lecturer, novelist, playwright, historian and former slave, who described him as "a young man of more than ordinary abilities who had learned the science of war in the British Army". In his book, The Negro in the American Rebellion, Brown wrote that "Francis George Shaw remarked at the time that Simmons would make a 'valuable soldier'. Col. Shaw also had a high opinion of him".
Bermuda had been defended primarily by Militia from 1612 until the French Revolution, although the regular
Fort Wagner
The regiment gained recognition on July 18, 1863, when it spearheaded an assault on Fort Wagner near Charleston, South Carolina. Colonel Shaw was killed, along with one-hundred and sixteen of his men. Another hundred and fifty-six were wounded or captured.[6] The total casualties of 272 would be the highest total for the 54th in a single engagement during the war. Although they were not able to capture the fort, the 54th was widely acclaimed for its valor, and the event helped encourage the further enlistment and mobilization of African-American troops, a key development that President Abraham Lincoln once noted as helping to secure the final victory.
A letter to his wife written by First Sergeant Simmons after the Battle of Grimball's Landing and shortly before the attack on Battery Wagner was published in the New York Tribune on 23 December 1863.[7][8]
Folly Island, South Carolina
July 18, 1863;
We are on the march to Fort Wagner, to storm it. We have just completed our successful retreat from James Island; we fought a desperate battle there Thursday morning. Three companies of us, B, H, and K, were out on picket about a good mile in advance of the regiment. We were attacked early in the morning. Our company was in the reserve, when the outposts were attacked by rebel infantry and cavalry. I was sent out by our Captain in command of a squad of men to support the left flank. The bullets fairly rained around us; when I got there the poor fellows were falling down around me, with pitiful groans. Our pickets only numbered about 250 men, attacked by about 900. It is supposed by the line of battle in the distance, that they were supported by reserve of 3,000 men. We had to fire and retreat toward our own encampment. One poor Sergeant of ours was shot down alongside of me; several others were wounded near me.
God has protected me through this, my first fiery, leaden trial, and I do give Him the glory, and render my praises unto His holy name. My poor friend [Sergeant Peter] Vogelsang is shot through the lungs; his case is critical, but the doctor says he may probably live. His company suffered very much. Poor good and brave Sergeant (Joseph D.) Wilson of his company [H], after killing four rebels with his bayonet, was shot through the head by the fifth one. Poor fellow! May his noble spirit rest in peace. The General has complimented the Colonel on the galantry and bravery of his regiment.
At roughly the same time as the events that First Sergeant Simmons described took place, his seven year old nephew was murdered in New York during the four days of race riots that followed the 13 July.[9]
Of his own officers, Captain Luis F. Emilio, the most junior Captain of the 54th who had been left in charge during the attack by the deaths or wounding of all of his superiors, in A Brave Black Regiment wrote: It is due, however, to the following-named enlisted men that they be recorded above their fellows for especial merit: [1st] Sgt. Robert J. Simmons, [Col.] Sgt. William H. Carney... Emilio also wrote: First Sergeant Simmons of Company B was the finest-looking soldier in the 54th Mass.--a brave man, and of good education. He was wounded and captured. Taken to Charleston, his [military] bearing impressed even his captors. After suffering amputation of the arm, he died there.
Simmons also received special mention by Shaw's successor, Norwood Hallowell's brother, Colonel Hallowell. As Colonel Thomas Wentworth Higginson would write in Massachusetts in the Army and Navy, 1861-65: 1st Sgt. R.J. Simmons... [was] especially complimented in the report of Lt. Col. Hallowell, who was left in command. Simmons was also awarded a private medal. He died of his wounds in August, 1863, at the age of 26.[11][12]
Legacy
By 1989, Robert Simmons was a forgotten footnote of the history of the 54th Massachusetts. His having fought for glory was not known to the filmmakers who, that year, released the Academy Award-winning film Glory, which told the story of the unit. The film starred Matthew Broderick as Shaw, Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, Cary Elwes, and Andre Braugher. The film re-established the now-popular image of the combat role African-Americans played in the Civil War, and the unit, often represented in historical battle reenactments, now has the nickname The Glory Regiment. First Sergeant Simmons is mentioned repeatedly in a documentary narrated by Glory actor Morgan Freeman, The True Story of Glory.[13]
Notes
- ^ Fighting to save America's soul. The Royal Gazette. 9 August, 2008
- ^ "Fighting to save America's soul". The Royal Gazette. 9 August 2008. Archived from the original on 19 July 2009. Retrieved 10 August 2008.
- ^ The Royal Gazette: Unknown soldier is identified May 31, 2002 (Outerbridge.com)
- ^ Zierden, Martha; Harris, Lynn; Anthony, Ronald; Borg, Barbara; Chesser, Tim (1 September 2008). "Archaeological Survey and Testing of Select Locations, McLeod Plantation, James Island" (PDF). The Charleston Museum. The Charleston Museum. p. 92. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
Excavation of these soils revealed that the lower portion of the cellar was not brick, but Bermuda stone.
- ISBN 0-306-80623-1.
- ^ "Exhibit: 54th Mass Casualty List". National Archives and Records Administration. 1996. Retrieved 18 July 2008.
- ^ 54th Mass.org
- ^ "Robert Simmons' Letter". National Park Service (Government of the United States of America). National Park Service (Government of the United States of America). Retrieved 13 February 2022.
- ^ Workers' Liberty Magazine Black soldiers in America's Second Revolution, Submitted by AWL on 27 June, 2013
- ^ "Historian hopes to write 'Glory' book". The Royal Gazette. 14 June 2002. Archived from the original (Newspaper article) on 19 July 2009.
- ^ Shaw's Special Mention
- ^ Military History Online, Civil War Genealogy Database: 54th Massachusetts Infantry USA, by Douglass R. Knight
- ^ Tri Star Pictures: The True Story of Glory. Narrated by Morgan Freeman (on YouTube)