Hollywood Bologna and an insult to colored people
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spookyrat1 — 11 years ago(February 27, 2015 04:54 AM)
the real battle of Fort Wagner was not even close to how events unfolded in this movie.
The movie only depicts events in what is sometimes known as The Second Battle of Fort Wagner. There were actually three battles spread over about 7 weeks. But I thought the events of the second battle were pretty accurately depicted.
the mass burial did happen but union bombardment on the fort opened up their graves which fouled the air in the fort and the decaying bodies poisoned their well.
True, but this all happened later and were clearly not part of the movie's focus. -
dannieboy20906 — 9 years ago(May 29, 2016 06:50 PM)
Not exactly. The NAACP began as the "Niagara Movement," that was formed by a group of 32 prominent Black Americans (or African Americans, whatever works best for you). They were joined by white supporters. A few years later they reformed as the NAACP, still largely led by African Americans with more white supporters.
Many of the Whites were from New England.
The best diplomat I know is a fully charged phaser bank. -
amcalabrese-2 — 9 years ago(September 13, 2016 01:41 PM)
They were not ordered to be the spearhead Cornel Shaw requested it. And that is in keeping with history.
As noted in the film, white officers in the Army did not think that blacks would make good soldiers. So at first, most black regiments (the 54th was not the first and was not the only) were given old flint locks and sent to act as what today we would call "service troops" (supply, rear area security etc). There was a battle about a month before Vicksburg fell at Milken's Bend, where black supply troops with old weapons and little training held off a Confederate assault.
As the Secretary of War Ed Stanton said "Many persons believed, or pretended to believe, and confidently asserted, that freed slaves would not make good soldiers; they would lack courage, and could not be subjected to military discipline. Facts have shown how groundless were these apprehensions. The slave has proved his manhood, and his capacity as an infantry soldier, at Milliken's Bend, at the assault upon Port Hudson, and the storming of Fort Wagner." -
BlablaBlackSheep — 3 years ago(March 05, 2023 06:21 PM)
So Shaw basically condemned himself and his regiment to die by volunteering to assault the Fort head on. A battle that the Union lost, btw. I’m sure his negro soldiers would have preferred staying in the rear or leading raiding parties instead of “dying gloriously in battle” or being captured by Confederates and executed anyway.
This Shaw fella must have had some kind of death wish. Would have sucked to be under his command.