While Glory
introduced the general public to a crucial aspect of the Civil War that had
long been ignored, it did so selectively by ending the story of the 54th
midway through the war. In doing this,
the movie steered clear of the challenges the regiment continued to face, not just
on the battlefield at the hands of angry Confederates, who refused to treat
them as soldiers, but from their own government as well.
The soldiers of the 54th
spent much of the remainder of the war protesting the United States government and
a policy that paid black men $10 per month (as compared to white soldiers' $13). This discriminatory practice was briefly
acknowledged in a scene in Glory that
depicted Colonel Shaw joining his men in protest by tearing up their pay
vouchers. The issue was then
dropped, and in light of their bravery displayed at Battery Wagner, most
viewers probably assumed the policy was discontinued.
It was not. Over the course of the next year, the soldiers of the 54th and
55th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, along with many of their white
officers, refused to accept the Lincoln administration's unequal pay. In a letter to the president, Corporal
James Henry Gooding asked, "Are we Soldiers, or are we Labourers?" He went on to remind Lincoln that his
comrades "have conducted ourselves to the complete satisfaction of General
Officers" and played a role in "reducing the first stronghold that flaunted a
Traitor Flag" and "have dyed the ground with blood, in defense of the Union,
and Democracy." The hardships
associated with low pay were felt not only in camp but across the North, as the
families of these men worked desperately to make ends meet. Even Massachusetts Governor John
Andrew's offer in December 1863 to pay the $3 difference out of state funds was
met with a stern refusal.
The situation continued to deteriorate in early 1864,
especially within companies whose officers joined the regiment following the
assault at Wagner and did not share the antislavery zeal of their
predecessors. Prior to the failed
battle at Olustee, Florida, in February, Colonel Edward N. Hallowell of the 54th
received an anonymous letter threatening that his men would refuse to fight if
not immediately awarded equal pay. Rumblings from others could be heard throughout the camp at this time. During
the regiment's evacuation of Florida on April 17, a group plotted to seize the
troop transport Cosmpolitan and steam
to New York. A firm hand on the
part of Hallowell averted a mutiny, but discontent persisted.
A similar chain of events transpired in the 55th
Massachusetts, in the form of anonymous letters to its commander, Colonel Alfred
S. Hartwell, and a steady stream of letters sent to black newspapers back home
that detailed their hardships. In
response to a refusal on the part of 120 men to take up positions on a picket
line, Hartwell threatened that anyone who disobeyed would be court-martialed
and shot. One soldier was ultimately
bucked and gagged. In April, 75
men from the 55th flirted with open mutiny by appealing to the
president for immediate action.