Who was Robert Gould Shaw?

He was a white Union officer who led the first African-American volunteer regiment in the Civil War.

Colonel Robert Gould Shaw (1837-1863) was just 25 years old when he was killed leading a regiment of black soldiers, the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, into battle during the American Civil War. The 1989 Civil War film "Glory" was a dramatization of Shaw's leadership of the regiment. Matthew Broderick portrayed Shaw, and the film also featured actors Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman.