| The memory of the 54th
Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment lives on in a Washington, DC
area reenactment group known as B Company . The Company, a non-profit organization
of professional and amateur historians, was formed in 1988 as a U.S. National
Park Service "Volunteers in Parks" unit. In 1989, many members portraying
soldiers and serving as technical assistants, participated in the filming
of the Academy Award winning movie " Glory"
which tells the story of the 54th Massachusetts and it's Colonel, Robert
Gould Shaw. Having become one of the best drilled and most authentic Civil
War reenactment groups in the country, the Company is dedicated to keeping
alive the proud heritage of the 54th, and all of the United States Colored
Troops, by serving as living memorials and authentically interpreting the
life of Black Civil War soldiers and their officers.
Members of the Company share
their in-depth understanding of the Civil War era with the public by conducting
interpretive programs for the National Park Service; participating in battlefield
reenactments; giving presentations and museum talks; performing demonstrations
of camp life; and by appearing in parades and other special events around
the country.
The Company has appeared
in documentaries, such as "The True Story of Glory Continues," produced
by Tri-Star Pictures; the "125th Anniversary of Petersburg and the Battle
of the Crater," produced by Classic Images; Maryland Public Television
"Maryland in the Civil War;" the HistoryChannel's "Civil War Journal";
and, an educational video, "Forgotten Fourteen" about the Black Medal of
Honor recipients in the Battle of New Market Heights.
It has also been selected
to serve as the Honor Guard at the annual exhibit of the Emancipation Proclamation
in the Rotunda of the National Archives. |
