The monument to the 54th Massachusetts Regiment is a bronze bas-relief by the well-known and celebrated sculptor, Augustus Saint-Gaudens. The story it tells is perhaps less well-known and celebrated, but is one of the significant events of the Civil War. Colonel Robert Shaw's troops were the first African American volunteer regiment to enlist in the Union Army. The original text of the Emancipation Proclamation, biographical information and a discussion of the Battle of Fort Wagner provide context for a variety of learning activities.