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EMILIO, Luis F. (1844-1918). History of the Fifty-Fourth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, 1863-1865. Boston: The Boston Book Company, 1891.
8vo. 20 plates including frontispiece, 7 maps and plans, 2 folding maps. Original gilt-lettered dark green cloth gilt (tiny wormhole to front joint, few minor spots to covers, else fine).
FIRST EDITION of the history of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry which had the distinction of being the first Black regiment raised in the north during the Civil War. Famous for its role in the assault on Battery Wagner, its recruits included two of Frederick Douglass’ sons and William Carney, the first African American to be awarded the Medal of Honor. The unit is remembered for their courageous fighting, and particularly, their charge on Fort Wagner on 18 July 1863. The author, Luis F. Emilio, was a Captain in the 54th Regiment, and later Acting Commander after emerging as the highest-ranking surviving officer due to heavy casualties during the assault on Fort Wagner. The story of the regiment was famously told in the award-winning 1989 film, Glory.