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Royal Gazette May 31, 2002
Unknown soldier is identified
By Stephen Breen
The black Bermudian who fought in the American Civil
War with the first coloured regiment in the United
States has been revealed as Robert John Simmons,
who is thought to have been from St. George's.
The Royal Gazette reported on Wednesday that a
newspaper article from 1863 mentioning the
legendary 54th Massachusetts Regiment stated a
black Bermudian was among those wounded and
captured by Confederate troops.
The 54th Massachusetts was the first black regiment
in America and was made up of free Northern blacks.
Mystery solved: The Bermudian who
It was part of Abraham Lincoln's Union Army which
served in the 54th Massachusetts Regiment
fought to free southern slaves and it was
was First Sgt. Robert Simmons, described
immortalised in the Denzel Washington film "Glory". A as "the finest looking soldier in the 54th".
book about the 54th Massachusetts published in 1891
- "A Brave Black Regiment" - reveals that Sergeant Simmons died in prison after his arm
was amputated in Charleston in August 1863, one month after Union troops unsuccessfully
tried to seize Fort Wagner, South Carolina. But Sgt Simmons would not, as we reported on
Wednesday, have been a former slave. Slavery was abolished in Bermuda in 1834, but Sgt
Simmons, who died aged 26, would have been born three years after slavery ended on the
Island.
A Royal Gazette reader gave us the book, written by Captain Luis J Emilio, after reading our
story that American historian Mark Mitchell this week presented the Bermuda government
with a copy of the Weekly Columbus Enquirer of Georgia from July 28, 1863, which
mentions the black Bermudian in the regiment.The reader, who asked not to be named, said
Sgt Simmons was originally from St. George's.
Continued on Page 6
He said he died before the Congressional Medal of Honour was created, and that Sgt
Simmons was given a private medal instead for his role in the battle to capture Fort
Wagner.
The roster of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment reveals Sgt Simmons was single, a clerk
from Bermuda, who appears to have joined on March 12, 1863. He died in prison in
Charleston in August 1863.
The Bermudian, who was unnamed in the Weekly Columbus Enquirer article, clearly
impressed his Confederate captors, who said he was educated and a "remarkably sprightly
fellow" - in contrast to the other black Northern troops whom the newspaper described as a
"mongrel set of trash".
Mr. Mitchell, an American historian, said he was astonished to read the newspaper report
saying the Bermudian said he fought in the war for "glory" - the name of the Denzel
Washington film.
What was more remarkable, said Mr. Mitchell, was that the film-makers would not have had
access to the newspaper report when they made the movie in 1989.
In "A Brave Black Regiment," Sgt Simmons is described by Cpt Emilio as "the finest looking
soldier in the fiftyfourth - a brave man and of good education. He was wounded and
captured. Taken to Charleston, his bearing impressed even his captors. After suffering
amputation of the arm, he died there".
The colonel commanding the 54th, Edward Hallowell, wrote of the battle: "The assault was
made upon the south face of the fort. So many of the officers behaved with marked bravery
and coolness. I cannot mention any above the others.
"It is due, however to the following named enlisted men that they may be recorded above
their fellows for special merit: - Sgt Robt. J. Simmons, Sgt William H Carney, Corp Henry F
Peal, Pvt Geo Wilson".
Royal Gazette – August 9, 2008
Fighting to save America's soul
Following the recent celebration of the Cup
Match holiday, which recognises the
emancipation of slaves in Bermuda, it is worth
examining the largely untold story of the small
yet significant contribution that many
Bermudians of African descent made in the fight
for freedom on behalf of millions of enslaved
Americans. This epic struggle for freedom
culminated in the American Civil War from 1861
to 1865. In the first in a two-part series, Kevin
Grigsby looks at the role of black Bermudians in
the Union Army. On Monday, he looks at their
role in the Union Navy.
Glory days: This picture shows one of the most famed coloured regiments, the Fifty-Fourth
Massachussetts Coloured Infantry. The 1989 movie "Glory", told the story of the this famed regiment.
More importantly the "Fifty-Fourth" would come to represent all of the brave coloured regiments which
fought in the Civil War. Sgt. Robert J. Simmons, who was a Bermudian, served in the Fifty-Fourth. This
picture was obtained from Wikipeida, the free encylopllaedia (2008). According to Wikipedia, this work is
in the public domain in the United States because it is a work of the United States Federal Government
under the terms of Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105 of the US Code.
The Civil War was more than just a war between
North and South; brother against brother; Yankees against Rebels. The war was a struggle
to save America's soul.
As long as slavery existed in America, it could never truly be the "land of free" where all
people were entitled to liberty, justice and equality. Those who fought to preserve the Union
did more than liberate the slaves; protect Northern business interests; or defeat the
Confederacy; they helped America rescue its founding principles and ideals that were being
held captive alongside the countless numbers of people of African descent in America. The
story of Bermuda's role in the Civil War has gone largely untold, especially the story of the
Bermudian sailors of African descent that served in the Union Navy during war.
Bermudians and the Union Army
According the United States National Park Service it is estimated that nearly 180,000
soldiers, comprising 163 regiments, served in the coloured regiments of the Union Army.
The National Park Service is one of the leading organisations in terms of Civil War historical
preservation. During the last 20 years an increased awareness has come about pertaining to
the significant role that blacks played in the Civil War. The 1989 Academy Award winning
film, "Glory", which was about the famed Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Regiment finally
brought national attention to the significant contributions that black soldiers made during
the Civil War. Unfortunately, the role of the blacks in the Union Navy has still been greatly
ignored.
A 2002 article in The Royal Gazette highlighted the exemplary career of Sergeant Robert J.
Simmons, who served in the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Regiment. Simmons fought in the
Union assault on the Confederate Fort Wagner in South Carolina. Despite their valiant effort
the Fifty-fourth suffered heavy casualties and Union forces failed to capture the fort.
Simmons's rank of sergeant was quite an accomplishment because this was the highest
rank that blacks could achieve in the Union Army for most of the war. Despite Union Army
regulations that stipulated that only whites could command the coloured regiments,
sergeants such as Simmons played a major role in terms of providing leadership to the men
under them. They also served greatly assisted the white officers in command of the colored
regiments. Tragically, after being taken prisoner during the assault on Fort Wagner,
Simmons died in a South Carolina prison.
Bermudian soldiers fought in the fiercest and most famous battles during the last three
years of the war (1863-1865). The regiment of Bermudian Wate O. Harris, the 6th US
Coloured Infantry, played a significant role in the Battle of Fort Fischer in North Carolina and
Battle of Chaffin's Farm in Virginia. Both battles were major Union victories. The regiment of
Bermudian George Smith was also engaged in action at the Battle of Chaffin's Farm. It was
quite ironic that Smith's regiment also fought in the Bermuda Hundred Campaign, which
occurred from May-June 1864 in and near Bermuda Hundred, Virginia. This campaign
encompassed several battles that resulted in about 10,000 total military causalities. The
most intense fighting the regiment of Bermudian John Thompson, the 26th US Colored
Infantry, encountered came at the Battle of Honey Hill in South Carolina during 1864.
The military career of Robert Tappin is particularly noteworthy as he was recorded as
serving in both the Union navy and army (See adjacent story). According to military records
he served in the Navy from 1863-1864 and then served in the Union army from 1864 until
the end of the war.
It is likely that Bermudians witnessed the actual end of the war. The regiment of
Bermudians Robert Tappin, John Wilson and Joseph Thomas, the 31st US Coloured Infantry,
was one of the regiments that aggressively pursued General Robert E. Lee's forces in early
April of 1865 after the Union troops captured the Confederate stronghold of Petersburg,
Virginia. The 31st US Coloured Infantry was then present at the Appomattox Courthouse
where Lee officially surrendered on April 9, 1865, bringing to close the deadliest war ever
fought on American soil.
Despite President Abraham Lincoln's passage of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, it
was only the ending of the war, which officially ensured the freedom for millions of slaves in
America.
Following the end of the war, the road towards equal rights and justice would be a long and
dangerous journey as blacks throughout the South faced brutal oppression, violence and
discrimination for over 100 years after the Civil War had ended.