HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ROBERT!!!!
Yes, it is the Colonel Robert Gould Shaw’s birthday. Robert was born on October 10th, 1837. He later died during a gallant charge against the Confederate Fort Wagner on July 18, 1863. Robert was only 25 years old when he died. (Not to mention that he had been married to Annie Haggerty for only about a month.)
Robert Gould Shaw was the colonel of the first African-American regiment in United States. (This does not include “contrabands”.) At first, Robert turned down the colonelcy because he was a captain in the 2nd Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry and had many friends in that particular regiment. He was later persuaded by his friends in the 2nd and Annie (who Robert was courting at the time). Now Robert was Colonel Shaw of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Colored Infantry. The 54th won their first engagement on James Island, South Carolina and then were chosen to lead the assault on Fort Wagner. Robert led the charge and urged the men of the 54th to continue on. While he was charging, Robert was shot twice in the heart and fell into the fort. After the failed assault, Robert was buried with his men by the Confederates. The Reb general who ordered Rob’s burial was quoted saying: “I shall burry him in the common trench along with the Negroes who fell with him.”
It’s a sad story.
Robert Gould Shaw is my favorite person in all of history and I thought that I would honor his birthday with a drawing of him. The drawing is of a photo taken of him when he became a colonel. I’m am obsessed with the history of this man and wanted to tell him “Happy Birthday!”

As usual, favorites/comments are wanted/requested. I hope that you all like my picture of dear Robert; I certainly do.
(Oh, and my signature reads Scar with the tail of the cursive “r” turned into a smiley face. And it is dated -09.)