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Mass.'s Famous 54th Infantry Reactivated

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Nov 21, 2008 1:42 pm US/Eastern

Mass.'s Famous 54th Infantry Reactivated

All-Black Civil War Unit Was Featured In Movie 'Glory'

BOSTON (AP) ― An all-black Civil war infantry unit depicted in the Academy Award-winning moving "Glory" staring Denzel Washington is making a real-life comeback.

The 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry was reactivated Friday at a Statehouse ceremony and redesignated as the Massachusetts National Guard's ceremonial unit, which renders military honors at funerals and state functions.

The revival pays homage to the group of black soldiers who fought on behalf of the state in the Civil War.

The unit won praise for its doomed charge on Battery Wagner in South Carolina in 1863 and produced the nation's first black Medal of Honor winner, Sgt. William Carney.

It was deactivated after the Civil War and its colors were retired.

The 1989 movie "Glory," based on the letters of the unit's commander Colonel Robert G. Shaw, depicted the prejudice the unit and Shaw faced.

The film was honored with three Academy Awards, including best supporting actor for Washington's portrayal of a private in the unit.

(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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