In the 1860s, it was viewed as groundbreaking to form an all-black regiment and send them into battle. The mere existence of such a regiment meant threats of bondage and execution for soldiers and officers. This is also one of the things that made them heroes.

It’s not that black men had never fought in the country’s previous wars — they did. Nearly every military conflict before the Civil War had black men fighting. However, by all historical accounts, there had never been an all-black infantry regiment in the country’s history until the Civil War. The 1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry Regiment was the first black regiment in the country’s history, and the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment was the second. Popularized by the 1989 film Glory, the 54th is perhaps the most famous.