Undying Glory: The Story of the Massachusetts 54th Regiment Book

Undying Glory was chosen as a CBC/NCSS Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies. Kirkus Reviews gave it an outstanding starred review, saying it showed how black soldiers "proved their competence and dignity against incredible odds." Another reviewer declared that the battle scenes rivaled "any I have read in fiction or nonfiction."

The success of the 54th Regiment at Fort Wagner and other battles cleared the way for the enlistment of 200,000 black men in the Civil War that ended slavery. The story of their courage, said one Union commander, "will be forever traced in undying glory."

School Library Journal

Gr 7-12-- As does the recent movie Glory , this book details the history of the Massachusetts 54th Regiment, a black regiment that served with valor and distinction in the Civil War. The account begins with the formation of the unit in 1863 and follows it throughout the remainder of the war. Cox clearly documents the difficulties that black soldiers faced: pay unequal to that of whites, severe prejudice, and an unwillingness on the part of many in power to allow them to engage in actual battle. The narrative is replete with quotations from diaries, letters, newspapers, and the comments of people present at the events described. It is unquestionably a well-researched book: the bibliography consists of almost four full pages of citations from books and scholarly articles. The problem is that there are almost too many facts. They tumble over one another, as though Cox could not bring himself to leave anything out. And indeed, much of the information is fascinating. Because of the density of material, however, this is not an easy book to read. Also, the narrative does not flow smoothly because of the numerous quotations and frequent digressions to supply necessary background. The book does provide a valuable and well-documented treatment of a topic that has been too long neglected. It deserves a place in any collection that needs material on American history or black studies. --Bruce Anne Shook, Mendenhall Middle School, Greensboro, NC