T he Fall of Shaw
A/N- SO this is how it is, I had to write this for school and I was like what the hell, I'll put it on fan fiction. My teacher and my grandma liked it. This is probably one of the best things I have written for school since that John Ritter poem. Oh great it's raining now, so anyway on the story.
Disclaimer- I do not own any of the characters in this story or the movie Glory. I wish I did, I don't even own the DVD
Let's commence (one of my vocab. words this week, yay me!) with the story!
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I watched my best friend, Colonel Robert Shaw, fall before my eyes, the bullets piercing his body as he tried to lead a charge on Fort Wagner. In that moment, I knew what I had to do; I, Major Cabot Forbes, was now the leader of the 54th, which now meant that I would now have to lead the men to an almost certain death. We could run back, guaranteeing the safety of what was left of our regiment; but Robert would not want that, and I knew my men would not want it either. I looked at my men and they looked at me, and, before a word was spoken, we all knew what we had to do.
Questions raced through my mind on whether I could do this without Robert. Robert – that fool – he placed me in a position that I would never have reached on my own. He knew, if he fell, I would have to lead these men. He knew I was a drinker, but he still put me here anyway. Was it because he knew all along that I could take on this role? Did he think I could ever fill his shoes?
Was Robert a perfect leader? No, but he got the respect of all the men, even Private Trip, who seemed to be a lost cause. Oh, if his parents could see him now, how proud they would be of their boy. Robert always had the potential for greatness in him, even when he was a small boy. Sadly, when he finally achieved it, it was too late for him to enjoy.
We charged the fort and fought our best, but the Confederate soldiers had much more manpower. Sadly, I saw them all go down. Thomas, Rawlins, Trip, and even our sharpshooter, Jupiter, all fell. They did not die only as soldiers; they died heroes. Everyone believed that this regiment would never stand and fight; but we proved them all wrong. They fought valiantly, and as bravely as any other Union regiment. Robert would be proud of his men.
Now, as I lay dying with unbearable pain coursing through my body, I think of these things. I do know this; each and every man in the 54th found a blaze of glory.