(c) 2014 Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston

Ellen Shaw Barlow

West Roxbury, 1845 - 1936, Boston

BiographyEllen was the wife of Renowned General Francis Channing Barlow. His notoriety would be gained in some of the most significant campaigns of the Civil War. After the war he became Attorney General of New York and target the corrupt institution of Tammany Hall, led by the notorious "Boss" Tweed. Her brother, Colonel Robert Gould Shaw championed the cause of the black fighting man by accepting the commission as colonel of the 54th Mass. Inf.. He led his regiment in a tragic assault on Battery Wagner, S.C. in July, 1863. Shaw and many of his men died, but the idea of arming a black soldier was no more in question. The heroic assault was the subject of the movie "Glory", where, over 100 years after the battle, the regiment was finally recognized for it's importance, militarily, socially, and politically. [https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/11194500/ellen-barlow DJackson 6/3/2021]

Person TypeIndividual

Last Updated5/8/24

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