“On learning that black soldiers would receive less pay than white ones,
he joined in with his unit on their boycott until this inequality was
rectified. The enlisted men of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry (and its
sister unit, the 55th Massachusetts) refused pay until Congress granted them full back pay at the white pay rate in August 1863.[11]“
there’s also this amazing artwork:
i love the detail and individuality of the soldiers’ faces. this isn’t just some crowd scene, these were real people to the artist, which is how a memorial should be.