The film Glory (1989) is considered one of he most accurate historical films ever made. Yet, it is clear that the film cannot be entirely accurate for several reasons, including the fact that screen time and real time are very different and that selectivity has to be utilized in order to cover the material and present a dramatic vision of a historical reality. That reality begins with the fact that there was a 54th Massachusetts Infantry regiment in 1863 that fought the battles depicted in the film. Also accurate is the fact that the creation of this unit met with some resistance and fear about giving ex-slaves weapons which they might turn on their white officers, and yet the unit proved to be courageous and valuable. Also true is the fact that this regiment was largely forgotten for much of American history given that much black history has been left by the side of the road, only to be rediscovered in recent decades as blacks seek a fairer historical record. An examination of the film will show how some of the facts have been given more importance and some have been given less importance for the purposes of the film.
The training sequences in the film appear quite accurate, including the depiction of the weather. The training took place at Readville Camp in April 1863, and some 2,100 men were in the camp at that time. The blacks in the film, however, may be more black than the men who ere part of the original regiment, though this is in part a matter of judgment. According to the historical record, many of the men in the camp were not slaves, and indeed only a small proportion had been slaves, with the rest being from the North:
There were a large number of comparatively light-complexioned men. In stature they reached the average of white volunteers. Compared with the material of contraband regiments, they were lighter, taller, of more regular features (Emilio 21).
The men in the film are drilled relentlessly by a...