8. The 54th Massachusetts’ first action was under the command of another officer
When Shaw was assigned to work in unison with the 2nd South Carolina its commanding officer, Colonel James Montgomery, was the senior officer. Shaw was thus relegated to second in command for the operation, which consisted of a raid against the town of Darien, Georgia. The raid was intended to destroy supplies which were held there for the benefit of Confederate troops. When the combined force reached the town most items of military value had already been removed. Montgomery ordered the Union force to loot the town. Shaw ordered his troops to only take what would be of use to them in camp, and only permitted one of his companies (out of 8) to participate.
The 2nd South Carolina troops took whatever they saw of any value, and many items simply to deprive their owners of them. When his men’s appetite for thievery was sated, Montgomery ordered the town burned, despite Shaw’s protests that there was no military advantage to be gained. When Montgomery ordered the men to burn the town Shaw refused to allow his regiment to participate. The 2nd South Carolina followed its orders and the town was burned to the ground, brick buildings gutted by flames. The Union troops then returned, with many of them carrying the property stolen from private homes and public buildings, where Montgomery reported his triumph and Shaw’s reticence to follow orders.