“It was the lot of the Fifity-fourth to bear the brunt of the struggle against the bitter injustice of inferior pay to which black troops were subjected, and the further struggle to secure for the enlisted men who earned it by intelligence and bravery, the right to rise from the ranks and serve as officers.” InequalityCivil WarInfantryUs ArmyBlack SoldiersUnequal Pay Book:History of the Fifty-Fourth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, 1863-1865 Source: History of the Fifty-Fourth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, 1863-1865