One of the respondents to Dolores' Janiewski's request for info on Glory
and African American soldiers describes the film's portrayal of the
whipping of an African American soldier as something that "would never
happen." While I could not speak to the particulars of life and military
punishment in the 54th per se, I do want to point out that whipping and
other forms of corporal punishment were indeed inflicted upon African
American (and white) soldiers, regardless of army regulations. See
"Military Discipline, Punishment, and Justice," in _The Black Military
Experience_, ed. by Ira Berlin, Joe Reidy, Leslie Rowland.
Leslie Schwalm
History Dept.
University of Iowa