Glory is an historical drama about Robert Gould Shaw, a white New Englander moved by his abolitionist sentiments to join the Union forces in the Civil War. Promoted to colonel, he is put in charge of an experimental all-black regiment of Massachusetts volunteers. His two best friends go with him (a white officer named Cabot Forbes and Thomas Searles, a black professor of literature[1]), and the rules of military life strain his friendship with both.
The movie starred Matthew Broderick as Shaw, Cary Elwes as Forbes, Denzel Washington as Trip and Morgan Freeman as the gravedigger John Rawlins. It was filmed in 1989 and was directed by Edward Zwick.
Among the film's strongest performances are Washington's portrayal of the tough-talking private who is whipped for desertion after leaving camp to find shoes; and Freeman, whose character was promoted to sergeant major because of his initiative in getting shoes for the poorly shod men.