Colonel Shaw begins a new respect for Tripp and begins to understand the kind of man that he is - proud. .
During the war, Tripp grows from being a very angry man toward many to a team player that understands that you cannot put yourself above others in times of hardship and battle. Tripp becomes closer with the other men in his troop and joins with them in the nightly activities of music and than joins in with the prayer. .
In the final battle, Tripp finds himself carrying the flag after the flagman is killed while they are rushing the fort. He becomes saddened when his commander, Colonel Shaw, is killed during the final battle. He goes with the rest of the brigade to storm the fort and dies during the final moments of the battle. He has become a leader, a fighter, and a man of honor fighting for those who can't fight for themselves - he is a true hero.
ROBERT SHAW.
Colonel Robert Shaw is a man of education and wealth and comes from Boston Massachusetts. His father is a very respected businessman and Robert knows a lot of very important people from working with his father. He is privileged, and when he joins the military begins to see what others have been dealing with that he never had to. .
During a trip home, he finds that he is being promoted and assigned to lead a regiment of "colored" men. He is honored that he has achieved such prominence, until he finds that this regiment is actually put together to do manual labor rather than to fight. He trains them anyway as if they were going to battle. During the training sessions, he finds that he must be very hard on them and cannot give even an inch. He has never had to deal with this before, but knows that it must be done. .
Colonel Shaw believes that the fighting will result in a good outcome and that everyone will be better off once it has completed. However, during the days he spends with the regiment, he finds that there is restlessness, as these men want to fight and help preserve freedom.
