The American sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens was introduced to the committee in charge of a memorial to Shaw and the 54th soon after completing the widely praised Farragut Monument. In the winter of 1883-1884, Saint-Gaudens was engaged to create a modest bas relief to be delivered within two years.

Augustus Saint-Gaudens, The Farragut Monument, 1879-1880, bronze, New York City, Madison Square Park, photograph by Jerry L. Thompson