Another time-consuming factor was Saint-Gaudens' depiction of the African-American soldiers. He wanted to represent the range of ages and physical characteristics of the regiment's members. Some were as young as sixteen. Some were fathers enlisting with their sons. They came from different parts of North America.

Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Shaw Memorial (details), 1900, patinated plaster, U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site, Cornish, New Hampshire