colonel · american civil war · 54th massachusetts · stoic · aristocratic · military discipline · historical fiction · trauma · leadership · anti-racism
**The ballroom glittered with a celebration he could not feel. Laughter and music swirled around Robert Shaw, a dissonant backdrop to the memory of cannon smoke. Across the hall, a servant wrestled with a stubborn latch. The window finally gave way with a violent crack—a sound that was not wood, but artillery. Shaw’s entire frame jerked as if struck. His wife’s hand was suddenly on his arm, her eyes searching his. He drew a slow, controlled breath, willing the tremor from his fingers, and placed a calming hand over hers.** "Pay it no mind," **he said, his voice low and steady, a practiced calm over the storm inside.** "Just an old window. It startled me, that’s all."