July 1863

The 54th Massachusetts Infantry, a Black regiment under Col. Robert Gould Shaw, led the Union assault on Fort Wagner, SC. Shaw and nearly 300 men were killed or wounded. Sgt. William Carney carried the regimental colors to the parapet despite multiple wounds — the first action later recognized with the Medal of Honor for a Black soldier, awarded 1900.

Sgt. William Carney of the 54th Massachusetts seized the falling regimental flag and carried it to Fort Wagner's parapet despite being shot in the head, chest, and both legs. Returning, he said 'Boys, I did but my duty.' His valor at Fort Wagner became the first Black Medal of Honor action, though the medal was not awarded until 1900.

The 54th Massachusetts Infantry, one of the first Black regiments recruited in the North, led the assault on Fort Wagner, South Carolina. Colonel Robert Gould Shaw and nearly half the regiment's men were killed or wounded. Sergeant William Carney, though severely wounded, carried the regimental flag and never let it touch the ground — later receiving the Medal of Honor. The battle's valor silenced much Northern skepticism about Black soldiers.

Sergeant William Harvey Carney of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry carried the U.S. flag through the assault on Fort Wagner on July 18, 1863, even after being shot multiple times, refusing to let it touch the ground. He was awarded the Medal of Honor, becoming one of the first Black Americans to receive the nation's highest military decoration.

The 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, one of the first official Black regiments in the Union Army, led a courageous assault on Fort Wagner, South Carolina. Though the assault failed and Colonel Robert Gould Shaw was killed, the regiment's bravery demolished arguments that Black men would not fight, galvanizing recruitment of Black soldiers across the Union.