Civil War Medal of Honor Winner William H Carney

William Harvey Carney was born in Norfolk, Virginia in 1840 to parents who were slaves. Actually his parent's surname "Carney" was that of his mother's master, Major Carney. In his youth he secretly received an education necessitated by the fact that slaves were forbidden to be educated. At some time after William was 15 years of age his parents were freed by the death of their master as he had provided them their freedom in his will. The Carney family eventually found their way from Virginia to New Bedford, Massachusetts.

In his teen years, while in New Bedford, William belonged to the church of Rev. Mr. Jackson, who became the chaplain of the 54th Regiment, and decided to prepare him for the ministry. (Brackett 1864, 117) However, events of history, which were not in his control led him to another calling which would alter his life

When hostilities of the Great Rebellion broke out, and when a black regiment was permitted to be raised by the Secretary of War, William abandoned his path towards the ministry stating, "I felt I could best serve My god by serving my country and my oppressed brothers" and therefore enlisted in Company of the 54th Regiment. He enlisted from New Bedford in Company C. Only 5 months later, on July 18, 1863, William Carney would find himself with his regiment on the beach of Morris Island in South Carolina, awaiting the order to go on a charge to assault and take Confederate Fort Wagner.

The 54th Massachusetts of which Sergeant Carney was a member of Company , under the command of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, were chosen to lead the assault on a well defended Confederate fort, Fort Wagner, on Morris Island, Colonel Shaw, himself leaving behind privelege and a promising future to abolish the evil of slavery, would not suvive the assualt. He deserves his own lens in the future.

South Carolina. The charge of the 54th against the fort failed and resulted in tremendous carnage. Of the approximately 600 soldiers who began the charge upon Fort Wagner, 256 would end up dead, wounded, or missing. After the battle some lay dead, the wounded and dying and dead littered the ditch and parapet around the fort some say three feet deep."

The most riveting and action packed scene in the 1989 Movie Glory depicts this charge and shows the brutality and desparation men like William Carney witnessed and experienced.

As the 54th led the charge down the beach, and increased to double-quick speed as they got closer to the fort shell and shot became fiercer. The regiment then approached the ditch surrounding the fort amid shots of withering rifle and grape shot the regimental color bearer holding "Old Glory," Sergeant John Wall was shot and fell. Upon seeing this Carney threw away his rifle and headed to the front of the assaulting column grabbing the colors.

The column descended into the ditch surrounding the fort and as they began to emerge on the upward slope of the ditch, towards the parapet of the fort, the regiment showed dreadful gaps where the regiment had been cut down as "a scythe would mow down the tall grass" (Coffin and Journal 1893, 196) Yet the remaining men pressed onwards, and at this time, at the parapet of Fort Wagner,Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, shouted his final words "Forward Fifty-Fourth" before he was shot and fell dead. At this point William Carney still clutching the colors amid the confusion planted the "Stars and Stripes" upon the parapet of Fort Wagner.

It must be remembered the importance of the regimental colors in the Civil War. The flag, when communications did not include radios and other modern methods of communication, was a visual point of rallying and directing the regiment. It also was a symbol of an enemies defeat and honor to the capturer to hold the adversaries flag. Therefore, color bearers, who did not carry rifles, essentially became soldiers with "bulls eyes" on their chests for their enemy.

What also must be remembered is all that was happening at the time Carney seized the colors and planted them on the parapet. At the point of meeting of the two enemies the men were engaged in a gruesome life or death struggle; as Mr. N.P Hallowell recalls "There were wounds from bayonet thrusts, sword cuts, pike thrusts and hand grenades; and there were heads and arms broken and smashed by the butt-ends of muskets." (Washington 1909) As dusk turned to darkness the sky and the flash of muzzle fire from cannons was the only thing to illuminate the scenes of men desperately fighting for their lives. Yet William Carney held fast to the flag of his country, realizing the importance of the symbol and all it stood for. The dead and wounded slid back down the slope into the blood soaked ditch, unable to go forward because of the fierce resistance and also unable to run back across the open expanse of beach to the Union lines which would result in sure death.

While wondering how long to remain on the parapet, Carney saw the enemy was distracted by his compatriots renewing the assault on Fort Wagner to his right. He also saw what he thought was some more of his fellow soldiers coming towards him. He raised his flag towards them until he noticed they were enemies. Wrapping the flag around the staff he descended into the ditch, which was now up to his wait with water from the incoming tide and filled with dead and wounded, and started to plot his course to the rear.

He was struck with one shot, but not being felled he continued, and then was struck with a second shot. On his struggle to cross the beach to the rear he met a member of the 100th New York Regiment who started to assist him, when Carney was struck with another shot in the head. The other soldier asked Carney to let him carrier the colors so he could more easily walk, but Carney refused, saying that no one other than a member of the 54th Massachusetts should carry the colors.
Finally, after an unikely arrival alive at the rear guard hospital area, he saw his wounded and dying comrades who saw him carrying their colors and cheered him. He was able to tell them "Boys, the old flag never touched the ground."

Against all odds in life, and in this very battle, this African American rose from a slave to commit tremendous acts of bravery and valor, and eventually receive the highest award, the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Sargeant William H. Carney of the famed 54th Regiment of Massachusetts Infantry is often, especially on the internet, named as the first African American to receive the Medal of Honor. This is not actually accurate. Sergeant Carney received his Medal of Honor on May 23, 1900, nearly 37 years after the actions which earned him the award. There were several black soldiers and sailors who received the award prior to William H. Carney, including some who received them during the Civil War. However, Carney's distinction is that the date of his actions which earned him the award, performed on July 18th 1863 during the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment's assault on Fort Wagner, were the earliest actions, chronologically, for which an African American was awarded the Medal of Honor. In short, the other African Americans who received the Congressional Medal of Honor were awarded them for gallant actions they committed after July 18, 1863.