What happened at Fort Wagner?
Fort Wagner is located on Morris Island in the Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. Confederate Victory. While the 54 th Massachusetts Infantry and nine other regiments in two brigades successfully scaled the parapet and entered Fort Wagner, they were driven out with heavy casualties and forced to retreat.
How many soldiers died at the Battle of Fort Wagner?
133 wounded; 5 missing/captured) The Second Battle of Fort Wagner, also known as the Second Assault on Morris Island or the Battle of Fort Wagner, Morris Island, was fought on July 18, 1863, during the American Civil War.
Who was in charge of the First Battle of Fort Wagner?
It was commanded by Brigadier General William B. Taliaferro. An attempt was made on July 11 to assault the fort, the First Battle of Fort Wagner, but it was repulsed with heavy losses to the attackers because of artillery and musket fire.
What is Fort Wagner known for?
Fort Wagner. It was the site of two American Civil War battles in the campaign known as Operations Against the Defenses of Charleston in 1863, and it is considered one of the toughest beachhead defenses constructed by the Confederate army .
When did the Battle of Fort Wagner end?
What happened to the 54th Massachusetts Infantry?
How many of the 54th died at Fort Wagner?
Shown here is one of the 54th's casualty lists with the names of 116 enlisted men who died at Fort Wagner. Of the 600 men that charged Fort Wagner, 272 were killed, wounded, or captured.
How many Confederates died at Fort Wagner?
Bombardment of Fort Wagner, Charleston, South Carolina. To aid in the attack, U.S. ground artillery and naval guns bombarded Fort Wagner. The barrage lasted six hours, killing 8 and wounding 20 in a garrison of 1,700 Confederate soldiers.
What happened to the 54th at Fort Wagner?
While the 54th Massachusetts Infantry and nine other regiments in two brigades successfully scaled the parapet and entered Fort Wagner, they were driven out with heavy casualties and forced to retreat.
How much of the 54th Massachusetts was lost on their assault on Fort Wagner?
During the latter engagement, the 54th Massachusetts, with other Union regiments, executed a frontal assault against Fort Wagner and suffered casualties of 20 killed, 125 wounded, and 102 missing (primarily presumed dead)—roughly 40 percent of the unit's numbers at that time.
What happened to Captain Robert Gould Shaw's body?
Confederates buried Colonel Shaw in a common burial pit, intending it as an insult to the leader of the Black regiment. After being offered to move Shaw's body to an officers' cemetery, his father directed he be left in the place of honor with his men. Shaw did not initially join the war effort to end slavery.
Was the movie Glory accurate?
The answer for Glory is yes. It is not only the first feature film to treat the role of Black soldiers in the American Civil War; it is also the most powerful and historically accurate movie about that war ever made.
What would happen to the black soldiers if they were caught fighting for the North?
What would happen to the black soldiers if they were caught fighting for the North? What would happen to the white officers of the South caught them? they shall be deemed as inciting servile insurrection and shall be put to death.
What happened to Colonel Shaw during the battle?
Union Colonel Robert Gould Shaw and 272 of his troops are killed in an assault on Fort Wagner, near Charleston, South Carolina. Shaw was commander of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry, perhaps the most famous regiment of African American troops during the war.
Why did the assault on Fort Wagner fail?
The Confederates abandoned the fort on September 7, 1863, after resisting 60 days of shelling, it having been deemed untenable because of the damage from constant bombardment, lack of provisions, and the close proximity of the Union siege trenches to Wagner.
Is Fort Wagner still standing?
Although the Atlantic Ocean consumed Fort Wagner in the late 1800s and the original site is now offshore, the Civil War Trust (a division of the American Battlefield Trust) and its partners have acquired and preserved 118 acres (0.48 km2) of historic Morris Island, which had gun emplacements and other military ...
What was the result of the assault on Fort Wagner by the African American soldiers of the unions 54th Massachusetts Regiment?
Union troops were able to briefly penetrate into Wagner itself but not could exploit their breakthrough due to determined Confederate counterattacks and sweeping artillery fire. Finally in the early hours of July 19, Union troops withdrew, and the fierce battle came to an end.
Was there a black regiment in the Civil War?
The 54th Massachusetts Regiment, the first regiment of African Americans from the North to serve during the Civil War, bravely assaulted Battery Wagner in Charleston Harbor. Their bravery increased Northern efforts to enlist African Americans.
Where was the Battle of Fort Wagner?
Morris Island, SC | Jul 18 - Sep 7, 1863. The Battle of Fort Wagner on July 18, 1863, was an unsuccessful assault led by the 54 th Massachusetts, an African American infantry, famously depicted in the movie Glory. Fort Wagner is located on Morris Island in the Charleston Harbor, South Carolina.
Where was Fort Wagner located?
Fort Wagner, also known as Battery Wagner, was a sand and earthen fortification located on the northern end of Morris Island outside Charleston, South Carolina. Fort Wagner, and Fort Gregg nearby, covered the southern approach to Charleston Harbor. It was considered one of the toughest beachhead fortifications due ...
What was the result of the Confederate victory at Fort Wagner?
While the 54 th Massachusetts Infantry and nine other regiments in two brigades successfully scaled the parapet and entered Fort Wagner, they were driven out with heavy casualties and forced to retreat. Unconvinced of the success of frontal assaults, the Federals resorted to land and sea siege operations to reduce the fort over the next two months. After 60 days of shelling and siege, the Confederates abandoned Fort Wagner on September 7, 1863.
How long did it take for the Confederates to abandon Fort Wagner?
Unconvinced of the success of frontal assaults, the Federals resorted to land and sea siege operations to reduce the fort over the next two months. After 60 days of shelling and siege, the Confederates abandoned Fort Wagner on September 7, 1863.
What happened to the 100th New York Regiment?
As the 100 th New York Regiment approached the fort, they mistakenly fired onto the ramparts, trapping several Federals regiments between two sides of gunfire. While several more Federal regiments were able to reach the fort, others were not forthcoming.
When did the Confederate forces surrender Fort Sumter?
Early on April 12, 1861 , Confederate forces opened fire on the fort, and by mid-afternoon the next day, Federal forces surrendered the fort. To the South, Charleston, and Fort Sumter, as the "birthplace" of Confederate independence and the site of the first victory of their new nation with the Battle of Fort Sumter.
Who led the 54th Massachusetts Infantry?
At sunset, the 54 th Massachusetts Infantry, and African-American infantry, led by Col. Robert Gould Shaw, advanced on Fort Wagner for a frontal assault as the naval assault ceased. When the Federal forces were within 150 yards of the fort, Taliaferro instructed his soldiers to fire. As he crested the flaming parapet, Shaw waved his sword, ...
What was the significance of the Battle of Fort Wagner?
Although a tactical defeat, the publicity of the battle of Fort Wagner led to further action for black U.S. troops in the Civil War, and it spurred additional recruitment that gave the Union Army a further numerical advantage in troops over the South. Union forces besieged the fort after the unsuccessful assault.
Who led the second Battle of Fort Wagner?
The Second Battle of Fort Wagner, a week later, is better known. It was the Union attack on July 18, 1863, led by the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, one of the first major American military units made up of black soldiers. Colonel Robert Gould Shaw led the 54th Massachusetts on foot while they charged, and was killed in the assault.
How big was Fort Wagner?
Named for deceased Lt. Col. Thomas M. Wagner, Fort Wagner measured 250 by 100 yards (91 m), and spanned an area between the Atlantic on the east and an impassable swamp on the west. Its walls, composed of sand and earth, rose 30 feet (9.1 m) above the level beach and were supported by palmetto logs and sandbags. The fort's arsenal included fourteen cannons, the largest a 10-inch (250 mm) Columbiad that fired a 128-pound shell. It was a large structure capable of sheltering nearly 1,000 of the fort's 1,700-man garrison and provided substantial protection against naval shelling. The fort's land face was protected by a water-filled trench, 10 feet (3.0 m) wide and 5 feet (1.5 m) deep, surrounded by buried land mines and sharpened palmetto stakes. The fort itself was supported by defenses throughout Morris Island.
What was the most famous regiment that fought for the Union in the Battle of Fort Wagner?
The most famous regiment that fought for the Union in the battle of Fort Wagner was the 54th regiment , which was one of the first African-American regiments in the war. The 54th was controversial in the North, where many people supported the abolition of slavery but still treated African Americans as lesser or inferior to whites. Though some claimed blacks could not fight as well as whites, the actions of the 54th Massachusetts demonstrated once again the fallacy in that argument, as this was not the first time blacks ever fought in war or even for the United States.
Who was the first black soldier to receive the Medal of Honor?
William Carney , an African American and a sergeant with the 54th, is considered the first black recipient of the Medal of Honor for his actions at Fort Wagner in recovering and returning the unit's American flag to Union lines. After the battle, the Confederates buried the regiment's commanding officer, Colonel Shaw, in an unmarked mass grave with the African-American soldiers of his regiment as an insult to him. Instead, his family considered it an honor that Shaw was buried with his men.
Who died in the final scene of Magnus Chase and the Ship of the Dead?
In the book Magnus Chase and the Ship of the Dead, a character named T.J. dies charging the battlements at Fort Wagner.
Where are the remains of the Union soldiers buried?
Morris Island is smaller than 1,000 acres and is subject to extensive erosion by storm and sea. Much of the site of Fort Wagner has been eroded away, including the place where the Union soldiers were buried. However, by the time that happened, the soldiers' remains were no longer there because soon after the end of the Civil War, the Army disinterred and reburied all the remains, including presumably those of Shaw, at the Beaufort National Cemetery in Beaufort, South Carolina, where their gravestones were marked as "unknown".. The number missing presumed dead at Battery Wagner was 391, among the 10 regiments involved. 54th with the most at 146. 100 NY with 119, 48th NY with 112. The number of unknowns at Beaufort on their Civil monument 1870s is 174 unknowns. These unknowns collected from three Southern states. Sites include East Florida, Millen and Lawton Georgia and Hilton Head. Two Confederate POW sites included. Given the missing at Morris island is more than double the total unknowns at Beaufort National Cemetery, it appears many bodies were not removed and were lost to the shifting sea.
Why was Fort Wagner abandoned?
The Confederates abandoned the fort on September 7, 1863, after resisting 60 days of shelling, it having been deemed untenable because of the damage from constant bombardment, lack of provisions, and the close proximity of the Union siege trenches to Wagner.
How many Union soldiers died in the Battle of Wagner?
In all, about 1,515 Union soldiers were killed, captured, or wounded in the assault of July 18, although this number has never been accurately ascertained. Gen. Hagood, the commander of Fort Wagner on the morning of July 19, stated in his report to Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard that he buried 800 bodies in mass graves in front of Wagner. Only 315 men were left from the 54th after the battle. Thirty were killed in action, including Col. Shaw and Captains Russel and Simpkins, and buried together in a single grave. Twenty-four later died of wounds, fifteen were captured, and fifty-two were reported missing after the battle and never seen again. The men of the 54th Massachusetts were hailed for their valor. William Carney, an African-American sergeant with the 54th, is considered the first black recipient of the Medal of Honor for his actions that day in recovering and returning the unit's U.S. Flag to Union lines. Their conduct improved the reputation of African Americans as soldiers, leading to greater Union recruitment of African-Americans, which strengthened the Northern states' numerical advantage. In addition, the South recognized for the first time that captured African American soldiers were to be treated as enemy combatants and not criminals. Confederate casualties numbered 174.
How many howitzers did the Battery Wagner have?
The sea face of Wagner was armed with one 32 lb. carronade, one 10-inch Columbiad, and two 12 lb. howitzers. The garrison of Battery Wagner consisted of the 1st South Carolina Artillery, the Charleston Battalion, the 31st North Carolina, and the 51st North Carolina.
How many shell guns were used in Fort Wagner?
The armament of Fort Wagner on the night of July 18 consisted of one 10-inch seacoast mortar, two 32 lb. carronades, two 8-inch shell guns, two 32 lb. howitzers, a 42 lb. carronade, and an 8-inch seacoast mortar on the land face.
When did Gillmore bombard Fort Wagner II?
Gillmore ordered his siege guns and mortars to begin a bombardment of the fort on July 18 and they were joined by the naval gunfire from six monitors that pulled to within 300 yards of the fort.
How many times was Frederick Douglass pierced?
Some Confederate reports claim his body was pierced seven times, with the fatal wound a rifle bullet to his chest. Another of the 54th's casualties was Lewis Henry Douglass, son of the famous orator Frederick Douglass, who was wounded but survived the battle.
How wide was Fort Wagner?
The approach to the fort was constricted to a strip of beach 60 yards (55 m) wide with the ocean to the east and the marsh from Vincent's (now Bass) Creek to the west. Upon rounding this defile, the Union Army was presented with the 250-yard south face of Fort Wagner, which stretched from Vincent's creek to the sea.
Who was the general who attacked Fort Wagner?
General George Strong , a participant in the attack on Fort Wagner, said “…in all these severe tests, which would have tried even veteran troops, they fully met my expectations, for many were killed, wounded, or captured on the walls of the fort.”.
What would happen if Fort Wagner was captured?
If captured, Fort Wagner would provide the Union an opportunity to bombard Fort Sumter and provide access into Charleston harbor itself, an important step in securing the city that many saw as the birthplace of the Civil War. Union forces stormed Morris Island on July 10, 1863. Assisted by a naval bombardment, the troops captured ...
How long did the Union hold Fort Wagner?
With the loss of the Second Battle of Fort Wagner, the Siege of Charleston slowed to a crawl. Union forces kept the fort surrounded for sixty days. The combined pressure of the blockade and constant skirmishing nearby forced the Confederate troops to abandon Fort Wagner. Union forces then occupied the fort, allowing for a sustained bombardment of both Fort Sumter and the city of Charleston.
How did Fort Wagner affect the Union?
Any regiment approaching the fort would certainly face heavy casualties. Approaching the fort required advancing up a strip of land so narrow only one regiment could attack at a time, preventing Union forces from effectively utilizing their superior numbers. The strip also lacked cover, making any attacking force an easy target for the Confederate soldiers defending Fort Wagner. The fort had artillery positioned to repel such a ground attack, with more artillery support coming from nearby fortifications, including Fort Sumter. The layout of Fort Wagner’s walls caused additional problems, as they allowed the Confederates to catch their attackers in a crossfire, making it difficult for the 54 th to enter the fort. [6]
How long did the Battle of Fort Wagner last?
To aid in the attack, Union ground artillery and naval guns bombarded Fort Wagner. The barrage lasted six hours, killing 8 and wounding 20 in a garrison of 1,700 Confederate soldiers.
What was the second battle of Fort Wagner?
The Second Battle of Fort Wagner served as the 54 th Massachusetts’s trial by fire. The all-Black volunteer regiment first experienced combat only two days prior in a comparatively minor skirmish. [3] . The planned assault on Fort Wagner offered ...
What day did the Union attack Morris Island?
Union forces stormed Morris Island on July 10, 1863. Assisted by a naval bombardment, the troops captured the southern portion of the island, but could not take Fort Wagner when the attack resumed the next day. [2] . On July 18, the 54 th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment led a second Union assault against Fort Wagner.
How many Union soldiers died at Fort Wagner?
Also Know, how many Union soldiers died at Fort Wagner? In all, about 1,515 Union soldierswere killed, captured, or wounded in the assault of July 18, although this number has never been accurately ascertained. Gen. Hagood, the commander of Fort Wagneron the morning of July 19, stated in his report to Gen. P.G.T.
What was the significance of the Battle of Fort Wagner?
The battle of Fort Wagner, South Carolina, was a defeat for the Union Army but a galvanizing victory for freedom. The flag bearer for the 54th Massachusetts regiment was an escaped slave named William Carney.
What was the 54th regiment known for?
Known simply as "the 54th," this regiment became famous after the heroic, but ill-fated, assault on Fort Wagner, South Carolina. The courage and sacrifice of the 54th helped to dispel doubt within the Union Army about the fighting ability of black soldiers and earned this regiment undying battlefield glory.
What was the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment known for?
The 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment is best known for its service leading the failed Union assault on Battery Wagner, a Confederate earthwork fortification on Morris Island, on July 18, 1863.
Who was the commander of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry?
On this day, Union Colonel Robert Gould Shaw and 272 of his troops are killed in an assault on Fort Wagner, near Charleston, South Carolina. Shaw was commander of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry, perhaps the most famous regiment of African-American troops during the war.
Who stormed the fort at dusk?
At dusk on July 18th, an attack spearheaded by the 54thMassachusetts Infantry, a United States Colored Troops (USCT) regiment, stormed and captured the outer rifle pits surrounding the fort. The unit's colonel, Robert Gould Shaw, was killed.
Is Fort Wagner easily accessible?
The site of the fort is not easily accessible. A tour of nearby Fort Sumter National Monument from the ferry landing on Concord Street in Charleston will include a view of where Fort Wagner used to stand. The education center and small museum there tell the stories of the Confederate defense of Charleston Harbor.
Where did the Union troops attack Fort Wagner?
On July 18, 1863, on Morris Island near Charleston, South Carolina, the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, a Union regiment of free African American men, began their assault on Fort Wagner, a Confederate stronghold.
Who was the white officer in the Massachusetts 54th Regiment?
Explain why a white officer, Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, was placed in command of the Massachusetts 54th and why the regiment consisted entirely of African Americans.
Who was the first African American to receive the Medal of Honor?
After the Civil War, a sergeant of the 54th, William Harvey Carney, became the first African American to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for taking up the fallen Union flag and carrying it to the fort’s walls.
When did the Battle of Fort Wagner end?
Additionally, when did the battle of Fort Wagner end? July 18, 1863
What happened to the 54th Massachusetts Infantry?
Similarly, you may ask, what happened to the 54th at Fort Wagner? At dusk on July 18th, an attack spearheaded by the 54th Massachusetts Infantry, a United States Colored Troops (USCT) regiment, stormed and captured the outer rifle pits surrounding the fort. The unit's colonel, Robert Gould Shaw, was killed.
Overview
History
The First Battle of Fort Wagner, occurred on July 11, 1863. Only 12 Confederate soldiers were killed, as opposed to 339 losses for the U.S. side.
The Second Battle of Fort Wagner (pictured in Glory (1989 film)), a week later, is better known. It was the Union attack on July 18, 1863, led by the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, one of the first major American military unit…
Construction
Named for deceased Lt. Col. Thomas M. Wagner, Fort Wagner measured 250 by 100 yards (91 m), and spanned an area between the Atlantic on the east and an impassable swamp on the west. Its walls, composed of sand and earth, rose 30 feet (9.1 m) above the level beach and were supported by palmetto logs and sandbags. The fort's arsenal included fourteen cannons, the largest a 10-inch (250 mm) Columbiad that fired a 128-pound shell. It was a large structure capa…
54th Massachusetts
The most famous regiment that fought for the Union in the battle of Fort Wagner was the 54th regiment, which was one of the first African-American regiments in the war. The 54th was controversial in the North, where many people supported the abolition of slavery but still treated African Americans as lesser or inferior to whites. Though some claimed blacks could not fight as well as whites, the actions of the 54th Massachusetts demonstrated once again the fallacy in th…
In popular culture
• This fort plays a major part in the film Glory. One of the final scenes portrays Shaw and the men of the 54th Massachusetts leading the attack and storming the fort unsuccessfully.
• In the book Magnus Chase and the Ship of the Dead, a character named T.J. dies charging the battlements at Fort Wagner.
Preservation
Although the Atlantic Ocean consumed Fort Wagner in the late 1800s and the original site is now offshore, the Civil War Trust (a division of the American Battlefield Trust) and its partners have acquired and preserved 118 acres (0.48 km ) of historic Morris Island, which had gun emplacements and other military installations during the war.
External links
• Life magazine of November 22, 1963
• Assault on Battery Wagner: Maps, Histories, Photos, and Preservation News (Civil War Trust)
Overview
The Second Battle of Fort Wagner, also known as the Second Assault on Morris Island or the Battle of Fort Wagner, Morris Island, was fought on July 18, 1863, during the American Civil War. Union Army troops commanded by Brig. Gen. Quincy Gillmore launched an unsuccessful assault on the Confederate fortress of Fort Wagner, which protected Morris Island, south of Charleston Harbor. The ba…
Aftermath
In all, about 1,515 Union soldiers were killed, captured, or wounded in the assault of July 18, although this number has never been accurately ascertained. Gen. Hagood, the commander of Fort Wagner on the morning of July 19, stated in his report to Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard that he buried 800 bodies in mass graves in front of Wagner. Only 315 men were left from the 54th after the battle. Thirt…
Background
Fort Wagner, or Battery Wagner as it was known to the Confederates, controlled the southern approaches to Charleston Harbor. It was commanded by Brigadier General William B. Taliaferro. An attempt was made on July 11 to assault the fort, the First Battle of Fort Wagner, but it was repulsed with heavy losses to the attackers because of artillery and musket fire. Brig. Gen. Quincy Gillmore intended to repeat his assault, but first executed feints to distract the Confederates' att…
Battle
Gillmore ordered his siege guns and mortars to begin a bombardment of the fort on July 18 and they were joined by the naval gunfire from six monitors that pulled to within 300 yards of the fort. The bombardment lasted eight hours, but caused little damage against the sandy walls of the fort, and in all, killed only about 8 men and wounded an additional 20, as the defenders had taken cover in the b…
Battlefield preservation
In May 2008, the Trust for Public Land (TPL) and partners, including the South Carolina Conservation Bank, the South Carolina State Ports Authority, the Civil War Trust, (a division of the American Battlefield Trust) and many private donors, purchased the island on behalf of the City of Charleston from Ginn Resorts for $3 million. Previously, in 2003, when a builder announced his plans to build houses on the tract, for which he had an option to buy, the Trust, local preservatio…
In popular culture
• An early short story by Louisa May Alcott, "My Contraband" (1863), depicts the aftermath of the battle, with the protagonist, a Union Army nurse, tending to wounded and dying soldiers of the 54th Regiment.
• A depiction of the battle is the climax of the 1989 film Glory.
Further reading
• Burton, E. Milby. The Siege of Charleston 1861–1865. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1970. ISBN 0-87249-345-8.
• Kennedy, Frances H., ed. The Civil War Battlefield Guide . 2nd ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1998. ISBN 0-395-74012-6.
• Reed, Rowena. Combined Operations in the Civil War. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1978. ISBN 0-87021-122-6.
External links
• National Park Service battle description
• Assault on Battery Wagner: Maps, histories, photos, and preservation news (Civil War Trust)
• CWSAC Report Update