Lewis Henry Douglass (1840-1908), the eldest son of Frederick Douglass, was a sergeant in the 54th Massachusetts Infantry, the first Black American regiment raised in the North during the Civil War. On July 18, 1863, he fought in the assault on Fort Wagner, a heavily fortified Confederate stronghold in South Carolina. The 54th led the charge under intense enemy fire, suffering heavy casualties. Douglass, serving as a standard-bearer, displayed immense bravery as he carried the regiment’s flag amid the chaos. Though the attack ultimately failed, and many soldiers, including Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, were killed, the regiment’s courage helped dispel doubts about Black soldiers’ ability to fight. In a letter to his fiancée, Douglass described the battle’s horrors and the heroism of his comrades. “Remember if I die,” we wrote, “I die in a good cause. I wish we had a hundred thousand colored troops. We would put an end to this war.” Through his sacrifice and the service of his fellow soldiers, that is exactly what happened.
The Joy Trip Project celebrates the enduring legacy of Black American History. The Unhidden Minute is part of the Unhidden Podcast Project supported through a National Geographic Explorer Grant from the National Geographic Society, with the cooperation of the National Park Service. This series elevates the untold stories of Black American historical figures, events and cultural contributions.
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