Sgt. Major William Harvey Carney born February 29, 1840 was the first Black American whose acts of valor earned the Medal of Honor. During the Civil War as a member of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment, an all-Black unit of the Union Army, Carney was part of the 2nd failed attack on the Confederate stronghold that stood in defense of Charleston Harbor at Morris Island in South Carolina called Fort Wagner. Taking heavy casualties, the 54th lost more than 600 men. Badly wounded Carney carried the regimental colors and the American Flag back across the battle lines in their retreat leading the survivors to safety. As he lay near death in a field hospital only then did he release the banners. “Boys the old flag never once touched the ground,” he said. Despite the defeat at Fort Wagner, the heroism displayed by the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment inspired more than 180,000 Black men to take up arms to defeat the Confederacy.
https://www.nps.gov/articles/the-54th-massachusetts-and-the-second-battle-of-fort-wagner.htm
The Joy Trip Project celebrates Black History Month. 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 history.
#unhiddenblackhistory #NationalParkService #yourparkstory #NationalGeographic #unhiddenminute
Sgt Major William Harvey Carney