Sergeant. William H. Carney was the first African American to receive the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military decoration, on this day in history, May 23, 1900, for his efforts to protect the American flag during the Civil War, says History. com.
The Medal of Honor is the United States government's most prestigious decoration, as noted by the National Archives.
Established by a joint resolution of Congress in July 1862, the award is given to “a person who, while a member of the armed forces, is conspicuously distinguished by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty.” , while participating in an action against an enemy of the United States.”
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Sergeant. Carney was born into slavery. He joined the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the Civil War, the National Museum of the U.S. Army said.
“When his regiment gained the top of the parapet at Confederate-held Fort Wagner in South Carolina, Sergeant Carney took up the American flag after the previous flag bearers fell and carried the flag to the fort, rallying and inspiring the men to around you,” notes the museum site.
William Harvey Carney (1840-1908), an African-American soldier during the American Civil War, received the Medal of Honor for bravery during the 1863 Battle of Fort Wagner, WEB Du Bois Collection. (Circa Images/GHI/Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Despite being seriously injured, Sgt. Carney said, “Boys, I was just doing my duty; the old flag never touched the ground,” according to the same source.
Sergeant. Carney's regiment participated in its first battle at James Island, South Carolina, on July 16, 1863, and the Battle of Fort Wagner followed two days later.
Colonel Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th led the 5,000 Union troops that marched toward the fort on the afternoon of July 18, 1863.
“Boys, I just did my duty; the old flag never touched the ground.”
At the fort, the U.S. Army site says, 1,800 Confederate soldiers prepared for attack and the Union Army naval fleet pounded the fort with cannon fire and weakened its defenses.
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“When the 54th reached the fort, the Confederate Army riddled them with bullets. Shaw adjusted the regiment's advances and led them across the moat and up the hill leading to the fort,” the US Army site states.
Sergeant William H. Carney, 1897. Creator: Unknown. (Heritage Art/Heritage Images via Getty Images)
As the battle continued, Colonel Shaw was killed. His regiment pressed on, but the 54th suffered heavy casualties and about half of his soldiers were killed, wounded, captured or missing in action, the site says.
The Union Army was forced to retreat from the battle, and this battle serves as a seminal example of African American courage during the Civil War.
“The actions of '54 inspired more black men to enlist,” the site says.
The film “Gloria” is a recreation of the assault on Fort Wagner.
As the men advanced, they were immediately hit by a barrage of grapeshot, musketry and shelling from the fort, says The Military Times.
“He knelt in preparation for action, still holding the flag firmly as bullets and shell fragments peppered the sand around him.”
A bullet struck the brave sergeant of the 54th, and when the wounded man faltered, Carney threw down his gun, grabbed the flag, and marched to the front of the 54th's assault ranks.
“He soon found himself alone, on the fort wall, with corpses of dead and wounded comrades around him. He knelt to prepare for action, still holding the flag firmly as bullets and shell fragments peppered the sand around him.” , said the site's chronicles.
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Although this remarkable act of heroism occurred in 1863, Sgt. Carney was not awarded the country's highest military honor until May 23, 1900.
He was born in Norfolk, Virginia.
Sergeant. Carney was born on February 29, 1840 in Norfolk, Virginia, according to the National Museum of the United States Army.
His father, William Carney Sr., fled slavery on the Underground Railroad and eventually, the site says, the elder Carney settled in Massachusetts, where he worked and bought his family's freedom.
In the late 1850s, the now free Carney family moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where young Carney attended school and learned to read and write, according to the same source.
Memories of Sgt. William Harvey Carney includes the Congressional Medal of Honor, photographed on January 10, 1990 in New Bedford, Massachusetts. (Mark Wilson/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
“While he showed interest in joining the ministry, he saw the start of the Civil War as a call to serve in the U.S. military,” the site says.
He reportedly said, “When the country required all the people, I was better able to serve my God by serving my country and my oppressed brothers.”
Following the passage of the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment was formed. Massachusetts Governor John A. Andrew then led the organization of an all-black volunteer regiment, the Army website notes.
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Carney recovered from the wounds he received at Fort Wagner, and when his commanders learned of his conduct, he was promoted to sergeant, The Military Times noted.
Later in the war, the publication reported, the 54th fought in a rearguard action covering a retreat at the Battle of Olustee. However, Sgt. Carney could not participate in that commitment as a result of his injuries.
Due to his wounds, he was discharged from the army a little more than a year after the battle, on June 30, 1864, the same source states.
After the Civil War, Sgt. Carney worked as one of America's first mail carriers and frequently spoke publicly about how he saved the American flag.
After returning home, Carney married Susannah Williams. The couple had a daughter, the US Army Museum says.
After the Civil War, Sgt. Carney worked as one of America's first mail carriers and frequently spoke publicly about how he saved the American flag, the Virginia State Library says.
“In 1897 he received a standing ovation while attending the dedication ceremony for the Boston monument to Colonel Robert Gould Shaw of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment,” the site says.
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Sergeant. Carney died on December 9, 1908.
He is buried in New Bedford, Massachusetts.
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“His memory lives on as a representation of the valor and bravery of the black soldiers who served in the Union Army and when Carney died in 1908, the American flag flew at half-staff at the Massachusetts State House,” according to the Virginia State Library.
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