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Union Primary Source: Boston Gazette - Press Coverage of Assault

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Union Primary Source: Boston Gazette - Press Coverage of Assault

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A Boston Gazette newspaper article produced August 3, 1863, while the siege was underway and after the battles were over. The first paragraphs include updates on the siege and how confident General Gilmore is of victory. The rest of the article is an unknown correspondent’s take on the battle and the recovery afterwards. The Boston Gazette  is a well-respected and semi-reliable newspaper. The purpose of this article is to inform the populace and to increase fervor for the war. This seems like a useful document, as it relays the events of the battle in a clear, if in a somewhat fanciful way, and fleshes out the extent the 54th Massachusetts regiment had on the outcome of the battle. Therefore, a historian could pull from this article that this battle had major effects on African American enlistment into the Union army throughout the rest of the war. However, there is very little information about the Confederate’s actions, limiting the document to a purely Union viewpoint, and the events may be over-dramatized in order to sell better.

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It will be remembered the 54th held the right of the storming column, led by Gen. Strong, commanding the 1st brigade. The regiment went into action six hundred and fifty strong, and came out with a loss of two hundred and eighty privates and officers, being over one-third of the whole number. Among the officers the proportion is much larger. Of twenty-three who went into action but eight came out uninjured. The regiment marched up in column by wings; the first was under command of Col. Shaw in person, the second under Major Hallowell. When about one thousand yards from the fort the enemy opened upon them with shot, shell, and cannister, which kept flying through their ranks incessantly, and wounding many of their best officers. But still they pressed on through this storm of shot and shell, and faltered not, but cheered and shouted as they advanced.

When about 100 yards from the fort the Rebel musketry opened with such terrible effect that for an instant the first battalion hesitated-but only for an instant, for Col. Shaw, springing to the front and waving his sword shouted, "Forward, my brave boys!" and with another cheer and a shout they rushed through the ditch, gained the parapet on the right, and were soon engaged in a hand to hand conflict with the enemy. Col. Shaw was one of the first to scale the walls. He stood erect to urge forward his men, and while shouting for them to press on was shot dead and fell into the fort. His body was found with twenty of his men lying dead around him, two lying on his own body. In the morning they were all buried together in the same pit. The first battalion, after losing nearly all their officers, were compelled to fall back, and the second came forward and took its place, and held the position until it too lost all its officers, Maj. Hallowell falling severely wounded.

Capt. Appleton then attempted to rally all that was left of both battalions, but was compelled to give way.

Sergeant-Major Lewis H. Douglass, a son of Fred. Douglass, by both white and negro troops is said to have displayed great courage and calmness, was one of the first to mount the parapet, and with his powerful voice shouted: "Come on, boys, and fight for God and Gov. Andrew," and with this battle cry led them into the fort.

But above all, the color-bearer deserves more than a passing notice. Sergt. John Wall of Co. G carried the flag in the first battalion, and when near the fort he fell into a deep ditch, and called upon his guard to help him out. They could not stop for that, but Sergt. William H. Carney of Co. C caught the colors, carried them forward, and was the first man to plant the Stars and Stripes upon Fort Wagner. As he saw the men falling back, himself severely wounded in the breast, he brought the colors off, creeping on his knees, pressing his wound with one hand and with the other holding up the emblem of freedom. The moment he was seen crawling into the hospital with the flag still in his possession, his wounded companions, both black and white, rose from the straw upon which they were lying and cheered him until exhausted they could shout no longer. In response to this reception the brave and wounded standard-bearer said: "Boys, I but did my duty; the dear old flag never touched the ground."

After the main body of the regiment had been killed, wounded, or driven back, Capt. Amelio, together with Lieuts. Green, Dexter and Tucker, rallied one hundred men and held a position near the fort until 1 o'clock in the morning, when they were relieved by the 10th Connecticut, by order of Gen. Stimson. But even then they did not retire to the rear, but remained in the front and brought off a great number of wounded, who would otherwise have fallen into the hands of the enemy.

The Ironsides and Monitors are still over the bar, and lying abreast Fort Wagner. Shots are fired at intervals of half an hour every day, but beyond throwing clouds of sand into the air but little damage is done to this formidable earthwork.

The iron-clad fleet is slowly increasing. We shall soon out-number the original one with which DuPont attacked Sumter.

Admiral Dahlgren seems inclined to pursue a more cautious policy than his predecessors, but whether he will gain anything by it time alone will determine.

Photographs of members of the 54th Massachusetts in the collection of the Massachusetts Historical Society.

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Original press coverage of the battle - Walking Boston

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It will be remembered the 54th held the right of the storming column, led by Gen. Strong, commanding the 1st brigade. The regiment went into action six hundred and fifty strong, and came out with a loss of two hundred and eighty privates and officers, being over one-third of the whole number.

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This battle was also the inspiration for the 1989 motion picture “Glory”, which depicts the 54th Massachusetts regiment, the first all-black regiment, and their attack on the fort. It was the first feature film to focus on the role of African Americans soldiers in the Civil War, and is one of the most accurate and powerful about the Civil War ever made.

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Couldn't find one in time :P

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It was a Union attack on a Confederate fort on Morris Island, outside Charlestown; it was a Confederate victory. There were 1,689 casualties in total, with 1,515 of those being Unionists and 174 of them being Confederates. The battle started July 18, 1863, and consisted of two attacks by the Union. The first attack was spearheaded by the first all-black regiment, the 54th Massachusetts Infantry. They successfully scaled the parapets, but were driven back after intense hand-to-hand combat. After that failure, the Unionists resorted to siege tactics, which caused the Confederates to abandon the fort on September 7, 1863. Quincy A. Gilmore was the Union general, P. G. T. Beauregard was the Confederate general.

The reason the Unionists wanted Fort Wagner, and Morris Island as a whole, was because they wanted to demoralize the Confederates by taking Charlestown. Charlestown was a symbol of secession for the North and independence for the South, it being the place where the original 7 secessions were decided. However, despite the siege eventually working and the Unionists having control of Charleston’s waters, it was not until much later that Charleston itself was captured.

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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.

How It Ended

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. 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.

In Context

Charleston, South Carolina, was the site of the opening engagements of the Civil War when newly created Confederate forces fired upon Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor and forced Federal soldiers to abandon the fort. Since then, the city has stood as a symbol of secession for Northerners and the birthplace of independence for Southerners. While not necessarily a strategically important city, Northern forces hoped that taking the city could boost Northern morale while demoralizing the South.

After the successful amphibious operation against Port Royal, South Carolina, and the stunning, long-range artillery bombardment that led to the swift capture of Fort Pulaski, Brig. Gen. Quincy Gillmore was assigned to lead the 1863 campaign against the city of Charleston. Supported by a heavy naval presence in Charleston Harbor, Gillmore's planned to seize Morris Island, which held Fort Wagner and Fort Gregg, and place heavy rifled guns on Cummings Point to neutralize Fort Sumter. Once the Federals overtook Sumter, then the army and the navy could move undisturbed into the city.

Before the Battle

During the Battle

Aftermath

Learn More about Fort Wagner

Related Battles

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Our Battle of Fort Wagner page that includes history articles, information on the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, battle maps, historic and modern photos, helpful web links, and recommended books for this important 1863 battle in South Carolina.

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Depicts the naval pressure on the shoreline and the troop placement and movement towards the fort.

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Fort Wagner Troop Movement - American Battlefield Trust

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Fort Wagner Troop Movement - American Battlefield Trust

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Depicts the troop placement during the attack.

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Depicts the secondary attack on Fort Wagner, the Union advancing towards the fort under heavy fire.

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The Attack on Fort Wagner – The Stormers Advancing Under Fire: 18 July, 1863

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The Attack on Fort Wagner – The Stormers Advancing Under Fire: 18 July, 1863

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Depicts the attack on Fort Wagner via sea, using cannons and new artillery weapons.

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Bombardment of Fort Wagner, Charleston, South Carolina: 29 August, 1863

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Bombardment of Fort Wagner, Charleston, South Carolina: 29 August, 1863

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Charleston was a cultural hub of the South at the time. The Southern elites lived and partied in Charleston; it was a major port in the South, importing dresses for Southern ladies and weapons for soldiers, and exporting cotton.

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Picture showing the 54th Massachusetts regiment attacking the fort

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This battle was one of the several attempts the Union made to capture/surround Charlestown. The belief was that by taking Charlestown, the South would lose its fervor and capitulate to the North. Charlestown had a lot of political significance, being the city where the secession originated and was agreed upon.

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Depicts the general layout of Fort Wagner’s surrounding landscape.

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Fort Wagner & Surrounding Land: 1863 - 1865

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Fort Wagner & Surrounding Land: 1863 - 1865