Alfred B. Hilton’s Courage at Fort Wagner and Medal of Honor

Feb 06 , 2026

Alfred B. Hilton’s Courage at Fort Wagner and Medal of Honor

Alfred B. Hilton gripped that flagpole like his life depended on it—because it did. Amid gun smoke and screams, the stars and stripes became a beacon for the battered 4th U.S. Colored Infantry. When every man around him faltered or fell, Hilton hoisted that standard higher, blood seeping through his wounds. The enemy was relentless. The ground, soaked in death. But so long as that flag flew, hope refused to die.

From Baltimore’s Streets to a Soldier’s Faith

Born a free Black man in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1842, Alfred B. Hilton carried more than just the weight of his liberty—he bore the hopes of a generation shackled by chains. His faith was quiet but unyielding. Baptist sermons and family prayers anchored him, instilling a code beyond the battlefield: protect your brothers, stand for justice, live with honor.

This was no casual belief. His was a faith forged by oppression and tempered in sacrifice. When the Civil War broke out, Hilton enlisted in the 4th U.S. Colored Infantry Regiment. In a nation still wrestling with the meaning of equality, this choice meant more than fighting the Confederacy—it was a challenge to the very fabric of oppression.

The Battle That Defined Him: Fort Wagner, July 18, 1863

Fort Wagner was a slaughterhouse. When Colonel Robert Gould Shaw’s 54th Massachusetts, an early African American regiment, made their assault, they took the headlines. But Hilton’s unit followed. The 4th U.S. Colored Infantry knew the stakes.

During the hellish siege, Hilton carried the regimental colors—the American flag and the regimental banner—an honor that marked him as both a rally point and a target. Bullets tore at his flesh. Wounded, he did not let the flag drop. When the color guard fell, Hilton grabbed the colors with both hands, lifting them amid chaos and carnage.

A comrade, Sergeant Major Christian Fleetwood, later said, "Hilton’s stand was the rallying point in the fight.” The roar of Confederate fire did not silence Hilton’s defiance. Despite mortal wounds, he kept the colors aloft until forcibly removed from the field.

Medal of Honor: Valor Written in Blood

Hilton’s courage did not go unnoticed. He was awarded the Medal of Honor—the highest decoration—for “gallantry in carrying the colors.” His citation reads:

"Seized the colors after the color bearers had been shot down, and carried them forward, was wounded and refused to leave the field until he had planted the colors on the fort.”

The words are stark. They fail to fully capture the man who embodied them under searing fire.

Leaders and comrades alike marked Hilton’s sacrifice as a turning point in the recognition of Black soldiers’ valor. Christian Fleetwood and Sergeant Major Charles Veale also received the Medal of Honor for valor at Fort Wagner. Their courage proved the lie that Black soldiers were anything but equals in grit.

Legacy in Scarlet and Stars

Alfred B. Hilton’s story is etched deep in the soil of Fort Wagner, but his legacy stretches farther. Healing would never come for the wounds he sustained. He died that year, 1864, far too soon to see the fruits of his sacrifice. Yet, his actions echo through time—an unbroken testament to courage and defiance against the tide of bigotry and war.

“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life… shall be able to separate us from the love of God.” (Romans 8:38-39)

His life, scarred but resolved, reminds us of the price exacted by those who fight not only enemies without, but enemies within their own nation’s soul.

Veterans carry scars—visible and invisible. What Hilton teaches is this: banners are not just cloth. They are futures. They are the promise that men will stand when all falls silent. That courage, even at the edge of death, bears the seeds of redemption.

Alfred B. Hilton’s blood did more than stain a battlefield. It marked a path—a call to honor sacrifice without forgetting the stain of injustice that made it necessary. Soldiers like Hilton fought not for glory alone, but for the broken promise of a nation still learning what freedom truly costs.

Remember him. Carry the flag. Live the legacy.

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients — Civil War (A-L) 2. Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture, The 4th U.S. Colored Infantry 3. Civil War Trust, Battle of Fort Wagner 4. Christian Fleetwood Medal of Honor Citation, Congressional Medal of Honor Society