Alfred B. Hilton’s Valor While Carrying the Colors at Fort Wagner

Feb 06 , 2026

Alfred B. Hilton’s Valor While Carrying the Colors at Fort Wagner

Alfred B. Hilton’s hands clutched the colors—tattered, bleeding, defiant—while bullets tore through the air around him. Twice wounded, staggering, he planted the flag where the fight burned hottest. The powder smoke cloaked his uniform in grime and sweat, but he would not let the banner fall. Not here. Not today.

That flag was more than cloth — it was hope.

A Son of Maryland, Armed by Faith and Resolve

Born a free Black man in Baltimore, 1842, Alfred B. Hilton grew up in a world bent on denying his worth. Yet, deep-rooted faith and unwavering honor forged a man prepared to face the storm.

He enlisted in the 4th United States Colored Infantry Regiment, a unit born from the fires of emancipation and the bold promise of equality in arms. His belief in God’s justice and the cause of freedom was ironclad — a conviction stronger than any chain.

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

Hilton carried more than a musket into battle. He carried hope for his people, a testimony of sacrifice, and a sacred duty to the flag — the symbol of a fractured nation yearning to be whole.

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

The cliffs of Fort Wagner on Sullivan’s Island bore witness to one of the Civil War’s bloodiest assaults. The 54th Massachusetts, famously led by Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, had charged this stronghold two weeks earlier. The 4th US Colored Infantry moved in after, tasked with reinforcing the assault.

Hilton served as the Color Bearer — a role both perilous and honored. Carrying the colors painted a target on your back; losing the flag was a death sentence for morale.

Chaos. Gunfire ripping through the humid summer air. The 4th surged forward amid the carnage. During the assault, Hilton spotted the regimental flag fall as the color sergeant collapsed, wounded. Without hesitation, Hilton lifted the banner high, rallying his comrades under a searing hail of Confederate fire.

His bravery did not stop there. When the regimental color bearer, Sergeant Charles Veale, was wounded next, Hilton took up that flag too. Two flags clutched in one pair of hands, blood mingling with sweat and grit.

But fate’s cruelty struck. Hilton was hit by a mortal wound.

Witnesses said he pressed the colors forward to the edge of the enemy fortifications, grounding them defiantly even as he fell.

“The banners never touched the ground, not while he had breath in his body.” — 4th US Colored Infantry after-action report, 1863⁽¹⁾

Honor Etched in the Blood of Sacrifice

Alfred B. Hilton died five days later from his wounds. His sacrifice was profound, his heroism unforgettable.

On December 4, 1864, Hilton was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor — one of the first Black soldiers to receive the nation’s highest military decoration. His citation reads:

“Seized the colors after the color sergeant was shot down; carried them forward, the color bearer being shot down; and bore the flag until disabled at the enemy’s parapet.”⁽²⁾

Colonel Shaw, who had died in the initial attack on Fort Wagner, had long understood the valor Black soldiers brought to the fight. Hilton’s actions crystallized that truth.

Historian William A. Dobak wrote:

“Hilton’s courage became a living symbol of the Black soldier’s valor and sacrifice during the war.”⁽³⁾

Legacy of Courage and Redemption

Alfred B. Hilton’s story isn’t just about battlefield heroics. It’s about unwavering resolve to claim dignity where none was offered. About wielding faith like a blade in the darkest moments.

His blood-stained hands held aloft a banner representing a union struggling toward justice, embodying the raw cost of liberty.

For us who bear scars—seen or unseen—Hilton’s journey echoes: True courage is found not in the absence of fear, but in the choice to stand despite it.

When the flags fall, we rise. When the mission threatens to break us, we press on.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” — Joshua 1:9

Alfred B. Hilton’s sacrifice is blood on the fabric of this nation’s promise — a permanent reminder that freedom demands a price. And that the valor of those who carry her colors into hellfire will never be forgotten.

Sources

1. National Park Service, Civil War Regimental Histories: 4th United States Colored Infantry 2. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: Civil War (A–L) 3. William A. Dobak, Freedom by the Sword: The U.S. Colored Troops 1862–1867 (Smithsonian Institution Press)