William H. Carney, First Black Medal of Honor Recipient at Fort Wagner

Dec 08 , 2025

William H. Carney, First Black Medal of Honor Recipient at Fort Wagner

William H. Carney gripped the flagstaff like his life depended on it—because it did. Blood poured from wounds that could have put him down, yet he stood tall amid the chaos, refusing to let the Stars and Stripes touch the ground. Around him, men fell in torrents. Smoke choked the air. The battle raged on. No man, black or white, was going to watch that flag fall on his watch.

The Battle That Defined Him

April 1863. Fort Wagner, South Carolina. A Confederate stronghold fortified on an island of fire and sand. The 54th Massachusetts Infantry, one of the first official African American units in U.S. history, was ordered to storm that fortress. William Carney, a soldier from Norfolk, Virginia, took up the colors. Carrying the flag in battle was both honor and death sentence—targeted by every enemy eye.

Carney’s regiment plunged into hell’s furnace. Bullets tore through air; comrades fell, some screaming, some silent forever. Through the smoke and fury, Carney planted the flag atop the parapet—not once, but twice—after being wounded, dragged, and nearly broken. His voice must have been raw, his body nearly spent. But the flag flew.

Roots of Faith and Honor

Born a free man in 1840, Carney’s story is not just one of battle but of enduring belief. Raised in a Christian household, his faith was a quiet fortress as steady as the drumbeat of marching feet. The black church was more than sanctuary—it was cradle of hope and courage through the darkest chapters of American history.

His service flowed from a faithful conviction. To fight for the Union wasn’t just political; it was spiritual. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) That verse echoed in Carney’s heart when dangers multiplied. The flag wasn’t just cloth—it was a symbol of freedom wrested from the jaws of oppression, a beacon for future generations.

Valor Under Fire

Carney’s Medal of Honor citation tells a brutal tale. Assigned as the color sergeant, he saw the flag fall, caught it before it touched the ground, and carried it forward again under a withering enemy assault. Wounded in the face and numerous other places, he refused to relinquish the colors, returning them to Union lines despite personal injury.

His actions on July 18, 1863, during the assault marked the first time an African American soldier received the Medal of Honor—though the award came decades later, in 1900[1]. A slow march to recognition for a man who demonstrated raw courage at the height of racial hostility and violence.

His commander, Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, spoke of the regiment’s bravery: “Few regiments of white men have faced the dangers that the 54th Massachusetts have met and conquered.” The color sergeant led by example, a symbol that valor carries no skin color.

Recognition in Blood and Bronze

The Medal of Honor citation reads:

"When the color sergeant was shot down, this soldier grasped the flag, led the way to the parapet, and, despite being wounded, refused to give up the flag. Under severe enemy fire, he brought it back to Union lines." [2]

This simple statement belies the hell Carney walked through—a flood of fire and wrath, only to rise unbroken. Carney’s courage reinforced a painful truth: black soldiers fought as fiercely as any. This was an act that demanded visibility, demanding a narrative of valor where history often tried to deny it.

Legacy Written in Blood and Spirit

William H. Carney’s story is carved into the dusty graves of Fort Wagner and etched in the chronicles of the American soldier. His legacy is whispered in the wind veteran to veteran, a testament that honor is earned in the mud, amid screams, against all odds.

He reminds us that heroism is not the absence of fear but the triumph over it. That sacrifice is not just about dying, but about living true to the principle that some things—like a flag, a nation, or justice—are worth every cut, every scar.

To the combat veteran walking out of war’s shadow, Carney’s life is a fold in the fabric—a torch passed silently: Hold fast, carry the burden, and never let the flag fall.

“He hath made me to ride on the high places of the earth: and I will feed him with the heritage of Jacob his father.” (Psalm 18:19) The heritage is hard-won. The fight continues.

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, “William H. Carney: Medal of Honor Recipient” 2. Congressional Medal of Honor Society, “Citation for William H. Carney” 3. James M. McPherson, The Negro’s Civil War: How American Blacks Felt and Acted During the War for the Union (Vintage Books, 1997)