She declined to work as a nurse and instead accepted an unpaid volunteer position at military hospitals on the front line.
She was an abolitionist and medical doctor who tried to join the Union Army as a surgeon, but was unable to because she was a woman. Mary Edwards Walker is the first and only female recipient of the Medal of Honor in US history. "Boys, I only did my duty the old flag never touched the ground!" he said after the battle.Ĭarney was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1900.ĭr. Throughout the battle Carney never lost possession of the flag, despite suffering multiple injuries. As the soldiers stormed the fort's walls, the Union flag bearer was killed. Carney grabbed the flag and held it for the duration of the battle.Ĭarney, along with the rest of the 54th, was forced to retreat. The 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, led by Robert Gould Shaw, was tasked with taking Fort Wagner, a beachhead fortification that guarded the southern approach to Charleston Harbor.Ī previous attack on the fort failed, and the 54th was chosen for the next attempt. When the Union Army began accepting volunteers, he joined the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, the first African-American unit in organized by the northern states, though it was led by white officers. He was born a slave in Virginia, but eventually made his way to freedom in Massachusetts. William Harvey Carney was the first African-American awarded the Medal of Honor. Carney, Civil War Medal of Honor recipient
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