The Storming of Fort Wagner

Fort Wagner (also called Battery Wagner) was a fortification on Morris Island, South Carolina, that covered the southern approach to Charleston harbor. It was the site of two American Civil War battles in the campaign known as Operations Against the Defenses of Charleston in 1863. The Storming of Ft. ... The Storming of Ft. ... This article presents an overview of major military and naval operations in the Lower Seaboard Theater of the American Civil War. ... Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders Robert Anderson P.G.T. Beauregard Strength 85 soldiers 500 soldiers Casualties 1 dead 5 injured 4 injured The Battle of Fort Sumter (April 12 – April 13, 1861), a relatively minor military engagement at Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, South... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... The Battle of Fort Pulaski was fought on April 11, 1862, between Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. ... The Battle of Forts Jackson and St. ... Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders Officer David G. Farragut and Maj. ... The Battle of Secessionville occurred on June 16, 1862 in the American Civil War. ... Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America Commanders Lt. ... Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders A.J. Drake J.W. Pearson Strength 1 gunboat Osceola Rangers, company Casualties 0 0 The Battle of Tampa was a minor engagement of the American Civil War fought June 30–July 1, 1862, between the United States Navy and... Combatants Confederate States of America United States of America Commanders John C. Breckinridge Thomas Williams† and Thomas W. Cahill Strength 2600 2500 Casualties 478 dead 371 dead The Battle of Baton Rouge (or Magnolia Cemetery) was a ground and naval battle in the American Civil War fought in East Baton... Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America Commanders John M. Brannan Charles F. Hopkins Strength 2 infantry regiments, 1 artillery battery, and 1 cavalry company (1,500) 1 artillery battery, and 1 cavalry company Casualties Unknown Unknown The Battle of Saint Johns Bluff (also called St. ... Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders Capt. ... Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders Nathaniel P. Banks Richard Taylor Strength Department of the Gulf, XIX Corps Army of Western Louisiana Casualties 234 (estimated) 450 (estimated) The Battle of Fort Bisland was fought between Union Major General Nathaniel P. Banks against Confederate Major General Richard... Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders Nathaniel Prentice Banks Richard Taylor Strength Army of the Gulf, XIX Corps Army of Western Louisiana Casualties 350 (estimated) unknown The Battle of Irish Bend, also known as Niersons Wood or Franklin, was fought between Union Major General Nathaniel... Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders Nathaniel Prentice Banks Richard Taylor Strength Department of the Gulf, XIX Corps Army of Western Louisiana Casualties unknown unknown The Battle of Vermillion Bayou was fought on April 17, 1863, the third battle in a series of running battles between... The Storming of Fort Wagner Fort Wagner (also called Battery Wagner) was a fortification on Morris Island, South Carolina, that covered the southern approach to Charleston harbor. ... The Storming of Fort Wagner Fort Wagner (also called Battery Wagner) was a fortification on Morris Island, South Carolina, that covered the southern approach to Charleston harbor. ... The Second Battle of Fort Sumter was fought from August 17 to September 9 of 1863 between Union and Confederate forces. ... Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders Christopher C. Augur Frank W. Powers William R. Miles Strength 1st Division, XIX Army Corps, Army of the Gulf  ? Casualties 150 100 The Battle of Plains Store or the Battle of Springfield Road was fought May 21, 1863 in East... Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders Nathaniel P. Banks Franklin Gardner Strength XIX Army Corps, Army of the Gulf Confederate forces, 3rd District, Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana, Port Hudson Casualties 5,000 7,208 The Siege of Port Hudson occurred in the summer of... Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America Commanders A.A. Semmes John Westcott Strength USS Tahoma, USS Adela 2nd Florida Infantry, Company A Casualties 16 Unknown The Battle of Fort Brooke was a minor engagement fought October 12 through October 18, 1863, near Tampa, Florida, during the... Gainesville, site of a crucial railroad junction and depot in north central Florida, was the scene of small-scale fighting during the Civil War. ... The Battle of Olustee was a battle in the American Civil War which took place near Lake City, Florida on February 20, 1864. ... The Battle of Natural Bridge was a battle during the American Civil War, fought near Tallahassee, Florida on March 6, 1865. ... Table of Fortification, from the 1728 Cyclopaedia. ... Morris Island in South Carolina, USA, is an 840 acre uninhabited island in Charleston Harbor, accessible only by boat. ... Official language(s) English Capital Charleston(1670-1789) Columbia(1790-present) Largest city Columbia Largest metro area Columbia Area  Ranked 40th  - Total 34,726 sq mi (82,965 km²)  - Width 200 miles (320 km)  - Length 260 miles (420 km)  - % water 6  - Latitude 32°430N to 35°12N... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... This article is becoming very long. ... Year 1863 (MDCCCLXIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

The first engagement, the Battle of Fort Wagner or the First Assault on Morris Island, occurred on July 11, 1863. Only 12 Confederate soldiers were killed, as opposed to the Union's 330 losses. The second engagement is better known. The Battle of Fort Wagner, Morris Island, was the Union attack on July 18, 1863, led by the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, the first major American military unit made up of black soldiers. Colonel Robert Gould Shaw led the 54th Regiment on foot while they charged and was killed in the assault. The Storming of Fort Wagner Fort Wagner (also called Battery Wagner) was a fortification on Morris Island, South Carolina, that covered the southern approach to Charleston harbor. ... July 11 is the 192nd day (193rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 173 days remaining. ... Year 1863 (MDCCCLXIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... The Storming of Fort Wagner Fort Wagner (also called Battery Wagner) was a fortification on Morris Island, South Carolina, that covered the southern approach to Charleston harbor. ... In this map:  Union states prohibiting slavery  Union territories  Border states on the Union side which allowed slavery  Kansas, which entered and fought with the Union as a free state after the Bleeding Kansas crisis  The Confederacy  Confederate claimed and sometimes held territories During the American Civil War, the Union... July 18 is the 199th day (200th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 166 days remaining. ... Year 1863 (MDCCCLXIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... The Storming of Fort Wagner, the most famous battle fought by the 54th Massachusetts The 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry was one of the first official black units in the United States armed forces[1], an infantry regiment that fought in the American Civil War. ... Robert Gould Shaw Robert Gould Shaw (October 10, 1837 – July 18, 1863) was the colonel in command of the all-black 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, which entered the American Civil War in 1863. ...

Named for deceased Lt. Col. Thomas M. Wagner, Fort Wagner measured 250 by 100 yards, and spanned an area between the Atlantic on the east and an impassable swamp on the west. Its walls, composed of sand and earth, rose 30 feet above the level beach and were supported by palmetto logs and sandbags. The fort's arsenal included fourteen cannons, the largest a 10-inch Columbiad that fired a 128-pound shell. A large structure capable of sheltering nearly 1,000 of the fort's 1,700-man garrison provided substantial protection against naval shelling. The fort's land face was protected by a water-filled ditch, 10 feet wide and 5 feet deep, surrounded by buried land mines and razor-sharp palmetto stakes.[1] Ten-inch Confederate Columbiad at Fort Donelson National Battlefield The Columbiad was a large caliber, smoothbore, muzzle loading cannon able to fire heavy projectiles at both high and low trajectories. ...

The approach to the fort was constricted to a strip of beach 60 yards (55 m) wide. After a bombardment from both land and sea, the Union infantry moved in. The assault force was headed by the 54th Massachusetts and included five other brigades, around 5,000 men in total. Unfortunately for the assault force, the prior bombardment failed to seriously damage the fighting power of the fort. Consequently, the Union infantry suffered considerable casualties in the rush towards the fort.

As the Union troops reached the parapets, the fighting proved intense. Three brigades managed to occupy a portion of the walls, but they were forced to withdraw after an hour of fierce hand-to-hand combat where almost every officer was killed. The Union forces suffered around 1,600 casualties and the Confederate garrison under 200.

Although a tactical defeat, the battle proved to be a political victory for the Union since the valor of the 54th against hopeless odds proved the worth of black soldiers. It spurred additional recruitment that gave the Union Army a further numerical advantage in troops over the South. The 21st Michigan Infantry, a company of Shermans veterans. ...

The Union besieged the fort after the unsuccessful assault. After enduring almost 60 days of heavy shelling, the Confederates abandoned it on September 7, 1863. Due to erosion, much of the battle site is presently underwater. September 7 is the 250th day of the year (251st in leap years). ... Year 1863 (MDCCCLXIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

The July 18 assault on the fort is dramatized in the Academy Award winning film, Glory, although it does not credit that the confederates abandoned their fort July 18 is the 199th day (200th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 166 days remaining. ... Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremony in the world. ... Film is a term that encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. ... Glory is a 1989 drama based on the history of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment during the American Civil War. ...

External links

• Assault on Fort Wagner