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Historical records matching Sgt. William Harvey Carney, Medal of Honor
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About Sgt. William Harvey Carney, Medal of Honor
William Harvey Carney (February 29, 1840 – December 8, 1908), an escaped slave, was an African American soldier during the American Civil War who received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of Fort Wagner.
His actions at Fort Wagner preceded those of any other black recipient but he was not presented with the honor until nearly 37 years later. He was the 21st African-American to be awarded the Medal, the first recipient having been Robert Blake, in 1864.
After the war he worked at the post office and was a guest speaker at public events until his death in 1908.
Biography
Carney was born a slave in Norfolk, Virginia February 29, 1840, but escaped to Massachusetts like his father through the Underground Railroad. They later bought the rest of the family out of slavery. Once William escaped from slavery and joined the Massachusetts Regiment, he met a white man also named William Carney. The white William Carney was from New Jersey and served for the Cumberland Greys in the Civil War. Both the white and black Williams met, and the white William gave the black William his last name so he could serve in the 54th.
Carney served with the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry as a Sergeant and took part in the July 18, 1863, assault on Fort Wagner in Charleston, South Carolina. He received his medal for saving the American flag and planting it on the parapet and although wounded, holding it while the troops charged. But recognizing the Federal troops had to retreat under fire, Carney struggled back across the battlefield, and although wounded twice more, returned the flag to the Union lines. Before turning over the colors to another survivor of the 54th, Carney modestly said, "Boys, I only did my duty; the old flag never touched the ground!"
Many Civil War medals were awarded for protecting and displaying the flag under fire, or for capturing enemy flags. Carney was awarded the Medal of Honor May 23, 1900, nearly 40 years later. More than half such awards from the Civil War were presented 20 or more years after the fact. In later life, Carney was a postal employee and popular speaker at patriotic events. He died in Boston, Massachusetts, and is buried in the family plot at Oak Grove Cemetery in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Engraved on his stone monument is a gold image of the Medal of Honor.
Honors and awards
Medal of Honor citation
Rank and Organization:
Sergeant, Company C, 54th Massachusetts Colored Infantry. Place and date: At Fort Wagner, S.C., July 18, 1863. Entered service at: New Bedford, Mass. Birth: Norfolk, Va. Date of issue: May 23, 1900.
Citation:
When the color sergeant was shot down, this soldier grasped the flag, led the way to the parapet, and planted the colors thereon. When the troops fell back he brought off the flag, under a fierce fire in which he was twice severely wounded.
Other honors
The attack on Fort Wagner is depicted in the film Glory. Carney's face is shown on the monument to Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th on the Boston Common designed by Augustus Saint Gaudens.
The Sgt. Carney Salute—folding of a flag on a staff in a manner to allow immediate unfurling—was developed by California Scoutmaster J.S. Fox at the 1997 Boy Scout National Scout Jamboree after studying the creases and folds of Civil War Regimental Flags.
A New Bedford, Massachusetts elementary school was named in his honor.
Sgt William H. Carney was awarded the Congressional Medal Of Honor for bravery for his actions on 18 July 1863, when he was wounded twice during the charge on Fort Wagner, SC. He is the first Black soldier to receive that award. Sgt Wagner was a member of the 54th Massachusetts Colored Infantry.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Harvey_Carney
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=carney&GSfn=w...
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Sgt. William Harvey Carney, Medal of Honor's Timeline
| 1840 |
February 29, 1840
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Norfolk, Virginia, United States
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| 1876 |
1876
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| 1908 |
December 8, 1908
Age 68
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Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States
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| ???? |
Oak Grove Cemetery, New Bedford, Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States
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