Military Series – William H. Carney
William Harvey Carney was an American soldier during the American Civil War. Born enslaved, he was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1900 for his gallantry in saving the regimental colors during the Battle of Fort Wagner in 1863. The action for which he received the Medal of Honor preceded that of any other African American Medal of Honor recipient; however, his medal was actually one of the last to be awarded for Civil War service.
William Harvey Carney United States Army Medal of Honor recipient (1840–1908)
Carney was promoted to sergeant and awarded the Medal of Honor for his gallantry in battle. He was the first black service member to be awarded the medal.
William H. Carney was born into slavery in southern Virginia in 1840. When Carney was young, his father escaped slavery via the Underground Railroad. His father then proceeded to earn enough money to buy the freedom of his entire family, all of whom were later reunited, free, in Massachusetts.
At age 23, Carney joined a local Massachusetts militia, which would later become Company C of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. This regiment was unique in that, with the exception of a few higher-ranking officers, it was an all-Black unit, intentionally created by the U.S. Army with the goal of proving that Black men had the ability to be equally formidable in combat.
When the color guard of his regiment was killed in the Battle of Fort Wagner in Charleston, South Carolina, during the American Civil War, Carney retrieved the U.S. flag and marched forward with it, sometimes wading through high water, despite being shot several times.
He continued to push through the battlefield, eventually returning to his regiment’s lines, where he announced, “Boys, I only did my duty; the old flag never touched the ground!”
Carney was promoted to sergeant and awarded the Medal of Honor for his gallantry in battle. He was the first black service member to be awarded the medal.
