Fort Wagner (also called Battery Wagner) was a fortification on Morris Island, South Carolina, that covered the southern approach to Charleston harbor. Fortifications are Military Constructions and Buildings designed for defense in Warfare Humans have constructed defensive works for Morris Island is an 840 acre (34 km² uninhabited Island in Charleston Harbor in South Carolina, accessible only by boat South Carolina ( is a state in the southern region ( Deep South) of the United States of America. Charleston is a city in Charleston county in the US state of South Carolina. It was the site of two American Civil War battles in the campaign known as Operations Against the Defenses of Charleston in 1863. Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South
The first engagement, the Battle of Fort Wagner or the First Assault on Morris Island, occurred on July 11, 1863. Events 911 - Signing of the Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte between Charles the Simple and Rollo of Normandy. Year 1863 ( MDCCCLXIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common 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, one of the first major American military units made up of black soldiers. During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty-three Events 390 BC - Roman - Gaulish Wars Battle of the Allia - a Roman army is defeated by raiding Gauls, Year 1863 ( MDCCCLXIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment, an Infantry Regiment that fought in the American Civil War, was one of the first official black Colonel Robert Gould Shaw led the 54th Regiment on foot while they charged and was killed in the assault. Robert Gould Shaw ( October 10, 1837 &ndash July 18, 1863) was the Colonel in command of the all- black 54th Massachusetts
Named for deceased Lt. Col. Thomas M. Wagner, Fort Wagner measured 250 by 100 yards (91 m), 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 (9. 1 m) above the level beach and were supported by palmetto logs and sandbags. The fort's arsenal included fourteen cannons, the largest a 10-inch (250 mm) Columbiad that fired a 128-pound shell. The Columbiad was a large Caliber, Smoothbore, Muzzle loading Cannon able to fire heavy Projectiles at both high and low trajectories 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 (3. 0 m) wide and 5 feet (1. 5 m) deep, surrounded by buried land mines and sharpened palmetto stakes. [1]
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 1,515 casualties and the Confederate garrison about 147.
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 Union Army was the army that fought for the Union during the American Civil War.
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. Events 1251 BC - A Solar eclipse on this date might mark the birth of legendary Heracles at Thebes Greece. Year 1863 ( MDCCCLXIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Due to erosion, much of the battle site is presently underwater.
Popular Culture
- The attack on Fort Wagner is the climax of the movie Glory. Glory is a 1989 drama War film based on the history of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment during the American Civil War
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