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The
Attack on Fort Wagner - The Stormers Advancing Under Fire |
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THE ATTACK ON FORT
WAGNER |
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We publish on page 509 an illustration of the
unsuccessful attempt of General Gilmore's army to storm Fort Wagner, on Morris Island, on 18th
ult. The bombardment of the fort by the iron-clads and our land-batteries on Morris Island commenced at
noon that day, and lasted till the evening. |
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Note: |
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The 54th Massachusetts Colored
Infantry was the nation’s most famous all-black
regiment. Its (white) commander was Colonel Robert
Gould Shaw, the brother-in-law of Harper’s
Weekly editor George William Curtis. In July
1863 the Massachusetts 54th spearheaded
an assault on Fort Wagner, a Confederate
stronghold outside Charleston, South Carolina.
Their high casualty rate in the battle, included
Colonel Shaw. The story of the Massachusetts 54th
and their heroic though ill-fated attack on Fort
Wagner is retold in the 1989 film
"Glory." A monument in Boston Commons
honors their service and memory. |
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