Dates:
July 18-September 7, 1863
Other Names:
Second Assault, Morris Island
Location:
Fort Wagner/Morris Island, South Carolina
Key Individuals Involved in the Battle of Fort Wagner/Morris Island:
Union: Major General Quincy Gillmore
Confederate: General P.G.T. Beauregard
Confederate: General P.G.T. Beauregard
Outcome:
Confederate Victory. 1689 casualties of which 1515 were Union soldiers.
Overview of the Battle :
After the July 11 assault on Fort Wagner failed, Gillmore reinforced his beachhead on Morris Island. At dusk July 18, Gillmore launched an attack spearheaded by the 54th Massachusetts Infantry, a black regiment. The unit’s colonel, Robert Gould Shaw, was killed. Members of the brigade scaled the parapet but after brutal hand-to-hand combat were driven out with heavy casualties. The Federals resorted to siege operations to reduce the fort. This was the fourth time in the war that black troops played a crucial combat role, proving to skeptics that they would fight bravely if only given the chance.
Source: CWSAC Battle Summaries
Source: CWSAC Battle Summaries
