jul 18, 1863 - CIVIL WAR #9: Battle Of Fort Wagner

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The battle of Fort Wagner, also known as the second assault on Morris Island, was an unsuccessful Union attempt to capture fort Wagner which was held by Confederates on Morris Island, South Carolina. Despite the Union’s defeat, this battle was especially noteworthy for the courageous performance of a regiment of black federal troops, the 54th Massachusetts Infantry, that transformed the image of African American soldiers, and this helped to swing Northern opinion in favor of freeing slaves. The assault began at 7:45 PM, with a total of ten regiments engaged. The black regiment had taken more than 50 percent casualties, with Colonel Shaw among those killed. It was a Confederate victory, which meant a Union defeat, with one-thousand-five-hundred-fifteen dead, wounded, or captured of the five-thousand Union soldiers.

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