11/11/2022
This i've been educating myself on the legacy of Sgt. William H Carney. For his bravery, Carney was awarded the Medal of Honor on May 23, 1900. Today out of 3,498 recipients of this honor only 87 have been Black.
Carney is a deeply multifaceted individual that cannot be summed up by a caption but I will say this:
Carney was born enslaved and upon his family's journey to freedom moved to Massachusetts. In Massachusetts he was hungry for knowledge and secretly educated himself despite the legal ramifications of literacy for Blacks. 1863, when Carney was 23 years old he was considering a career in ministry before joining the army. He wrote, “I had a strong inclination to prepare, myself for the ministry; but when the country called for all persons, I could best serve my God by serving my country and my oppressed brothers. The sequel is short – I enlisted for the war.”
William H. Carney joined the Morgan Guards in February of 1863 and shortly after Carney joined the group they changed their name to the “Toussaint Guards” after the leader of the Haitian Revolution, Toussaint Louverture. When Massachusetts called for Black soldiers, the Toussaint Guards soon joined with the 54th Massachusetts Regiment- the first official black unit recruited for the Union in the north. Many of the 54th Massachusetts Colored Infantry were wounded the battle of Fort Wagner. Among them were Carney and the Color Bearer. Carney saw the Color Bearer fall from injury and despite his own severe wounds made his way to the flag and delivered it back to his regiment shouting "The Old Flag never touched the ground!" this brave, loyal, and courageous act led to his award.
As a proud African American and Haitian woman I love to see my identities intersect through history, and as a millennial I am inspired by Carney’s courage to be open to a new paths.
Anyhow, did I get everything right? let me know in the comments!
.Carney