The Black soldiers of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry lead a courageous, costly assault on Fort Wagner in South Carolina.
At a Glance
- Date
- 18 July 1863
- Location
- Charleston, South Carolina
- Key people
- Robert Gould Shaw, Lewis Douglass, William Carney
- Category
- Military
- Source
- Union Army records (1863) · National Park Service
What It Meant Then
Their valor helped prove the case for Black enlistment in the Union Army.
What It Means Now
The 54th's story is memorialized in monuments and film as a landmark of Black military service.
Cite this page
- MLA
- “The 54th Massachusetts Assaults Fort Wagner.” Black-History.com, 30 Sept. 2026, https://black-history.com/on-this-day/the-54th-massachusetts-assaults-fort-wagner/.
- APA
- Black-History.com Editors. (2026, September 30). The 54th Massachusetts Assaults Fort Wagner. Black-History.com. https://black-history.com/on-this-day/the-54th-massachusetts-assaults-fort-wagner/
- Chicago
- Black-History.com Editors. “The 54th Massachusetts Assaults Fort Wagner.” Black-History.com. September 30, 2026. https://black-history.com/on-this-day/the-54th-massachusetts-assaults-fort-wagner/.
Editorial Note
By the Black-History.com editors. Last reviewed 30 September 2026. To suggest a primary source or a correction, write to editors@black-history.com or use our corrections form.