When did the Second Battle of Fort Wagner take place?
The Second Battle of Fort Wagner took place on the 18th of July 1863. Union siege guns began firing at dawn while Colonel Robert Gould Shaw led his regiment toward the fort at 7:45 p.m.
The Second Battle of Fort Wagner took place on the 18th of July 1863. Union siege guns began firing at dawn while Colonel Robert Gould Shaw led his regiment toward the fort at 7:45 p.m.
Defenders included the Charleston Battalion and the 31st North Carolina and 51st North Carolina regiments. Artillery pieces consisted of one 10-inch seacoast mortar and two 32-pound carronades positioned inside the fort.
Colonel Robert Gould Shaw fell upon the parapet early in the action with some reports claiming his body was pierced seven times by rifle bullets. Thirty members including Colonel Shaw died in action and were buried together in a single grave.
Only 315 men remained from the 54th Massachusetts after the fighting ended. About 1,515 Union soldiers were killed captured or wounded though exact numbers remain uncertain.
President Abraham Lincoln issued General Order 252 stopping all prisoner exchanges following the battle. This policy change allowed the Union to utilize manpower resources that the Confederacy could not match for the remainder of the war.
The Confederates abandoned Fort Wagner on the 7th of September 1863 after resisting 60 days of shelling due to damage lack of provisions and proximity of Union siege trenches.