ipl-logo

Second Battle Of Fort Wagner Essay

1060 Words5 Pages

The 2nd Battle of Fort Wagner took place on July 18, 1863, and served as a cornerstone of Union offensive actions against the Confederate forces positioned in and around Charleston, South Carolina. The location of Fort Wagner would help secure Charles Bay and be a staging point for future actions against the area of Charleston. The battle also brought forward the capable abilities of colored soldiers in the face of adversity. Location and Engineering of Fort Wagner played a crucial part to the success of the defense of the fort by confederate forces. In the end, effects of war lead to the abandonment of the fort by units positioned there. A Defense Minded Position Fort Wagner was located on the northern end of Morris Island to the southeast …show more content…

The purpose of this was to loosen the defensive positions of an opposing position or an objective to lessen opposition towards ground forces and mitigate the risk to loss of life. Although the ammunition and delivery methods have changed throughout the evolution of war, the premise of this strategy has not changed. BG Strong and COL Haldimand positioned forces approximately 200 yards away from the objective in preparation for the inevitable assault. Union naval and artillery forces bombarded Fort Wagner for eleven hours to weaken the forces inside. The 54th Massachusetts Infantry(Colored), commanded by COL Robert G. Shaw, was chosen to lead the attack on Fort Wagner. While not the first major engagement by a colored regiment, the decision to push the 54th as the lead advance unit was a first time this happened since the formation of all-colored units. The heart and effort showed by the 54th proved inspirational to friendly units and positively affected the efforts of Union forces. The Union forces suffered substantial casualties during the initial charge on the fort, but did not let that deter them and they eventually scaling the slopes and breaching the fort walls. As forces continued to move into the fort, and many hand-to-hand battles ensued, the numbers pointed towards a sure victory for the Union forces. BG Taliaferro organized a counter fire of several artillery pieces and issued orders for them to lay siege to the flanks of the advancing attack forces, a decision that would delay and ultimately force the withdrawal of the attacking elements. The confederate elements received reinforcements from BG Johnson Hagood who proceeded to fight back and capture Union forces who remained inside the fort as all other forces retreated away from the fort. At the end of the day, around 1,500 Union

Show More
Related

What Is Fort Fisher's Failure

238 Words | 1 Pages

During the Civil War, Wilmington, NC became the last major seaport open to Confederate blockade-runners, which required a strong fort for protection against the Union attacks. Fort Fisher was largely constructed of earth and sand, it was better than brick and stone fortifications, which provided great protection to the Confederate soldiers. The fort’s artillery consisted of 47 mounted guns with 22 facing in the seaward batteries and 25 facing the land approaches. On December 1864, Lieutenant General (LT GEN) Ulysses S. Grant dispatched a force to capture Fort Fisher, which resulted in a complete failure. As result of this failure, LT GEN Grant appointed Major General (MAJ GEN)

Read More

Historical Inaccuracies In The Movie Glory

763 Words | 4 Pages

Regardless of this, the unit showed extraordinary courage and dedication (“The 54th”). Their attack on Fort Wagner caused great damage on the fort, leading the confederates to leave it soon afterwards (“The 54th”). Glory tells this story almost flawlessly but there are some minor historical inaccuracies throughout the movie: Robert Gould Shaw in the film is shown to accept the job of commanding the

Read More

First And Second Battle Of Fort Fisher Essay

746 Words | 3 Pages

The small landing party then suffered heavy casualties before reporting that the fort had hardy been disrupted by the naval attack. The continual failure must have been extremely demoralizing for the union forces. In contrast the second expedition nearly double in size arrived and carried out a well coordinated attack that left the guns of Fort Fisher in ruins. The destruction delivered by the naval assault paved the way for the ground forces to take the fort. This time they were better prepared having the benefit of learning from the first failure.

Read More

Battle Of Hobkirk's Hill Essay

842 Words | 4 Pages

After taking the town, Arnold’s men set fire to warehouses along the shore that soon burned through the rest of the town. Across the river, Arnold 's other column, led by Lieutenant Colonel Edmund Eyre moved north along the east bank with orders to take the high ground overlooking the harbor. The British demanded th Americans to surrender, but Ledyard refused to leave Fort Griswold. Eyre was ready to attack. Arnold, fearing another Bunker Hill sent a runner to tell Eyre to stop the attack, but he was too late.

Read More

Brief Summary Of The Movie Glory

2027 Words | 9 Pages

Glory The movie “Glory” tells the story of the transformation of an oppressed people to proud people. The movie glory tells the history of the 54th Massachusetts infantry. It became the first black regiment to fight in the north in the civil war. Black soldiers, northern freeman, and some escaped slaves made up the Regiment. The leader was General Robert Gould Shaw, the son of Boston abolitionists.

Read More

What Is The Battle Fort Wagner Of 1863

1189 Words | 5 Pages

The shelling destroyed Fort Sumter though it had massive masonry walls. Gillmore ordered for shelling of Charleston after the Confederates’ commander ignored the demand for evacuation from the city. The shelling did not manage to scare the Confederates away from the

Read More

Battle Of Vicksburg Essay

411 Words | 2 Pages

Even though the Confederate army was outnumbered, they were smart and great at defending Vicksburg. In April 1863, Grant made a smart move when he made a surprise landing at Bruinsburg with the Union troops. Then they moved quickly up and pushed back Joseph E. Johnson and his troops who were near Jackson. When Grant was done there, he set his eyes right back at Vicksburg.

Read More

Battle Of Shiloh Essay

768 Words | 4 Pages

To the surprise of General Beauregard, Union troops came back with an overpowering counter attack. Confederate troops were pummeled by Union forces from dusk until dawn. exhausted, outnumbered, and broken in spirit, the Confederates were losing hope. From this point, the Union had proved itself to be victor although the battle had not yet ended.

Read More

Fort Pillow Thesis

453 Words | 2 Pages

The black soldiers belonged to the 6th U.S. Regiment Colored Heavy Artillery and a section of the 2nd Colored Light Artillery, under the overall command of Major Lionel F. Booth, who had been in the fort for only two weeks. Booth had been ordered to move his regiment from Memphis to Fort Pillow on March 28 to augment the cavalry, who had occupied the fort several weeks earlier. Many of the regiment were former slaves who understood the personal cost of a loss to the Confederates, at best an immediate return to slavery rather than being treated as a prisoner of

Read More

Advantages And Disadvantages Of The Battle Of Antietam

1181 Words | 5 Pages

What led to this battle, was General Robert. E. Lee, was leading his army to Pennsylvania, to try to gain a food advantage over the North. Unbeknownst to both sides, this would be the first battle in the North. Lee had hoped that with a northern victory, external countries would view the south as an organized country, and not a group of “rag tag bandits”, as some northerner’s called the south. He also hoped that a northern victory would finally make the Union allow the South to become its own country.

Read More

Battle Of Fort Pillow Essay

845 Words | 4 Pages

The Battle of Fort Pillow Throughout the course of the Civil War there have been many horrific battles but none as controversial as The Battle of Fort Pillow. Due to the Confederates opinions, the men who fought for the Union, and the color of their skin left many wondering whether Ft. Pillow was really a battle or a massacre. On April 12th, 1864, 3,000 rebels under Nathan Bedford Forrest’s a Confederate leader and Lieutenant General Forrest and his troops attacked Fort Pillow where Lionel Booth a Union Major and 600 union soldiers were stationed.

Read More

Second Battle Of Bull Run Essay

989 Words | 4 Pages

The Civil War is considered to be the bloodiest episodes of warfare in American History. During this war, there were numerous well known battles. One of the most famous battles was called the Second Battle of Bull Run. The Second Battle of Bull Run was fought over August 28-30, 1862. Although this battle lasted only 3 days, there were approximately 22,000 casualties during this span.

Read More

Battle Of Saratoga Essay

441 Words | 2 Pages

The Battle of Saratoga in September and October of 1777 is the turning point of the Revolutionary War because the French joined with allies, British troops surrendered their arms, and the Patriots had crucial victories. It was a victory for the Patriots in the American Revolution and is the most decisive battles in history. The Battle began as a plan by the British to control New York and isolate New England from the Southern colonies and put an end to the Revolution. Which ended as an opportunity for the Patriots.

Read More

New Boston Fair

1718 Words | 7 Pages

The cannons flanking the battlefield were impressive replicas of the mobile, light, 6-pound, British Field Cannon. They rested on wooden and iron gun carriages, and were fired periodically throughout the day, causing a mixture of momentary panic and excitement among the general public. Furthermore, the military encampment site revealed a wealth of information regarding the supplies and personal effects of the soldiers who participated in late eighteenth century military campaigns. For example, one of the individual soldier tents contained a sewing kit, pewter tankard, stockings, haversack, letters, coarse blanket, and sleeping pallet. Additionally, the military encampment site included several “camp follower” tents for women who were hired by the army as laundresses and seamstresses, and an informative display table of various naval and army weapons, grapeshot, Scottish style shoe buckles, tools, and sewing

Read More

Battle Of Gettysburg Essay

699 Words | 3 Pages

The most important battle during the Civil War was the Battle of Gettysburg. This was a battle that took place over three days in the small Pennsylvania town of Gettysburg on July 1, 1863. This battle was the turning point of the civil war which successfully stopped the Southern Confederate Armies led by General Robert E. Lee from taking over the north. The Battle of Gettysburg was the most important battle of the Civil War because it was the largest of the civil war battles, successfully pushing back southern armies away from the north, and was the major defeat of the south. The battle of Gettysburg is still considered to historians to not only be the most important battle of the Civil war but the deciding factor towards victory.

Read More

More about Second Battle Of Fort Wagner Essay

Related Topics

Open Document