(MILITARY CIVIL WAR) 54TH MASSACHUSETTS VOLUNTEERS Storming

Sale 2271 - Lot 375A

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Estimate: $ 3,000 - $ 4,000

(MILITARY--CIVIL WAR.) 54TH MASSACHUSETTS VOLUNTEERS. Storming Fort Wagner. Chromolithograph, 18-3/4x25-3/4 inches, matted and framed, a couple of short. Closed tears, signs of early folding, neither affecting the image, paper very slightly and evenly toned. Chicago: Kurtz & Allison, 1890

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The "Storming of Fort Wagner," more properly called "Battery Wagner" was the first battle involving colored troops, after their official entry into service in 1863. Battery Wagner was a beachhead fortification on Morris Island, South Carolina, covering the southern approach to Charleston harbor. It was the site of two major Civil War battles in the campaign known as Operations Against the Defenses of Charleston in 1863, and is considered one of the toughest beachhead defenses constructed by the Confederate States Army. The battle took place on July 11, 1863. Only 12 Confederate soldiers were killed; the 54th lost 339 men, including Robert Gould Shaw who led them. Their bravery and that of their commanding officer has been chronicled in books and more recently in the film "Glory."