54th Regiment Mass. Voluntary Infantry Postcard

On February 10, 1863, after President Lincoln’s order to enlist regiments of black soldiers to fight in the Civil War, a recruiting office was opened near this spot, William St. & Acushnet Ave., New Bedford, MA 02740. The men who volunteered formed Company C of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment. Later recruits were mustered into the 55th Regiment, 5th Cavalry and U.S. Navy. On July 18, 1863, the 54th Regiment took part in the attack on Fort Wagner, South Carolina. Their bravery in that battle did much to silence those who had doubted the military qualities of the black soldier. One of those wounded in that battle was New Bedford’s Sgt. William H. Carney, who later became the nation’s first black Congressional Medal of Honour winner.