Biography
Carney was born simply as "William," a slave in Norfolk, Virginia on February 29, 1840. He ended up escaping through the Underground Railroad, and found his father living in Massachusetts. The two later bought the rest of their family out of slavery. Once William was free, he enlisted with the Massachusetts Regiment and met a white man named William Carney, who gave him his last name so he could enlist.
Carney served with the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry as a Sergeant. He took part in the July 18, 1863, assault on Fort Wagner in Charleston, South Carolina. He received the Medal Of Honor for saving the American flag and planting it on the parapat despite being wounded several times. Recognizing the troops had to retreat under fire, Carney struggled back across the battlefield, being wounded twice more. He eventually made his way back to the Union lines, and turned over the colors to another survivor of the 54th, modestly saying "Boys, I only did my duty; the old flag never touched the ground!"
Read more about this topic: William Harvey Carney
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