这部电影戏剧性地讲述了内战期间马萨诸塞州第五十四团的故事 荣耀 and in numerous works of history, poetry, and art, including 纪念碑 to the regiment which faces the Massachusetts State House. 非裔美国人在家庭和战场上战胜种族主义的个人和集体勇敢的故事不胜枚举, 但 few more compelling than the story of Sergeant 威廉H. 卡尼 of New Bedford, Mass., a member of Company C.

The Battle Ensues

As evening fell on 18 7月18日63, 马萨诸塞第五十四团准备带头进攻在瓦格纳堡的邦联军队, S.C. Despite battling hunger, 睡眠不足, and the sultry and changeable weather, 据该团的队长路易斯? F. 埃米利奥. Advancing across three-quarters of a mile of sand, 第54团一开始没有遇到什么火力，但当他们放慢速度通过一个狭窄的地方时, 瓦格纳堡, in 埃米利奥's words, "became a mound of fire, vomiting shot and 她ll ... the air was full of deafening explosions ... 那土丘似乎随着内部的起伏而相当地摇晃和颤抖." Still the regiment advanced, hurtling toward the enemy while all around them, comrades and officers fell. An article publi她d in the 解放者 1863年8月28日讲述了恐怖的场景和威廉·卡尼在炮火下的行动:

When about 100 yards from the fort, 起义军的火枪开火，造成了如此可怕的后果，以至于第一营的士兵犹豫了片刻——但只是一瞬间, 对坳. 肖跳到前面，挥舞着他的剑，喊道:“前进，我勇敢的孩子们!他们又欢呼一声，冲过了沟渠, gained the parapet on the right, and were soon engaged in a hand-to-hand conflict with the enemy. Col. Shaw was one of the first to scale the walls. He stood erect to urge forward his men, and while shouting for them to press on, 他被枪杀了, and fell into the fort. 他的尸体被发现时，他身边躺着二十具尸体，还有两具躺在他身上 ...

但最重要的是，旗手应该得到的不仅仅是一个路过的通知. Sergeant John Wall of Co. G. carried the flag in the first battalion, and when near the fort, he fell into a deep ditch, and called upon his guard to help him out. They could not stop for that, 但 Sergt. 威廉H. 卡尼公司. C. caught the colors, carried them forward, 他是第一个在瓦格纳堡插上星条旗的人. As he saw the men falling back, himself severely wounded in the breast, he brought the colors off, creeping on his knees, 一只手按着伤口，另一只手举着自由的象征. 就在他被人看见手里还拿着国旗爬进医院的那一刻, his wounded companions, both black and white, rose from the straw upon which they were lying, and cheered him until exhausted they could shout no longer. In response to this reception, the brave and wounded standard-bearer said: "Boys, I 但 did my duty; the dear old flag never touched the ground."

威廉H. 卡尼 in His Own Words

战斗结束后, 卡尼在1863年11月6日发表的一封信中讲述了他的人生故事 解放者:

I was born in Norfolk, Va., in 1840; my father's name was William 卡尼; my mother's name before her marriage was Ann Dean; 她 was the property of one Major 卡尼, 但, 在他死后, 她, with all his people, was by his will made 免费的. In my fourteenth year, when I had no work to do, 我在诺福克的一所牧师开办的秘密私立学校上学. In my fifteenth year I embraced the gospel; at that time I was also engaged in the coasting trade with my father.

In 1856, I left the sea for a time, 我父亲开始寻找一个和平自由的地方. He first stopped in the land of William Penn ... 但 he rested not there; the black man was 不安全 on the soil where the Declaration of Independence was written. 他走得很远. 然后他访问了帝国之州——伟大的纽约——这里的主要野心似乎是商业和黄金 ... 她 only had time to spurn the man with a sable skin, and make him feel that he was an alien in his native land.

最后，他疲倦的双脚踏上了“老马萨诸塞州”贫瘠的岩石." The very air he breathed put enthusiasm into his spirit. O, yes, he found a refuge from oppression in the old Bay State. 他选择了新贝德福德市作为自己的居住地，那里的“自由大厅”是一座神圣的建筑. 就像古代保护处女免受伤害的黛安娜神庙一样, 所以新贝德福德的自由大厅保护着19世纪受压迫的奴隶. 停了一会儿之后，他派人去找他的家人，他们仍然住在那里. I remained in the city with the family, pursuing the avocation of a jobber of work for stores, and at such places as I could find employment. 我很快就和一个由牧师管理的教会建立了利记手机官网. Mr. Jackson, now chaplain of the 55th Mass. 志愿者.

Previous to the formation of colored troops, I had a strong inclination to prepare myself for the ministry; 但 when the country called for all persons, 为我的国家和被压迫的兄弟服务是我侍奉上帝的最好方式. The sequel is short—I enlisted for the war.

Honored for His Heroism

卡尼的行动为他赢得了上级军官的注意和赞扬. In the featured photograph, 卡尼 is wearing the Quincy A. 吉尔摩勋章，1863年10月28日由联邦少将昆西. Gillmore to troops serving under his command in South Carolina. It features an 图像 of Fort Sumter and the date Aug. 正面(正面)为1863年9月23日，题词为“因Q. A. Gillmore Maj. Genl.在背后.

卡尼还因在瓦格纳堡战役中的英勇表现而被授予荣誉勋章. The accompanying citation noted, "When the color sergeant was shot down, this soldier grasped the flag, led the way to the parapet, and planted the colors thereon. When the troops fell back he brought off the flag, under a fierce fire in which he was twice severely wounded.卡尼是第一位获得这一最高军事荣誉的非洲裔美国人. 

What Happened to 卡尼 After the War?

尽管卡尼在瓦格纳堡战役后继续在第五十四团服役, 1864年6月底，他终于因残疾出院，回到了新贝德福德. 1865年10月，他在新贝德福德与苏珊娜·威廉姆斯结婚，并生了一个女儿克拉拉. 多年来, he was a letter carrier, and later he worked in the Secretary of State's office in Boston. 不幸的是，1908年11月23日，卡尼在州议会大厦的一次电梯事故中被压断了腿. According to newspaper accounts, the hospitalized 卡尼 "minimized his wound and his suffering, and his own courage seemed likely to insure his recovery," 但 he succumbed to his injury on 9 December. According to an account in the 波士顿环球报, "a continuous file of visitors," including national and state officials, 在波士顿沃尔登班克斯的殡仪馆瞻仰卡尼的遗体. 第二天，卡尼的遗体被火车运到新贝德福德参加葬礼. 他被埋葬在 Oak Grove Cemetery in New Bedford.