East Baton Rouge Parish Library

Hold the flag high, Catherine Clinton ; illustrated by Shane W. Evans

eng

contains biographical information

illustrations

no index present

non fiction

Hold the flag high

52553734

Catherine Clinton ; illustrated by Shane W. Evans

Describes the Civil War battle of Morris Island, South Carolina, during which Sargeant William H. Carney became the first African American to earn a Congressional Medal of Honor by preserving the flag. In July 1863, a significantbattle in the Civil War was fought. Sergeant William H. Carney, an officer of the newly formed Massachusetts Fifty-fourth Regiment - comprised entirely of African Americans - led his soldiers over the ramparts of Fort Wagner, where Union soldiers charged the Confederates. As the soldiers fought, they gained strength from the stars and stripes of the American flag, Old Glory. It was Carney's vow to never let Old Glory touch the ground, and despite several gunshot wounds, he was able to rescue the flag from the fallen bearer. Carney held the flag high as a symbol that his regiment would never submit to the Confederacy. The battle of Fort Wagner decimated the Fifty-fourth Regiment, but Carney's heroism that night inspired all who survived

primary