Second Battle of Fort Wagner (Second Assault on Morris Island) | |||||||
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Part of the American Civil War | |||||||
![]() Assault on Fort Wagner, Charleston Harbour, on the night of July 18 | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
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Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Quincy A. Gillmore Truman Seymour John A. Dahlgren Robert Gould Shaw † George C. Strong † |
P.G.T. Beauregard William B. Taliaferro Johnson Hagood | ||||||
Units involved | |||||||
See Union Order of Battle | See Confederate Order of Battle | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
5,000 troops 6 Ironclads | 1,800 troops | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
1,515 total (246 killed; 880 wounded; 389 missing/captured)[2] |
174 total (36 killed; 133 wounded; 5 missing/captured)[2] |
The Second Battle of Fort Wagner, also known as the Second Assault on Morris Island or the Battle of Fort Wagner, Morris Island, was fought on July 18, 1863, during the American Civil War. Union Army troops commanded by Brig. Gen. Quincy Gillmore launched an unsuccessful assault on the Confederate fortress of Fort Wagner, which protected Morris Island, south of Charleston Harbor. The battle occurred one week after the First Battle of Fort Wagner. Although it was a Confederate victory, the valor of the Black Union soldiers was widely praised. This had long-term strategic benefits by encouraging more African-Americans to enlist, allowing the Union to utilize a manpower resource that the Confederacy could not match for the remainder of the war.