Sergeant William Harvey Carney was born in Norfolk City on February 29, 1840 to William and Nancy Ann Carney. (1) His parents were enslaved, though freedom was promised by their owners. Carney grew up a slave. He was secretly taught to read and write by a local minister at the age of 14. Two years later, Carney was working with his father. (2)
William Carney, Sgt. Carney’s father, escaped enslavement after the death of his owner, Mrs. Sarah Ann Twine, in 1857. While traveling north, Carney met William Still in Philadelphia where his life experience was recorded.(3) He continued his travels to New York before settling permanently in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Once there, William Carney worked tirelessly to free his family. His efforts paid off when Sgt. Carney and five other siblings joined their father in New Bedford soon afterward. In 1859, William Carney raised enough money to purchase freedom for his wife Nancy, Sgt. Carney’s mother, from Joseph Carter of Norfolk County, Virginia. (4)
Sgt. Carney worked odd jobs around New Bedford and considered entering the ministry when he heard the call “for all people” to serve their country. Believing he could best serve God by helping to free his oppressed brothers, Carney joined the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Colored Infantry in February 1863. (5)
Assault on Fort Wagner, SC
Carney entered the regiment as a private but was quickly promoted to sergeant on March 30, 1863. (6) The regiment took part in the July 18, 1863 assault on Fort Wagner, South Carolina. He saved his regiment’s American flag during the battle. Seeing the regimental flag bearer had fallen, Carney took up the flag and planted it on the Confederate parapet during the attack. He, already wounded, continued to hold the American flag while the Confederate troops charged. Recognizing the Federal troops had to retreat under fire, Carney struggled back across the battlefield, and returned the flag to the Union lines while being wounded twice more. Sgt. Carney said modestly, "Boys, I only did my duty. The old flag never touched the ground." (7)
Sgt. Carney received the Quincy A. Gillmore Medal of Gallant and Meritorious Award during the war. Years later, Christian Fleetwood approached Carney about using his Medal of Honor for the 1900 Paris Exhibition featuring Civil War African American action. After learning that Carney had not received the Medal of Honor, Christian Fleetwood and Luis Fenollosa Emilio petitioned the War Department to award Carney the Medal of Honor. (8) On May 9, 1900, the War Department bestowed the Medal of Honor on Carney for his gallant service at Fort Wagner during the Civil War. (9) His actions during the battle was the first known action by an African American serviceman that led to a Medal of Honor.
Life After the Civil War
Carney returned to New Bedford after the war. He married Susannah Williams on October 11, 1865 in New Bedford and had one daughter, Clara Heronia. Carney became the first black postal mail carrier for New Bedford in 1869, and the first known black mail carrier for the United States Postal Service. He retired after more than 30 years of service. (10) Carney died in Boston on December 9, 1908 from injuries sustained from an elevator accident at the Massachusetts State House where he was working as a messenger, in the office of the Secretary of State. (11) He is buried in Oak Grove Cemetery in New Bedford, Massachusetts. (12)
“Personal War Sketch of William H. Carney, Volume lll, p. 103.” GAR William Logan Rodman Post No.1 Records, 1866-1937, Special Collections - Paul A. Cyr History Room, New Bedford Free Public Library, New Bedford, MA.
Everett, Edward, and Frank Moore. The Rebellion Record: A Diary of American Events with Documents, Narratives, Illustrative Incidents, Poetry, Etc. Volume 8. New York: Van Nostrand, 1865. 16.
Still, William. Underground Rail Road Records: With a Life of the Author; Narrating the Hardships, Hairbreadth Escapes and Death Struggles of the Slaves in Their Efforts for Freedom, Together with Sketches of Some of the Eminent Friends of Freedom, and Most Liberal Aiders and Advisers of the Road. Philadelphia, Pa: W. Still, 1883. 435-437.
Norfolk County, Virginia. “Nancy Carney’s Manumission,” 30 September 1859, Deed Book 86, 536.
Everett, Edward, and Frank Moore. The Rebellion Record: A Diary of American Events with Documents, Narratives, Illustrative Incidents, Poetry, Etc. Volume 8. New York: Van Nostrand, 1865. 16.
National Archives. “William H Carney, Company C.” Compiled Military Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served with the U.S. Colored Troops, 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment (Colored); Microfilm Serial: M1898; Microfilm Roll: 3 ; The National Archives at Washington, D.C.; Washington, D.C.;
Wachs, Eleanor F. "It Wasn't in Her Lifetime, but It Was Handed Down": Four Black Oral Histories of Massachusetts. [Boston, Mass.]: Office of the Massachusetts Secretary of State, 1989. 8-9.
Ibid., 14-15.
National Archives. “William H Carney, Company C.” Compiled Military Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served with the U.S. Colored Troops, 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment (Colored); Microfilm Serial: M1898; Microfilm Roll: 3 ; The National Archives at Washington, D.C.; Washington, D.C.
Wachs, Eleanor F. "It Wasn't in Her Lifetime, but It Was Handed Down": Four Black Oral Histories of Massachusetts. [Boston, Mass.]: Office of the Massachusetts Secretary of State, 1989. 10, 14.; Lynch, Jenny. African American Postal Workers in the 19th Century. https://about.usps.com/who-we-are/postal-history/african-american-workers-19thc.pdf
“William H. Carney,” New York Tribune (New York, NY), 10 December 1908, page 7 – column 5.; Wachs, Eleanor F. "It Wasn't in Her Lifetime, but It Was Handed Down": Four Black Oral Histories of Massachusetts. [Boston, Mass.]: Office of the Massachusetts Secretary of State, 1989. 10.
Massachusetts. “Return of A Death – 1908, William H Carney.” Boston. 9 December 1908. Certificate # 10982.
Birth Date: 29 February 1840
Birthplace: Norfolk City, Virginia
Parents: William Carney and Nancy Ann Dean
Race: African American
Spouse: Susannah Williams
Children: Clara Heronia, daughter
Marriage Date: 11 October 1865
Marriage Place: New Bedford, Massachusetts
Death Date: 9 December 1908
Death Place: City Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts
Burial Date:
Burial Place: Oak Grove Cemetery in New Bedford, Massachusetts
Congressional Medal of Honor | American Civil War | African American | 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment
New Bedford, Massachusetts (digital copies available on Ancestry.com/Ancestry Library Edition)
1865 edition, page 43.
1867-1868 edition, page 52.
1869 edition, page 60.
1893 edition, page 127.
1899 edition, page 158.
Massachusetts, State Census, 1865 - New Bedford, Bristol County, Massachusetts. Volume Number: 6, Reel 4 – Ward: 2; House Number # 615.
Also in: Massachusetts. 1855–1865 Massachusetts State Census [microform]. New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, Massachusetts.
United States, Census Bureau. 1870 US Federal Census, Population Schedule. New Bedford Ward 3, Bristol, Massachusetts Roll: M593_605; Page: 110B;
United States, Census Bureau. 1880 US Federal Census, Population Schedule.
United States, Census Bureau. Special Schedules of the Eleventh Census (1890) Enumerating Union Veterans and Widows of Union Veterans of the Civil War; Page 1, Supervisor District # 79, Enumeration District 119 (New Bedford, Bristol County, Massachusetts)
The National Archives at Washington, D.C.; Washington, D.C.; Special Schedules of the Eleventh Census (1890) Enumerating Union Veterans and Widows of Union Veterans of the Civil War; Series Number: M123; Record Group Title: Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs; Record Group Number: 15; Census Year: 1890
United States, Census Bureau. 1900 US Federal Census, Population Schedule. New Bedford Ward 3, Bristol, Massachusetts; Page: 15; Enumeration District: 0187;
“Boys the Old Flag Never Touched the Ground” Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boys_the_Old_Flag_Never_Touched_the_Ground
“William H Carney’s Enlistment”, 54th Massachusetts Infantry, page 15.
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, D.C.; Consolidated Lists of Civil War Draft Registration Records (Provost Marshal General's Bureau; Consolidated Enrollment Lists, 1863-1865); Record Group: 110, Records of the Provost Marshal General's Bureau (Civil War); Collection Name: Consolidated Enrollment Lists, 1863-1865 (Civil War Union Draft Records); NAI: 4213514; Archive Volume Number: 4 of 4.
[Massachusetts] Carney, William H - Age 22, Year: 1863 - 54th Massachusetts Infantry, Brown-Coker
Series: Carded Records Showing Military Service of Soldiers Who Fought in Volunteer Organizations During the American Civil War, 1890 - 1912
Record Group 94: Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1762 - 1984
Creator(s): War Department. The Adjutant General's Office. 3/4/1907-9/18/1947 (Most Recent)
War Department. Record and Pension Office. 1892-5/11/1904 (Predecessor)
National Archives at Washington, DC
National Archives Identifier: 37260115 https://catalog.archives.gov/id/37260115
[Massachusetts] Carney, William H - Age [Blank], Year: 1863 - 54th Massachusetts Infantry, Winslow-Younger AND Misc Cards, A-My
Series: Carded Records Showing Military Service of Soldiers Who Fought in Volunteer Organizations During the American Civil War, 1890 - 1912
Record Group 94: Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1762 - 1984
Creator(s): War Department. The Adjutant General's Office. 3/4/1907-9/18/1947 (Most Recent); War Department. Record and Pension Office. 1892-5/11/1904 (Predecessor)
National Archives at Washington, DC
National Archives Identifier: 37290268 https://catalog.archives.gov/id/37290268
Letter from Governor John Andrew of Massachusetts to the Secretary of War, 11/9/1863
File Unit: Consolidated File for Sergeant William H. Carney, 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment (Colored), 1863 - 1894
Series: Letters Received, 1863 - 1894
Record Group 94: Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1762 – 1984
Creator(s): War Department. Record and Pension Office. 1892-5/11/1904 (Most Recent); War Department. The Adjutant General's Office. Volunteer Service Division. 10/1861-7/16/1889 (Predecessor); War Department. The Adjutant General's Office. Colored Troops Division. 5/22/1863-1888 (Predecessor)
National Archives at Washington, DC
National Archives Identifier: 594893 https://catalog.archives.gov/id/594893
Congressional Medal of Honor File of Sergeant William H. Carney, Company C, 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment (U.S. Colored Troops)
Series: Letters Received, 1863 - 1894
Record Group 94: Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1762 – 1984
Creator(s): War Department. Record and Pension Office. 1892-5/11/1904 (Most Recent); War Department. The Adjutant General's Office. Volunteer Service Division. 10/1861-7/16/1889 (Predecessor); War Department. The Adjutant General's Office. Colored Troops Division. 5/22/1863-1888 (Predecessor)
National Archives at Washington, DC
Local Identifier: 3632-CT-1885
National Archives Identifier: 18573820 https://catalog.archives.gov/id/18573820
Consolidated File for Sergeant William H. Carney, 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment (Colored)
Series: Letters Received, 1863 – 1894
Record Group 94: Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1762 – 1984
Creator(s): War Department. Record and Pension Office. 1892-5/11/1904 (Most Recent); War Department. The Adjutant General's Office. Volunteer Service Division. 10/1861-7/16/1889 (Predecessor); War Department. The Adjutant General's Office. Colored Troops Division. 5/22/1863-1888 (Predecessor)
National Archives at Washington, DC
Local Identifier: 3632-CT-1885
National Archives Identifier: 594831 https://catalog.archives.gov/id/594831
William H Carney
National Archives at Washington DC; Washington DC, USA; Applications for Headstones for U.S. Military Veterans, 1925-1941; NAID: A1, 2110-C; Record Group Number: 92; Record Group Title: Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General.
“Personal War Sketch of William H. Carney, Volume lll, p. 103.” GAR William Logan Rodman Post No.1 Records, 1866-1937, Special Collections - Paul A. Cyr History Room, New Bedford Free Public Library, New Bedford, MA. http://www.suvcw.org/garrecords/garcat/garcat-ma.htm
Marriage Register Record, City of New Bedford Massachusetts 1865 Page 13
Source: Massachusetts Vital Records, 1840–1911. New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, Massachusetts
Death Certificate, William H Carney 1908 (Certificate # 10982) - (City of Boston)
Source: New England Historic Genealogical Society; Boston, Massachusetts; Massachusetts Vital Records, 1840-1911
William Carney (Jun 1880), New Bedford, Bristol County, Massachusetts, 1880 Schedules of Defective, Dependent, and Delinquent Classes from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, D.C.; Nonpopulation Census Schedules for Massachusetts, 1850-1880: Supplemental Schedules of Defective, Dependent, and Delinquent Classes; Year: 1880; Publication Number: T1204
“Letters from the People,” New Era (Washington DC) 12 May 1870, page 1 – column 5. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84024437/1870-05-12/ed-1/seq-1/
“Dedication of Shaw Hall,” Alexandria Gazette. (Alexandria, VA), 10 Oct. 1898. page 3 – column 2.https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85025007/1898-10-10/ed-1/seq-3/
“John Hay Industrial School,” The Washington Bee (Washington DC) 15 October 1898, page 5 – column 2.https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84025891/1898-10-15/ed-1/seq-5/
Richmond Planet (Richmond, Va.) 26 November 1898, page 4 – column 1.
“The Hero of Ft. Wagner,” The Colored American (Washington DC), December 16, 1899, page 5 – column 1. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83027091/1899-12-16/ed-1/seq-5/
“From Boston,” Richmond Planet, (Richmond, VA) 3 February 1900, page 1 – column 5.https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84025841/1900-02-03/ed-1/seq-1/
“The Bravest of His Race,” The Daily Morning Journal and Courier. (New Haven, CT), 25 June 1904, Part 2, page 11 – column 2. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84020358/1904-06-25/ed-1/seq-11/
"Sergeant Carney." Colored American Magazine, 7 (October 1904), pages 636 - 637.
“Register Vernon in Boston,” The Washington Bee (Washington DC), 18 May 1907, page 1 – column 6. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84025891/1907-05-18/ed-1/seq-1/
“Saved Colors,” Daily Press (Newport News, VA), 10 December 1908, page 1 – column 6. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045830/1908-12-10/ed-1/seq-1/
“The Passing of a Hero,” The Advocate (Charleston, W. Va.) 24 December 1908, page 4 – column 2. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85059812/1908-12-24/ed-1/seq-4/
"Sergeant Carney is Dead." Alexander's Magazine, 7 (15 January 1909), page 109.
“Obituary (for Suzanne Carney),” Norwich Bulletin (Norwich, CT), 22 January 1916, page 5 – column 2. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn82014086/1916-01-22/ed-1/seq-5
"Sergeant Wm. H. Carney." New York Public Library Digital Collections. Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Jean Blackwell Hutson Research and Reference Division, New York Public Library http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47de-1c1d-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99
GAR Post 1 Members, New Bedford Free Public Library https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/search/commonwealth:rr1733969
[Sgt. William Carney, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing front] Photo, Library of Congress https://www.loc.gov/item/97506080/
1891 graduates of the Parker Street Grammar school, New Bedford, MA, New Bedford Free Public Library https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/search/commonwealth:g158bx641
Dedication of the Memorial to Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, Boston, 31 May 1897, Massachusetts Historical Society, https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/search/commonwealth-oai:mc87qp58b
Official records, United States Army and Navy Medal of Honor men. (title) https://www.loc.gov/resource/ppmsca.33927/
Medal of honor men Have received medals of honor in United States Army and Navy. (photo of Carney) https://www.loc.gov/resource/ppmsca.33931/
Headley and Reed (New Bedford, Mass.). William H. Carney. 1900. Photograph, Massachusetts Historical Society Photo Archives. http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/50793925
"Carney, William," James E Reed, (circa 1900), Moorland-Spingarn Research Center, Howard University, Washington DC, Identifier: mss_5208a https://dh.howard.edu/pp_negatives/3021/
"Carney, William," The Associated Publishers, Inc., 1927. Moorland-Spingarn Research Center, Howard University, Washington DC, Identifier: mss_5208 https://dh.howard.edu/pp_negatives/3020/
"Sgt William H. Carney," Carte-de-visite album of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, circa 1864. Object # NMAAHC-2014_115_8_023
Carte-de-visite album of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, Object # 2014.115.8, Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Washington DC., Album Catalog Record - http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5de23d131-5de6-4b86-a1ee-767d158c8406
Find A Grave - Sgt William Harvey Carney https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6826582/william-harvey-carney
Blog - "A Record of Valor," by Jrobison, National Archives, Washington DC, May 24, 2011 https://prologue.blogs.archives.gov/2011/05/24/glory-this-afternoon/
Cromwell, Adelaide M. Unveiled Voices, Unvarnished Memories: The Cromwell Family in Slavery and Segregation, 1692-1972. United States: University of Missouri Press, 2007. Pg 46-49 https://www.google.com/books/edition/Unveiled_Voices_Unvarnished_Memories/lw9XV-I7caEC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Nancy%20Ann%20Carney%20purchase%20freedom%20virginia&pg=PA49&printsec=frontcover&bsq=Nancy%20Ann%20Carney%20purchase%20freedom%20virginia
Hanna, Charles W. African American Recipients of the Medal of Honor: A Biographical Dictionary, Civil War Through Vietnam War. Jefferson: McFarland, 2010.
Jefferson, Robert F. Brothers in Valor: Battlefield Stories of the 89 African Americans Awarded the Medal of Honor. Lyons Press, 2018.
Still, William, 1821-1902. The Underground Railroad: A Record of Facts, Authentic Narratives, Letters, &c., Narrating the Hardships, Hair-breadth Escapes And Death Struggles of the Slaves In Their Efforts for Freedom, As Related by Themselves And Others, Or Witnessed by the Author; Together With Sketches of Some of the Largest Stockholders, And Most Liberal Aiders And Advisers, of the Road. Rev. ed. Philadelphia: People's Publishing Company, 1878. 435-437. https://hdl.handle.net/2027/chi.18174457
Wachs, Eleanor F. "It Wasn't in Her Lifetime, but It Was Handed Down": Four Black Oral Histories of Massachusetts. [Boston, Mass.]: Office of the Massachusetts Secretary of State, 1989. 7-16.
http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/908307230 - Catalog entry
https://archive.org/details/itwasntinherlife00wach - digitized copy
Folder: “Norfolk – Biographies – Carney, William H.,” Sargeant Memorial Collection Norfolk Clippings Files, MSS 0000-NCF, Sargeant Memorial Collection, Norfolk Public Library, Virginia
“He Clung to the Flag,” The Morning Call (San Francisco [Calif.]), 11 March 1894. page 20 - column 3 https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn94052989/1894-03-11/ed-1/seq-20/
“When Carney Held the Flag,” The Bridgeport Evening Farmer. (Bridgeport, CT), 8 February 1909, page 4 - column 4. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84022472/1909-02-08/ed-1/seq-4/
“Jubilee Melody Song Book,” The Kansas City Sun (Kansas City, MO), 16 March 1918, page 8 - column 5-6. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn90061556/1918-03-16/ed-1/seq-8/
Blanchet, Carrie Lee. "William Harvey Carney." Negro History Bulletin, 7 (February 1944), pages 107-108.
"Sergeant Carney's Flag," New Journal and Guide (Norfolk, VA), 9 February 2011, (unnumbered).
Congressional Medal of Honor Society – William H Carney https://www.cmohs.org/recipients/william-h-carney
Jenny Lynch, “African-American Postal Workers in the 19th Century” United States Postal Service, https://about.usps.com/who-we-are/postal-history/african-american-workers-19thc.pdf
"The Civil War," Freedom Just Around the Corner: Black America from Civil War to Civil Rights, Smithsonian National Postal Museum, https://postalmuseum.si.edu/exhibition/freedom-just-around-the-corner/the-civil-war
“Earliest Known African American Figures in Postal History,” Smithsonian National Postal Museum, https://postalmuseum.si.edu/research-articles/the-history-and-experience-of-african-americans-in-america%E2%80%99s-postal-service-6
Wikipedia - William Harvey Carney https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Harvey_Carney