William Harvey Carney

Who was William Harvey Carney?

William Harvey Carney was an African American soldier during the American Civil War. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of Fort Wagner.

His actions at Fort Wagner preceded those of any other black recipient. Ironically, he was not awarded the Medal of Honor for nearly 37 years after the action and thus became the last African-American to be awarded the Medal for Civil War service.

After the war he worked at a post office and was a guest speaker at public events until his death in 1908.