On May 9, 1900, former Army Sgt. William H. Carney became the first African American to receive the Medal of Honor.
He was also one of the first known black letter carriers for the Post Office Department, where he worked for 32 years.
He was born into slavery in Norfolk, VA, on Feb. 29, 1840. His enslaved father fled Norfolk on the Underground Railroad and settled in New Bedford, MA, where Carney and the family later joined him.
Carney, who had secretly learned to read and write, was considering joining the ministry, but with the winds of war swirling, he saw serving in the Union Army as a way to serve God.
He joined the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment and was shot while protecting the American flag at Fort Wagner outside Charleston, SC. He eventually planted the flag on the fort’s parapet despite his wounds.
The regiment’s actions that day inspired the film “Glory.”
Carney’s famous words about his effort — “I only did my duty; the old flag never touched the ground” — also inspired a song in his honor.
In 1869, Carney became the first Black letter carrier in New Bedford and in 1890, he became a founding vice president of New Bedford Branch 18 of the National Association of Letter Carriers.
He worked for the New Bedford Post Office for 32 years, after which he was employed as a messenger at the Massachusetts State House.
Carney died in 1908 from injuries sustained in an elevator accident at the state house. By many accounts, the incident occurred when the war hero politely backed out of the elevator to make room for additional passengers.
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