page_title: 10th Connecticut Infantry Regiment
section_title: Assault on Fort Wagner (July 1863)
hierarchical_section_title: 10th Connecticut Infantry Regiment / Combat record / Assault on Fort Wagner (July 1863)
caption_attribution_description: Plan of Fort Wagner, with overlay showing armament
context_page_description: The 10th Connecticut Infantry Regiment was one of Connecticut's most successful civil war regiments, compiling an exemplary record of service in the Union Army. The 10th Regiment saw action in the coastal campaign during the early years of the war, which culminated with the siege of Charleston. The 10th went on to fight the trench battles of Richmond, earning praise from Union generals and Ulysses S. Grant. The 10th was active at the war’s very end, when they blocked Robert E. Lee’s attempt to escape from Virginia. And, the 10th was present at Appomattox Court House when Lee surrendered to Grant. All told, the 10th regiment fought in twenty three battles and at least as many skirmishes.
context_section_description: During 1862, despite the Union Army advances along the Carolina coast, the Confederacy had largely succeeded in defending its territory, beating back the stronger Union forces with superior battlefield leadership. At the beginning of 1863, the Union Army was still in search of a major, morale-boosting victory.
  The Tenth finally moved out of Newbern, North Carolina, in January 1863. The regiment was ordered to St. Helena Island, South Carolina, near Charleston. The Union blockade of Charleston harbor was effective, but the city remained in Confederate hands.
  In early July, the Tenth was ordered to join a large-scale assault on Fort Wagner, situated on nearby Morris Island.This was part of the second Union attempt to capture Charleston. The Tenth’s main role in the assault was a successful diversionary action. The main attack force consisted of the African American troops of the 54th Massachusetts and the 6th Connecticut (as depicted in the motion picture Glory).
  The attack on Fort Wagner did not initially succeed, although Union forces did breach the fort’s defenses. After the attack, Union soldiers spent months digging trenches parallel to the Confederate lines. This tactic eventually proved a successful strategy as the Confederate troops abandoned Fort Wagner in early September.
caption: Plan of Fort Wagner, with overlay showing armament
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