Gunfire blasts and booming cannons surrounded Union Army Private, William Carney. His regiment’s objective: to capture Fort Wagner near Charleston, South, Carolina.
The 54th Regiment of Massachusetts at the Civil War battle for Ft. Wagner, July 18, 1863.
Jerking movement nearby caught Carney’s eye. The color guard had been shot. As the dying man fell, the U.S. flag he carried began billowing toward the ground. Carney scrambled to rescue the flag from desecration and took a bullet himself.
Carney continued to crawl toward the fort, holding the flag high and calling encouragement for his fellow soldiers to follow. He was hit at least three more times, but made it to the walls of Fort Wagner, planting the flag into the sandy soil and holding it upright “until his near-lifeless body was rescued” [1] .
Even then Carney refused to let go of the flag until he was returned to his regiment’s camp. His heroism that day inspired a vital victory for the Union Army.
W. H. Carney with the flag he carried that day.
Years later Carney explained his motivation for joining the Union cause: “I had a strong inclination to prepare myself for the ministry; but when the country called for all persons, I could best serve my God by serving my country and my oppressed brothers. The sequel is short – I enlisted for the war” [2] .
Yes, Carney had been an oppressed brother himself, born into slavery in 1840. But during the 1850s he arrived in Massachusetts, either through the Underground Railroad, or perhaps his father—already a freed slave—was able to purchase his son.
Either way, Carney began to enjoy the freedoms that Blacks of the South were denied—freedoms like traveling, assembling, learning to read and write, and receiving pay for work. He passionately desired other slaves to experience the same.
That God-given passion for his fellow man surely inspired Carney that day at Fort Wagner, to give the fight his all no matter what duty fell to him. And for his tenacity and courage, William Carney received the Medal of Honor in 1900. He was the first Black soldier to do so.
Someone might ask, how was William Carney able to stay so strong?
Undoubtedly his firm stance was the result of:
- Strong attention toward his God
- Strong determination to live by God’s ways
- Strong faith in God’s promises, confident that whether he lived or died, all would be well
We too can stand firm in what we face by applying the same.
Strong attention toward God includes not allowing our emotions to control us. For example, sorrow, fear, and exhaustion will insist we can’t go on, but God tells us he gives strength to the weary and increases power for the weak [3] .
Strong attention toward God includes being in relationship with him, through prayer, Bible reading, worship, and more. We can’t expect to sense his peace and strengthening presence if we never spend time with him.
Security is not the absence of danger
but the presence of God
no matter what the danger.
Unknown
Strong determination to follow God means choosing to live by his truth. Scripture is full of examples of men and women shaped by their faith and obedience in God, becoming as strong as steel: Huldah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Mary (Mother of Jesus), Peter, and Paul are among them.
We see such Bible heroes as extraordinary, but I’m sure they’d tell us they were just ordinary people who trusted in their extra-ordinary God.
Strong faith in God’s promises means we can hold on to hope with confidence and courage.
I wonder if scripture-promises echoed in William Carney’s mind as he held that flag high and emboldened his comrades–promises such as these?
- “The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace” (Psalm 29:11).
- “With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall. It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect” (2 Samuel 22:30, 33).
- “If I live, it will be for Christ, and if I die, I will gain even more.” (Philippians 1:21 CEV).
You and I may never fight in battle, but these same promises can echo in our minds as we confront such enemies of our souls as discouragement, anxiety, stress, guilt, and temptation.
Like William Carney WE can stand steadfast and strong [4] .
What helps you to stand strong? Please share your experience in the comment section!
[1]https://www.army.mil/article/181896/meet_sgt_william_carney_the_first_african_american_medal_of_honor_recipient
[2] https://www.nps.gov/articles/william-h-carney.htm
[3] Isaiah 40:29
[4] 1 Corinthians 15:58
Photo credits: http://www.picryl.com (2); http://www.nypl.getarchive.net; http://www.dir.es/album/hiking-in-wales-2019; http://www.wallpaperflare.com.
From the Inside Out 