UMass Lowell First Year Writing Program

Write Night is coming!

Now, this is scary! 🧟‍♂️🧟‍♀️

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First-Year Writing Program students are welcome to attend UML's 2016 Student Research & Community Engagement Symposium on Tuesday, April 19. This event will be held in the ICC from noon to 5:00pm and is a great opportunity to learn about student research in every discipline! For more details, visit the Symposium website, linked below.

Student Research & Community Engagement Symposium | UMass Lowell

College Writing 2 students, are you using archival records in any projects this semester? This article mentions/links you to a few useful archives as part of a larger discussion about The Freedmen and Southern Society Project.

Born as a slave in Norfolk, Virginia on February 29, 1840, William H. Carney escaped through the Underground Railroad, and found his father living in Massachusetts. In February 1863, Carney joined the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry as a Sergeant. The regiment was one of the first official African-American units in the United States during the Civil War. He took part in the July 18, 1863, assault on Fort Wagner in Charleston, South Carolina. (This battle was dramatized in the 1989 film "Glory.")

In "The Black Military Experience," from the Freedman and Southern Society Project (supported by the NHPRC), there is an account of the battle from Lt. Col. E.N. Hallowell:

"With Col. Shaw leading, the assault was commenced. Exposed to the direct fire of cannister and musketry and as the ramparts were mounted, the havoc made in our ranks was very great.

Upon leaving the ditch for the parapet, they obstanetly contested with the bayonet our advance. Notwithstanding these difficulties the men succeeded in driving the enemy from most of their guns, many following the enemy into the Fort. It was here upon the crest of the parapet that Col. Shaw fell; here fell Capts Russel and Simpkins; here were also most of the officers wounded. The Colors of the Regt reached the crest, and were there fought for by the enemy. The State Flag then torn from its staff, but the staff remains with us. Hand Grenades were now added to the missels directed against the men."

The Massachusetts 54th suffered 272 killed, wounded or missing out of the 600 in the battle. Hallowell singled out Carney and three other men for special merit. After being wounded, Sgt. Carney saw that the color bearer had been shot down a few feet away. Carney summoned all his strength to retrieve the fallen colors and continued the charge. During the charge Carney was shot several more times, yet he kept the colors flying high. Once delivering the flag back to his regiment, he shouted "The Old Flag never touched the ground!"

In May 1900, nearly 37 years after the battle, Carney received the Congressional Medal of Honor.

The Freedmen and Southern Society Project was established in 1976 to capture the essence of that revolution by depicting the drama of emancipation in the words of the participants: liberated slaves and defeated slaveholders, soldiers and civilians, common folk and the elite, Northerners and Southerners. For more information, go to http://www.freedmen.umd.edu/index.html