11. The 54th was sent to Charleston for another attempt to take the Southern port
Charleston was where the Civil War began, when the Confederates bombarded the still incomplete federal installation at Fort Sumter in April, 1861. For many in the north, the capture or destruction of Charleston was highly desired. With the Confederates holding Fort Sumter the US Navy could not enter Charleston harbor to assist in attacking the city. To the south, the Confederates had fortified positions on Morris Island and James Island which had to be reduced, allowing Fort Sumter to be bombarded by the captured positions. Union troops had occupied nearby Folly Island in April, 1863, which allowed them to attack Morris Island with artillery, but capturing it required an infantry assault.
At the northern end of Morris Island was the Confederate installation known to them as Battery Wagner, most of its heavy guns facing in the direction of Fort Sumter. Several smaller batteries dotted Morris Island from its southern tip to the open ground before Battery Wagner, known to Union commanders as Fort Wagner. Despite the forbidding nature of the defenses, Union leaders believed the Confederate stronghold could be captured by a joint army-navy operation, and four US Navy ironclad gunboats were assigned to the operation. The first attempt to seize Fort Wagner was launched in July, 1863.