22. The war was not over for Fort Wagner
After two bloody and unsuccessful assaults at Fort Wagner, General Gillmore came to the conclusion that the fortifications could not be carried by infantry. The only solution to reducing the position was siege warfare. Union troops including the shattered 54th remained on Morris Island. Naval bombardment of the fort became a routine. It was joined by steadily expanding land-based bombardment from heavy Union guns. The heavy pounding of the fort continued through the rest of July and entirely through the month of August.
By September the steady bombardment of the Confederate positions had rendered them useless; the guns nearly all dismounted and the garrison was no longer capable of mounting a defense, though the idea of another frontal assault on Fort Wagner was unpalatable among the Union commanders. The siege continued until September 7, when the Confederates abandoned Morris Island and the remains of Fort Wagner fell into Union hands. By seizing the fort the port of Charleston was effectively closed, though Fort Sumter in the harbor and the city itself remained in Confederate hands.