Sargent William H. Carney

William Harvey Carney, famed for the words “The Old Flag never touched the ground!” and hero of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment in the Civil War, was born in Norfolk, Virginia, and attended a private school that was conducted secretly by a minister. His home, which is now officially called the “Sergeant Carney Memorial House,” has become a shrine. Carney himself is depicted in the Saint-Gaudens monument which immortalizes Colonel Robert Gould Shaw and his intrepid colored troops. Carney’s features are represented on the face of one of the soldiers following his commander. The flag rescued by Carney is enshrined in Memorial Hall.