The Battle of Fort Wagner, South Carolina begins.  The first assault is led by compulsory Union Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, commanding the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, of the Army of the united States—the first unit composed entirely of enlisted freedmen, and runaway slaves. 

       Postscript: Although the fort was not taken, the valor of the 54th Massachusetts convinced Commander-in-Chief Lincoln that the experiment was a success; Lincoln ordered as many all-freedmen units as possible to be formed, and trained for combat.  At the end of the war, Lincoln credited these units as the greatest single factor in the Union victory.

       [added 4/9/2022]