 The medal is named after Maj. Gen. Quincy A. Gillmore who commanded Union troops attempting to seize Fort Wagner in 1863 during the American Civil War.Also called the Fort Sumter Medal, the Gillmore Medal commemorates the men who served in the fighting around Charleston, South Carolina, in 1863 and was presented to all Union soldiers who had served under General Gillmore's command.Among the troops who assaulted Ft. Wagner was the 54th Massachusetts, a regiment of African-Americans led (as required by regulation) by white commissioned officers.