Robert G. Carter
Encyclopedia
Robert Goldthwaite Carter (October 29, 1845 – January 4, 1936) was a US Cavalry officer who participated in the American Civil War
and the Indian Wars
, most notably against the Comanche
during which he received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his role against a Comanche raiding party at Brazos River
in Texas
on October 10, 1871.
He became a successful author in his later years writing several books based on his military career, including On the Border with Mackenzie (1935), as well as a series of booklets detailing his years as an Indian fighter on the Texas frontier. Only 100 of these were published for private distribution and are considered extremely rare surviving only in selected excerpts included in On the Border with Mackenzie.
with his family in 1847, and again in 1857, to Massachusetts
. He was preparing to enter Phillips Academy when Carter enlisted as a private in the 22nd Massachusetts Infantry at the start of the American Civil War
and remained with the Army of the Potomac
from August 5, 1862 until October 4, 1864. During the war, he took part in the Battle of Antietam
, Gettysburg
, the Wilderness
and the Siege of Petersburg
as well as other minor engagements.
In July 1865, he began attending West Point and was eventually commissioned a second lieutenant and assigned to the 4th U.S. Cavalry on June 15, 1870. During the next several years, Carter would participate in a number of expeditions against the Comanche and other tribes in the Texas
-area.
It was during one of these campaigns that he was brevetted first lieutenant and awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his "most distinguished gallantry" against the Comanche in Blanco Canyon
on a tributary of the Brazos River
on October 10, 1871. Carter would suffer a severe injury during the battle, his left leg being shattered as his horse fell against a rock, which would eventually result in his early retirement. He would officially receive the medal on January 23, 1900.
Returning to active duty, he joined Colonel Ranald Mackenzie in several campaigns including against the Kickapoo of northern Mexico in May 1873 and awarded a brevet to captain. He did win promotion to first lieutenant on February 21, 1875 although his leg injury disqualified him from active field duty and forced him to retire on June 28, 1876.
Although he eventually recovered from his leg injury after proper treatment, his requests to return were denied by the US Army. He taught school and later headed the Washington-bureau of the Public Service Publishing Company in New York City
. He would also write a number of booklets and books including Four Brothers in Blue (1913) and The Old Sergeant's Story (1926). However, the most successful was his memoir On the Border With Mackenzie (1935) which was published as the age of 90. He died at Washington, D.C.
on January 4, 1936 and buried in Arlington National Cemetery
.
Citation:
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
and the Indian Wars
Indian Wars
American Indian Wars is the name used in the United States to describe a series of conflicts between American settlers or the federal government and the native peoples of North America before and after the American Revolutionary War. The wars resulted from the arrival of European colonizers who...
, most notably against the Comanche
Comanche
The Comanche are a Native American ethnic group whose historic range consisted of present-day eastern New Mexico, southern Colorado, northeastern Arizona, southern Kansas, all of Oklahoma, and most of northwest Texas. Historically, the Comanches were hunter-gatherers, with a typical Plains Indian...
during which he received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his role against a Comanche raiding party at Brazos River
Brazos River
The Brazos River, called the Rio de los Brazos de Dios by early Spanish explorers , is the longest river in Texas and the 11th longest river in the United States at from its source at the head of Blackwater Draw, Curry County, New Mexico to its mouth at the Gulf of Mexico with a drainage...
in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
on October 10, 1871.
He became a successful author in his later years writing several books based on his military career, including On the Border with Mackenzie (1935), as well as a series of booklets detailing his years as an Indian fighter on the Texas frontier. Only 100 of these were published for private distribution and are considered extremely rare surviving only in selected excerpts included in On the Border with Mackenzie.
Biography
Born in Bridgton, Maine, Carter moved to PortlandPortland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
with his family in 1847, and again in 1857, to Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. He was preparing to enter Phillips Academy when Carter enlisted as a private in the 22nd Massachusetts Infantry at the start of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
and remained with the Army of the Potomac
Army of the Potomac
The Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.-History:The Army of the Potomac was created in 1861, but was then only the size of a corps . Its nucleus was called the Army of Northeastern Virginia, under Brig. Gen...
from August 5, 1862 until October 4, 1864. During the war, he took part in the Battle of Antietam
Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam , fought on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, and Antietam Creek, as part of the Maryland Campaign, was the first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Northern soil. It was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with about 23,000...
, Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
, the Wilderness
Battle of the Wilderness
The Battle of the Wilderness, fought May 5–7, 1864, was the first battle of Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Both armies suffered heavy casualties, a harbinger of a bloody war of attrition by...
and the Siege of Petersburg
Siege of Petersburg
The Richmond–Petersburg Campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War...
as well as other minor engagements.
In July 1865, he began attending West Point and was eventually commissioned a second lieutenant and assigned to the 4th U.S. Cavalry on June 15, 1870. During the next several years, Carter would participate in a number of expeditions against the Comanche and other tribes in the Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
-area.
It was during one of these campaigns that he was brevetted first lieutenant and awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his "most distinguished gallantry" against the Comanche in Blanco Canyon
Blanco Canyon
Blanco Canyon is a canyon located in the U.S. state of Texas. Eroded by the White River into the Caprock Escarpment on the east side of the Llano Estacado, the canyon runs for in a southeasterly direction, gradually widening from its beginning in southwestern Floyd County to across at its mouth...
on a tributary of the Brazos River
Brazos River
The Brazos River, called the Rio de los Brazos de Dios by early Spanish explorers , is the longest river in Texas and the 11th longest river in the United States at from its source at the head of Blackwater Draw, Curry County, New Mexico to its mouth at the Gulf of Mexico with a drainage...
on October 10, 1871. Carter would suffer a severe injury during the battle, his left leg being shattered as his horse fell against a rock, which would eventually result in his early retirement. He would officially receive the medal on January 23, 1900.
Returning to active duty, he joined Colonel Ranald Mackenzie in several campaigns including against the Kickapoo of northern Mexico in May 1873 and awarded a brevet to captain. He did win promotion to first lieutenant on February 21, 1875 although his leg injury disqualified him from active field duty and forced him to retire on June 28, 1876.
Although he eventually recovered from his leg injury after proper treatment, his requests to return were denied by the US Army. He taught school and later headed the Washington-bureau of the Public Service Publishing Company in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He would also write a number of booklets and books including Four Brothers in Blue (1913) and The Old Sergeant's Story (1926). However, the most successful was his memoir On the Border With Mackenzie (1935) which was published as the age of 90. He died at Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
on January 4, 1936 and buried in Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...
.
Medal of Honor citation
Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, 4th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: On Brazos, River, Tex., 10 October 1871. Entered service at: Bradford, Mass. Birth: Bridgeport, Maine. Date of issue: 27 February 1900.Citation:
- Held the left of the line with a few men during the charge of a large body of Indians, after the right of the line had retreated, and by delivering a rapid fire succeeded in checking the enemy until other troops came to the rescue.
Books
- The Boy Soldier at Gettysburg (1977)
- Four Brothers in Blue (1913)
- The Old Sergeant's Story (1926)
- On the Border With Mackenzie (1935)
Pamphlets
- Records of the Military Service of First Lieutenant and Brevet Captain Robert Goldthwaite Carter, U.S. Army. (1904)
- Tragedies of Canon Blanco: A Story of the Texas Panhandle (1919)
- The Mackenzie Raid into Mexico (1919)
- Massacre of Salt Creek Prairie and the Cowboys' Verdict. (1919)
- On the Trail of Deserters: a Phenomenal Capture by Captain Robert Goldthwaite Carter. (1920)
- Pursuit of Kicking Bird: a Campaign in Texas 'Bad Lands. (1920)
See also
- List of Medal of Honor recipients
- List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Indian Wars
Further reading
- Dykes, J.C., ed. On the Border with Mackenzie. New York: Antiquarian Press, 1961.
- Frontier Times, Vol II. No. 4. (January 1934). 179-182.