Eugene Asa Carr

Eugene Asa Carr

Eugene Asa Carr
Born (1830-03-20)March 20, 1830
Hamburg, New York
Died December 2, 1910(1910-12-02) (aged 80)
Washington, D.C.
Place of burial West Point Cemetery
Allegiance United States of America
Union
Service/branch United States Army
Union Army
Years of service 1850–1893
Rank Brigadier General
Brevet Major General
Commands held 3rd Illinois Volunteer Cavalry
Army of the Southwest
Battles/wars

Indian Wars

Border War
Utah War
American Civil War

Indian Wars

Awards Medal of Honor

Eugene Asa Carr (March 20, 1830 December 2, 1910) was a soldier in the United States Army and a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

Early life

Carr was born in Hamburg, New York. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, in 1850, 19th in a class of 44 cadets. He was appointed a brevet second lieutenant in the Regiment of Mounted Riflemen, and served in the Indian Wars until 1861, seeing his first bit of combat on October 3, 1854 against Apaches near the Sierra Diablo Mountains. By 1861 he had been promoted to captain (June 11, 1858) in the old 1st U.S. Cavalry (later designated the 4th U.S.) and command of Fort Washita in the Indian Territory.[1]

Civil War

During the Civil War, Carr's first combat was at the Battle of Wilson's Creek on August 10, 1861.[2] He was appointed colonel of the 3rd Illinois Cavalry six days later and received a brevet promotion to lieutenant colonel in the regular army.[1]

At the Battle of Pea Ridge in Arkansas, on March 7, 1862, Carr led the 4th Division of the Army of the Southwest in the fighting around Elkhorn Tavern. He was wounded in the neck, arm and ankle and was later awarded a Medal of Honor for his actions. According to the official citation, Carr had "directed the deployment of his command and held his ground, under a brisk fire of shot and shell in which he was several times wounded."[3] On April 30, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln appointed Carr brigadier general of volunteers, to rank from March 7, 1862.[4] The President had submitted the nomination to the U.S. Senate on April 11, 1862 and the Senate had confirmed the appointment on April 28, 1862[4] Carr briefly commanded the Army of the Southwest from October 7 to November 12, 1863. He commanded the 2nd Division of the Army of Southeast Missouri before he and his division were transferred to the Army of the Tennessee as the 14th Division in the XIII Corps.

During the Vicksburg Campaign Carr led the attack on Confederate forces at the Battle of Port Gibson. He fought in subsequent battles at Champion's Hill and Vicksburg. After the fall of Vicksburg, Carr was transferred back to Arkansas where he was placed in command of a division in the Army of Arkansas. Eventually Carr commanded the Cavalry Division in the VII Corps during Frederick Steele's Camden Expedition. For the rest of 1864 he commanded the District of Little Rock. His final assignment of the war was to command of the 3rd Division of the XVI Corps in preparation for the Union campaign against Mobile, Alabama, where he subsequently fought in the battle of Fort Blakely. On March 11, 1865, President Lincoln nominated and the U.S. Senate confirmed Carr for appointment to the brevet grade of major general of volunteers to rank from March 11, 1865. Carr was mustered out of the volunteers on January 15, 1866.[4] On July 17, 1866, President Andrew Johnson nominated Carr for appointment to the brevet grade of major general, USA (regular army), to rank from March 13, 1865, and the U.S. Senate confirmed the appointment on July 23, 1866.[5]

Postbellum service

Subsequently, Carr conducted successful operations on the frontier against the Indians, winning a significant battle at Summit Springs and became colonel in the regular army in 1879 6th Cavalry, and brigadier general in 1892, a rank he held at the time of his retirement in 1893. He was in command at the incident at Cibique Creek with the Apache. His military nickname was "The Black-Bearded Cossack".[6]

Carr died in Washington, D.C., and is buried in the West Point Cemetery, New York.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Colonel, 3d Illinois Cavalry. Place and date: At Pea Ridge, Ark., March 7, 1862. Entered service at: Hamburg, Erie County, N.Y. Born: March 10, 1830, Boston Corner, Erie County, N.Y. Date of issue: January 16, 1894.

Citation:

Directed the deployment of his command and held his ground, under a brisk fire of shot and shell in which he was several times wounded.

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 Eicher, pp. 164-65.
  2. Warner, pp. 70-71.
  3. "Civil War Medal of Honor recipients - (A-L)". United States Army Center of Military History. Retrieved 2006-07-13.
  4. 1 2 3 Eicher, 2001, p. 719
  5. Eicher, 2001, p. 706
  6. "The Handbook of Texas Online". Retrieved October 5, 2010.

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army Center of Military History.
 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Gilman, D. C.; Thurston, H. T.; Colby, F. M., eds. (1905). "article name needed". New International Encyclopedia (1st ed.). New York: Dodd, Mead. 

External links

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