Asa Bacon Carey (July 12, 1835 – April 4, 1912) was a career officer in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

. A veteran of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, American Indian Wars, and

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

, he served from 1854 to 1899 and attained the rank of

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

as Paymaster-General of the United States Army. A native of Canterbury, Connecticut, Carey worked as a farm laborer as a teenager, then began attendance at the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

. He graduated in 1858 and began his career in the Western United States, including postings to Utah Territory and

New Mexico Territory The Territory of New Mexico was an organized incorporated territory of the United States from September 9, 1850, until January 6, 1912. It was created from the U.S. provisional government of New Mexico, as a result of ''Santa Fe de Nuevo México ...

. He took part in the Utah War in 1859 and 1860, and in the final battles of the Navajo Wars in 1860 and 1861. During the

, Carey served in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

and performed recruiting, mustering, commissary, and paymaster duties, primarily in New Mexico. After the war, he joined the Paymaster Department, and his subsequent assignments included chief paymaster of army departments throughout the United States. In January 1899, he was promoted to brigadier general and appointed as the army's paymaster-general. In March 1899, he personally transported $3,000,000 to Cuba to be used in paying the salaries of

soldiers during the

United States Military Government in Cuba The United States Military Government in Cuba (Spanish: ''Gobierno militar estadounidense en Cuba'' or ''Gobierno militar americano en Cuba''), was a provisional military government in Cuba that was established in the aftermath of the Spani ...

. Carey left the army upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 64 in July 1899. In retirement, he was a resident of Tisbury, Massachusetts and

Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...

. He died in Orlando on April 4, 1912. Carey was buried at Oak Grove Cemetery in Tisbury.

Early life

Asa B. Carey was born in Canterbury, Connecticut on July 12, 1835, a son of James Benajah Carey and Mary Bacon (Adams) Carey. He was raised and educated in

Windham County, Connecticut Windham County is a county located in the northeastern corner of the U.S. state of Connecticut. As of the 2020 census, the population was 116,418, making it the least populous county in Connecticut. It forms the core of the region known as the ...

; according to the 1850 U.S. Census, he worked as a laborer on the

Windham, Connecticut Windham is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. It contains the former city of Willimantic as well as the boroughs of Windham Center, North Windham, and South Windham. Willimantic, an incorporated city since 1893, was consoli ...

farm owned his grand-aunt Abigail (Bacon) Paine and her husband Walter Paine. In 1854, Carey received an appointment to the

at West Point. He graduated in 1858 ranked 20th of 27. Carey was appointed a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

Infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

and assigned to the garrison at

Fort Columbus A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

, New York. In October 1858 he was assigned to the 7th Infantry Regiment.

Start of career

After joining the 7th Infantry, Carey took part in the 1859–1860 Utah War. In 1860 and 1861, he was posted to

, where he took part in some of the last battles of the Navajo Wars. He was promoted to

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...

in May 1861 and

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in October 1861. During the

, Carey served in the

, and from May 1861 to June 1863, he performed frontier duty with the 7th Infantry while based at Fort Union, New Mexico. Carey served as chief quartermaster of an expedition against the Navajo from July 1863 to June 1864. From June 1864 to July 1865 he was acting chief quartermaster and acting commissary of musters for the Department of New Mexico. Carey served as recruiting officer for

United States Volunteers United States Volunteers also known as U.S. Volunteers, U.S. Volunteer Army, or other variations of these, were military volunteers called upon during wartime to assist the United States Army but who were separate from both the Regular Army and the ...

, chief mustering officer, chief disbursing officer, and commissary of musters for the District of New Mexico from August 1865 to August 1866. During the war, Carey received

brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

promotions to

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

(March 1862) and

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

(March 1865), both for heroism and meritorious service during campaigns against the Navajo.

Continued career

After an extended post-war leave of absence, Carey served as chief commissary of the Department of Dakota from August to October 1867. He then transferred to the Paymaster Department and was promoted to major, and he served as paymaster of the District of St. Louis, Missouri from November 1867 to March 1868. From April 1868 to April 1869 he was paymaster of the District of

Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe ( ; , Spanish for 'Holy Faith'; tew, Oghá P'o'oge, Tewa for 'white shell water place'; tiw, Hulp'ó'ona, label=Tiwa language, Northern Tiwa; nv, Yootó, Navajo for 'bead + water place') is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. ...

. Carey was assigned as chief paymaster of the District of New Mexico from May to July 1870, and he continued to perform paymaster duties in New Mexico after the appointment of a new chief paymaster. Carey was assigned to the staff in the office of the army's Paymaster-General from July 1874 to October 1885. From October 1885 to April 1887 he was assigned to the

Presidio of San Francisco The Presidio of San Francisco (originally, El Presidio Real de San Francisco or The Royal Fortress of Saint Francis) is a park and former U.S. Army post on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, and is part o ...

on the staff of the chief paymaster for the Department of California. He served as the department's chief paymaster from May to June 1890. From June 1889 to January 1893, Carey performed paymaster duties for districts based in New York City and

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Later career

In January 1893, Carey was posted to New York City as chief paymaster for the

Department of the East The Department of the East was a military administrative district established by the U.S. Army several times in its history. The first was from 1853 to 1861, the second Department of the East, from 1863 to 1873, and the last from 1877 to 1913. H ...

. He served in this position until April 1897, and was promoted to lieutenant colonel in March 1895. From April 1897 to December 1898, he was chief paymaster of the Department of Dakota and the

Department of the Lakes The Department of the Lakes was a military department of the United States Army that existed from 1866 to 1873 and again from 1898 to 1913. It was subordinate to the Military Division of the Atlantic and comprised posts in the Midwestern United Sta ...

, based in

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississip ...

. In June 1898, he was promoted to

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

. From December 1898 to January 1899, he was Chief Paymaster of the Department of the Lakes, based in Chicago. Carey was appointed the army's Paymaster-General on January 11, 1899, succeeding Thaddeus H. Stanton, and he was promoted to

on January 30. As Paymaster-General, Carey took personal responsibility for transporting from New York City to Cuba $3,000,000 in cash that was intended for use in paying U.S. troops performing

duty during the

. Carey reached the mandatory retirement age of 64 in July 1899 and was succeeded by

Alfred E. Bates Alfred E. Bates (July 15, 1840 – October 13, 1909) was a career officer in the United States Army. A veteran of the American Civil War, American Indian Wars, and Spanish–American War, he attained the rank of major general and was best known ...

Retirement and death

In retirement, Carey was a summer resident of Tisbury, Massachusetts, and spent winters in

. He died in Orlando on April 4, 1912. Carey was buried at Oak Grove Cemetery in Tisbury.

Family

In 1867, Carey married Laura Melinda Colby, the daughter of attorney and federal government official Stoddard B. Colby, and the niece of prominent businessman and politician Redfield Proctor. They were the parents of two children, son Edward Colby Carey, and daughter Edith Colby Carey. Colonel Edward Carey was a career soldier who married Ruth Palmer, the daughter of Medal of Honor recipient

George Henry Palmer George Henry Palmer (1840–1901) was a musician (bugler) in the 1st Illinois Volunteer Cavalry during the American Civil War. He received the country's highest award for bravery during combat, the Medal of Honor, for his action while fight ...

and sister of Brigadier General Bruce Palmer. Edith Colby Carey was the wife of Brigadier General

Meriwether Lewis Walker Meriwether Lewis Walker (September 30, 1869 – July 29, 1947) was an officer in the United States Army with the rank of Brigadier General, who served as a Governor of the Panama Canal Zone from 1924 to 1928. Biography Walker was born on Septem ...

. Their daughter, Cary Walker, was the wife of Marine Corps

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Robert B. Luckey Robert Burneston Luckey (July 9, 1905 – September 9, 1974) was a decorated officer in the United States Marine Corps with the rank of lieutenant general. A veteran of several wars, Luckey completed his career as commanding general, Fleet Marine ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Carey, Asa B. 1835 births 1912 deaths People from Canterbury, Connecticut People from Tisbury, Massachusetts People from Orlando, Florida United States Military Academy alumni United States Army generals Union Army officers United States Army personnel of the Indian Wars American military personnel of the Spanish–American War Paymaster-General of the United States Army Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Burials in Massachusetts