Portrait of Samuel Perry Carter, by Samuel M

Samuel Perry "Powhatan" Carter (August 6, 1819 – May 26, 1891) was a

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

naval officer who 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 ...

as a

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 ...

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

during 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 ...

and became a

rear admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

in the postbellum

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

. He was the first and thus far only United States officer to have been commissioned both a general officer and a Naval flag officer. ''C.f.'':

Joseph D. Stewart Joseph D. Stewart, also known as "Joey D," (July 9, 1942 – April 30, 2019) was a United States Marine Corps major general, who after his retirement from the Marine Corps, was appointed as superintendent of the United States Merchant Marine Aca ...

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

(

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

) and Vice Admiral (

United States Maritime Service The United States Maritime Service (USMS) was established in 1938 under the provisions of the Merchant Marine Act of 1936 as voluntary training organization to train individuals to become officers and crewmembers on merchant ships that form the U ...

), the USMS being a civilian agency. ''C.f.'' also: Rear Admiral and Brigadier General

Raphael Semmes Raphael Semmes ( ; September 27, 1809 – August 30, 1877) was an officer in the Confederate Navy during the American Civil War. Until then, he had been a serving officer in the US Navy from 1826 to 1860. During the American Civil War, Semmes wa ...

, Confederate States Navy and Army.

Early life and career

Carter was born in

Elizabethton, Tennessee Elizabethton is a city in, and the county seat of Carter County, Tennessee, United States. Elizabethton is the historical site of the first independent American government (known as the Watauga Association, created in 1772) located west of both th ...

, the eldest son of Alfred Moore Carter, a direct descendant of the early settlers for whom Carter County is named. His mother was Evalina Belmont Perry. Although later known as Samuel Powhatan Carter, Samuel's given middle name was Perry. He had two brothers, William Blount Carter and

James Patton Taylor Carter James Patton Taylor Carter (July 30, 1822 – September 28/29, 1869) was a Union army officer during the American Civil War and led the 2nd Tennessee Infantry Regiment. He was also a politician who served as Secretary of Arizona Territory from ...

. Samuel Carter attended the Duffield Academy in Elizabethton,

Washington College Washington College is a private liberal arts college in Chestertown, Maryland. Maryland granted Washington College its charter in 1782. George Washington supported the founding of the college by consenting to have the "College at Chester" name ...

in Limestone, and

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

before enlisting in the U.S. Navy in February 1840. Serving as a

midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Afr ...

, Carter's five years of service included duty in the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

and

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lakes ...

region before transferring to the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...

. He graduated in the class of 1846, later seeing action during the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

aboard the USS ''Ohio'' at the

Battle of Veracruz Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...

. Stationed at the

United States Naval Observatory United States Naval Observatory (USNO) is a scientific and military facility that produces geopositioning, navigation and timekeeping data for the United States Navy and the United States Department of Defense. Established in 1830 as the Depo ...

for several years following the war, Carter became an assistant professor of mathematics at the United States Naval Academy for three years, from 1850 to 1853. After another tour of duty with the

and

Brazil Squadron The Brazil Squadron, the Brazil Station, or the South Atlantic Squadron was an overseas military station established by the United States in 1826 to protect American commerce in the South Atlantic during a war between Brazil and Argentina. When th ...

s, he served in various duties before winning promotion to lieutenant in April 1855. The following year, Carter was present aboard the USS ''San Jacinto'' during the bombardment of Chinese coastal fortifications before returning to the United States to be appointed to the staff at the U.S. Naval Academy, remaining at this tour of duty until 1860.

Civil War

In early 1861, after receiving a letter from Carter assuring his loyalty to the Union should a civil war break out, Tennessee senator

Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. He assumed the presidency as he was vice president at the time of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a Dem ...

used his influence in the

War Department War Department may refer to: * War Department (United Kingdom) * United States Department of War (1789–1947) See also * War Office, a former department of the British Government * Ministry of defence * Ministry of War * Ministry of Defence * Dep ...

for Carter to be detached from the Navy. Carter was ordered to organize and enlist Unionists within his native East Tennessee, where the majority of the population remained loyal. When Confederate occupation of the region prevented this, Carter raised a brigade of infantry from among the hundreds of East Tennesseans fleeing to Kentucky. During this time he adopted "Powhatan" as a code name when corresponding secretly with Unionists who remained behind Confederate lines. Carter's younger brother, William B. Carter (1820–1902), planned and coordinated the East Tennessee bridge-burning conspiracy in late 1861. Carter was appointed a brigadier general of volunteers without resigning from the Navy. He led an infantry brigade at the

Battle of Mill Springs The Battle of Mill Springs, also known as the Battle of Fishing Creek in Confederate terminology, and the Battle of Logan's Cross Roads in Union terminology, was fought in Wayne and Pulaski counties, near current Nancy, Kentucky, on January 1 ...

on January 19, 1862, and participated in operations under Brigadier General George W. Morgan that resulted in the occupation of

Cumberland Gap The Cumberland Gap is a pass through the long ridge of the Cumberland Mountains, within the Appalachian Mountains, near the junction of the U.S. states of Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee. It is famous in American colonial history for its rol ...

on June 17, 1862. Carter's hope that Morgan would then invade and occupy East Tennessee was dashed when Morgan was forced to retreat in the face of a Confederate move into Kentucky—

Braxton Bragg Braxton Bragg (March 22, 1817 – September 27, 1876) was an American army officer during the Second Seminole War and Mexican–American War and Confederate general in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War, serving in the Weste ...

's Perryville Campaign. Following Bragg's defeat and retreat to Middle Tennessee, Carter successfully lobbied his superiors for permission to conduct a raid into East Tennessee. Carter's plan was to cripple the vital East Tennessee and Virginia Railroad. This would support the operations of Major General William S. Rosecrans in Middle Tennessee, and test the route through the mountains as a potential path of invasion. The result was the first long-range, large-scale Federal cavalry raid of the war. With a force of just under 1,000 men Carter moved through the rugged mountains of eastern Kentucky and Tennessee during the last week of 1862. On December 30 he destroyed railroad and wagon bridges at both Union and Carter's Depot (present day

Watauga Watauga can refer to: ;Places *Watauga, Kentucky * Watauga County, North Carolina * Watauga, South Dakota * Watauga, Tennessee * Watauga, Texas ;Bodies of Water * Watauga Lake in Tennessee * The Watauga River in North Carolina and Tennessee ;Shi ...

), Tennessee. He repeatedly defeated the Confederate forces in his path, captured a moving train, destroyed tens of thousands of dollars of military stores, and returned safely to Kentucky on January 2, 1863. Plans to follow the raid with an invasion and occupation of East Tennessee, a move urged by Lincoln, were canceled when Carter reported the route impracticable for a large force. In July 1863, Carter was placed in command of the XXIII Corps cavalry division and continued campaigning across Tennessee throughout the year, engaging

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

forces during the

Battle of Blue Springs The Battle of Blue Springs was a battle of the American Civil War, occurring on October 10, 1863, in Greene County, Tennessee. Major General Ambrose E. Burnside, commander of the Department of the Ohio, undertook an expedition into East Tennes ...

of the Knoxville Campaign. By 1865, Carter was in

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

and commanding the left wing of the Union forces at the

Battle of Wyse Fork The Battle of Wyse Fork, also known as the Battle of Kinston, was a battle fought in the Carolinas Campaign of the American Civil War, resulting in a Union Army victory. Background At the end of February 1865 the port city of Wilmington had f ...

. He was promoted to

major general of volunteers on March 13, 1865, briefly commanding the XXIII Corps before being mustered out of volunteer service in January 1866. While Carter was serving in the Union Army, the U.S. Navy promoted him to

lieutenant commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding rank i ...

in 1863, then to

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

in 1865.

Postbellum career

Returning to naval service, Carter was appointed a commander due to his military record during the Civil War. Rejoining the Pacific Squadron, he commanded the USS ''Monocacy''. He was promoted to captain in October 1870, served as commandant of midshipman in the Naval Academy until 1873, and returned to sea duty in Europe before being named a member of the Lighthouse Board in 1877. After the Civil War, Carter became a Veteran Companion of the

Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), or simply the Loyal Legion is a United States patriotic order, organized April 15, 1865, by three veteran officers of the Army. The original membership was composed of members ...

(MOLLUS), a military society composed of Union officers and their descendants. In 1877, Carter married Martha Custis Williams (1827–1899), a descendant of

Martha Custis Washington Martha Dandridge Custis Washington (June 21, 1731 — May 22, 1802) was the wife of George Washington, the first president of the United States. Although the title was not coined until after her death, Martha Washington served as the inaugural ...

. Promoted to commodore in November 1878, Carter retired in August 1881, shortly before being promoted to rear admiral on the retired list in May 1882. He lived in retirement until his death in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Carter is buried in the Oak Hill Cemetery. A Tennessee Historical Marker located on West Elk Avenue in front of the S. P. Carter home in downtown

, commemorates his life and naval career.

Dates of rank

*Midshipman – 14 February 1840 *Passed Midshipman – 11 July 1846 *Master – 12 September 1854 *Lieutenant – 18 April 1855 *Brigadier General, Volunteer Army – 1 May 1862 *Lieutenant Commander – 16 July 1862 *Brevet Major General – Volunteer Army – 13 March 1865 *Commander – 25 June 1865 *Mustered out of Volunteer Army – 15 January 1866 *Captain – 28 October 1870 *Commodore – 13 November 1878 *Retired List – 6 August 1881 *Rear Admiral on Retired List – 16 May 1882

Notes

References

* Eicher, John H., and Eicher, David J., ''Civil War High Commands'', Stanford University Press, 2001, . * McHenry, Robert. ''Webster's American Military Biographies'', Springfield, Mass.: G & C. Merriam Co., 1978. * Piston, William Garrett, ''Carter's Raid: An Episode of the Civil War in East Tennessee'', (Johnson City, Tenn.: The Overmountain Press, 1989). * Temple, Oliver P. ''Notable Men of Tennessee'', New York: Cosmopolitan Press, 1912, p. 89. * "A Sketch of the Military Services of Sam. P. Carter, Brig. Genl. & Brevt. Maj. Genl. of U.S. Vols. during the Rebellion of the Southern States, 1861–5." S.P. Carter Papers, 1882, MS 16,791, Library of Congress, Washington, DC. (1st Tenn. Inf. US, pp. 26–31)

External links

Obituaries – Admiral Samuel P. Carter. The Washington Post, May 28, 1891.
*
U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association & Foundation – Commandants.

WETS 89.5FM Public Radio – Carter at Main Restaurant (Samuel P. Carter House – location of Tennessee Historical Marker).

* [http://speccol.mdarchives.state.md.us/msa/speccol/catalog/cfm/dsp_inventory.cfm?CurrentPage=1&speccol=910&box_no=11&a_level=inventory Maryland State Archives Guide to Special Collections – Letters, Samuel P. Carter]
Journal of the executive proceedings of the Senate of the United States of America, 1861–1862 FRIDAY, March 21, 1862.

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20070930165010/http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/imagegallery.php?EntryID=C044 TN Encyclopedia: CARTER MANSION
eHistory.com – Search Results for 'S.P. Carter'

eHistory.com – Search Results for 'Samuel P. Carter'
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, Samuel P. 1819 births 1891 deaths United States Navy personnel of the Mexican–American War Union Army generals United States Naval Academy alumni United States Navy rear admirals (upper half) People of Tennessee in the American Civil War Southern Unionists in the American Civil War People from Elizabethton, Tennessee Burials at Oak Hill Cemetery (Washington, D.C.)