Thomas Henry Carter (June 13, 1831 – June 2, 1908) was an artillery officer in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. His battalion played an important role in the Battle of Gettysburg.

Early life

Carter was born in King William County, Virginia, the third of five children and the second son of Thomas Nelson Carter and Juliet Gaines Carter. His father was a first cousin to General

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nort ...

. Carter was a member of the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) Class of 1849. He graduated with medical degrees from the University of Virginia (1851) and the University of Pennsylvania (1852). Carter did not engage in the practice of medicine. Instead, he returned to manage his father's plantation, Pampatike, after the overseer died.

Civil War

He entered what became the Army of Northern Virginia in June 1861 as

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 ...

of the King William Artillery. His younger brother, Julian Carter of the

4th Virginia Cavalry The 4th Virginia Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly with the Army of Northern Virginia. History The Virginia 4th Cavalry comp ...

, was killed in late July 1862 at a minor skirmish near

Malvern Hill Malvern Hill stands on the north bank of the James River in Henrico County, Virginia, USA, about eighteen miles southeast of Richmond. On 1 July 1862, it was the scene of the Battle of Malvern Hill, one of the Seven Days Battles of the American ...

. Tom Carter was wounded in the foot at Sharpsburg. In December he was promoted to major, a rank he held until he became a

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 ...

in April 1863. By the Gettysburg Campaign of 1863, Carter commanded a battalion of artillery in Lt. Gen.

Richard S. Ewell Richard Stoddert Ewell (February 8, 1817 – January 25, 1872) was a career United States Army officer and a Confederate general during the American Civil War. He achieved fame as a senior commander under Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee ...

's Second Corps. His guns unlimbered on Oak Hill northwest of Gettysburg and contributed to the eventual withdrawal of the Union First Corps of the Army of the Potomac. Carter's guns later supported Pickett's Charge on July 3. Promoted to colonel in March 1864, he remained with the Army of Northern Virginia during the Overland Campaign until September when he left to temporarily replace Brig. Gen.

Armistead L. Long Armistead Lindsay Long (September 13, 1825 – April 29, 1891) was a Brigadier General (CSA), brigadier general for the Confederate States of America, and the author of the 1886 book ''Memoirs of Robert E. Lee''. Early life and career Long was bo ...

as chief of artillery for Lt. Gen.

Jubal A. Early Jubal Anderson Early (November 3, 1816 – March 2, 1894) was a Virginia lawyer and politician who became a Confederate States of America, Confederate general during the American Civil War. Trained at the United States Military Academy, Early r ...

during the second half of Early's Valley Campaigns of 1864. Carter fought in several important battles, including the Battle of Cedar Creek.

Post War career

Following the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia at

Appomattox Court House Appomattox Court House could refer to: * The village of Appomattox Court House, now the Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, in central Virginia (U.S.), where Confederate army commander Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union commander Ulyss ...

, Carter returned to his ancestral family plantation, Pampatike, which was located near the

Pamunkey River The Pamunkey River is a tributary of the York River, about long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 in eastern Virginia in the United States. Via the York Rive ...

in eastern Virginia, where he lived with his wife Susan (Roy) Carter and their three small children. Carter continued to farm the property, and his wife operated a school at the house. In the late 1870s Carter was appointed the first railroad commissioner in the state of Virginia. He held the position for a handful of years. In the late 1880s, he served for several years as a member of the board of arbitration of the Southern Railway and Steamship Association. Carter spent his final years as

proctor Proctor (a variant of ''procurator'') is a person who takes charge of, or acts for, another. The title is used in England and some other English-speaking countries in three principal contexts: * In law, a proctor is a historical class of lawye ...

and superintendent of grounds and buildings for the University of Virginia.

Death

Carter died in 1908. He is buried in Hollywood Cemetery in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

References

* Files of the Virginia Historical Society (Richmond, Virginia)

External links

Antietam on the Web - Thomas Henry Carter
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, Thomas H. Confederate States Army officers People from King William County, Virginia 1831 births 1908 deaths People of Virginia in the American Civil War Burials at Hollywood Cemetery (Richmond, Virginia) Thomas H. Virginia Military Institute alumni University of Virginia people Physicians from Virginia American planters