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Capt. R. G. Carter
Robert Goldthwaite Carter (October 29, 1845 - January 4, 1936) was a U.S. Cavalry officer who served in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars, most notably against the Comanche during which he...view moreRobert Goldthwaite Carter (October 29, 1845 - January 4, 1936) was a U.S. Cavalry officer who served in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars, most notably against the Comanche during which he received the Medal of Honor for his role against a Comanche raiding party at Brazos River in Texas on October 10, 1871.
Born in Bridgton, Maine, he moved to Massachusetts in 1857. He was preparing to enter Phillips Academy when he enlisted as a private in the 22nd Massachusetts Infantry at the start of the American Civil War, remaining with Army of the Potomac for two years (1862-1864), and took part in the Battle of Antietam, Gettysburg, the Wilderness and the Siege of Petersburg.
In July 1865, he began attending West Point and was eventually commissioned a second lieutenant and assigned to the 4th U.S. Cavalry in 1870. He participated in a number of expeditions over the next years against the Comanche and other tribes in the Texas-area. He was brevetted first lieutenant and awarded the Medal of Honor for his “most distinguished gallantry” against the Comanche in Blanco Canyon on a tributary of the Brazos River in 1871. Returning to active duty, he joined several campaigns, including against the Kickapoo of northern Mexico in May 1873, and awarded a brevet to captain. He won promotion to first lieutenant in 1875 but a severe leg injury disqualified him from active field duty and forced him to retire in 1876. He was promoted to captain on the retired list in 1904.
He taught school and later headed the Washington-bureau of the Public Service Publishing Company in New York City. He wrote a number of booklets and books including Four Brothers in Blue (1913) and The Old Sergeant’s Story (1926). His most successful work was his memoir On the Border with Mackenzie (1935), which was published as the age of 90.
Capt. Carter died at Washington, D.C. in 1936.view less