James Patton Taylor Carter
| James P. T. Carter | |
|---|---|
| 2nd Secretary of Arizona Territory | |
|
In office September 3, 1866 – April 14, 1869 |
|
| Nominated by | Andrew Johnson |
| Preceded by | Richard Cunningham McCormick |
| Succeeded by | Coles Bashford |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
July 30, 1822 Carter County, Tennessee |
| Died | September 29, 1869 (aged 47) Rancho San Francisco, Sonora, Mexico |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Whig/Democratic |
| Spouse(s) |
Margaretta M. Dunn (m. 1851–54) Margaret Letcher (m. 1856) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 United StatesUnion |
| Service/branch | Union Army |
| Years of service | 1861–1864 |
| Rank |
 Colonel
|
| Unit |
2nd Tennessee Infantry Regiment 24th Brigade, Army of the Ohio |
| Battles/wars | |
James Patton Taylor Carter (July 30, 1822 – September 28/29, 1869) was an American military officer and politician who served as Secretary of Arizona Territory from 1866 to 1869.
Carter was born the youngest child of Alfred Moore and Evalina B. (Petty) Carter on July 30, 1822 in or near the town of Elizabethton in Carter County, Tennessee. His grandfather, Landon Carter, is the person for whom Carter County was named, while the county seat is named after his grandmother, Elizabeth (Maclin) Carter. His older brother was General Samuel P. Carter. Details of Carter's education have been lost, but his correspondence shows he was literate with solid language skills. His family business involved iron manufacturing, and Carter took control of the business following his father's death in 1850. Carter married Margaretta M. Dunn on August 5, 1851. The union produced a son, William A. Carter. Following the death of his first wife, he married Margaret Letcher.
Politically, Carter and his family were Whigs. As the American Civil War approached, Carter became an outspoken Union supporter. During an anti-secession meeting in Knoxville at the end of May 1861, he was one of five delegates representing Carter County. The next month, Carter was one of "three brave men" who escorted Andrew Johnson from Greeneville, Tennessee to Washington D.C. While they were fired upon several times during their journey through the Cumberland Gap, the group arrived safely at their destination. Shortly after his arrival in Washington, Carter left on a secret mission involving the arming of Union supporters in eastern Tennessee by the U.S. federal government.
In August 1861, Carter became a colonel in the 2nd Regiment Tennessee Volunteer Infantry. He saw action during the battles of Mill Springs and Murfreesboro as well as during the pursuit of John Hunt Morgan Carter became a brigade commander in the XXIII Corps on July 15, 1863. During the war he was slightly wounded and held shortly as a prisoner of war. Carter resigned on May 2, 1864, saying "I have become ... a supernumerary officer in the service of the United States" following "the capture of about three-fourths of my command". At the end of the war he found himself impoverished by the seizure of his property by Confederate forces, and in poor health.
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