Eugene Asa Carr

Eugene Asa Niel Carr (March 20, 1830 – December 2, 1910) was a soldier in the United States Army and a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Pea Ridge. Early life Carr was born in Hamburg, New York. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, in 1850, 19th in a class of 44 cadets. He was appointed a brevet second lieutenant in the Regiment of Mounted Riflemen and served in the Indian Wars until 1861. On October 3, 1854, Carr first saw combat in the Battle of the Diablo Mountains. By 1861, he had been promoted to captain (June 11, 1858) in the old 1st U.S. Cavalry (later designated the 4th U.S.) and command of Fort Washita in the Indian Territory. Civil War During the Civil War, Carr's first combat was at the Battle of Wilson's Creek on August 10, 1861. He was appointed colonel of the 3rd Illinois Cavalry six days later and received a brevet promotion to lieutenant colonel in the regular army. At the Battle of Pea Ridge in Arkansas, on March 7, 1862, Carr led the 4th Division of the Army of the Southwest in the fighting around Elkhorn Tavern. He was wounded in the neck, arm, and ankle and was later awarded a Medal of Honor for his actions. According to the official citation, Carr had "directed the deployment of his command and held his ground, under a brisk fire of shot and shell in which he was several times wounded." On April 30, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln appointed Carr brigadier general of volunteers, to rank from March 7, 1862. The President had submitted the nomination to the U.S. Senate on April 11, 1862, and the Senate had confirmed the appointment on April 28, 1862 Carr briefly commanded the Army of the Southwest from October 7 to November 12, 1863. He commanded the 2nd Division of the Army of Southeast Missouri before he and his division were transferred to the Army of the Tennessee as the 14th Division in the XIII Corps.