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Show historical highlights (Released by Western Newspaper Union.) Our Only Admiral General I7IFTY years ago there died in Washington, D. C, a man who is unique in the history of America's armed forces. He was Samuel Powhatan Pow-hatan Carter and he was the only officer who ever became both brigadier-general in the United States army and rear-admiral in the United Unit-ed States navy! Born in Elizabethtown, Tenn., August Au-gust 6, 1819, Carter was educated at Princeton university and left that institution to accept a commission as midshipman in the navy in 1840. At the outbreak of the War with Mexico in 1846 he was assigned to the U. S. S. Ohio and took part in the capture of Vera Cruz. After the war he was ordered to the United States Naval academy at Annapolis where he served as assistant assist-ant instructor of infantry tactics until un-til 1853. Promoted to lieutenant two I X 1 ! . " 1 1 REAR-ADMIRAL S. P. CARTER years later, he saw active service against the Chinese pirates who were preying on commerce along the Asiatic coast. He was on a tour of duty in Brazilian waters at the outbreak out-break of the Civil war and, believing believ-ing that the navy would see little active service, he asked to join the land forces. On July 11, 1861, Lieutenant Carter Car-ter of the navy was transferred to the war department and sent on a special mission to East Tennessee to raise troops for the Union army. Appointed colonel of the Second Tennessee Ten-nessee Volunteers, he continued his recruiting work until he had organized organ-ized a full brigade and was made acting brigadier-general in September, Septem-ber, 1861. Early the next year he was given the full commission of brigadier-general of volunteers. "Old Horse Marine" Carter, as they called him, served brilliantly throughout the war, participating m numerous battles in Kentucky, Ten- it ' J j BRIG-GEN. S. P. CARTER cessee and North Carolina. One of his outstanding achievements was in 1862 when he led a cavalry raid through Eastern Tennessee. Because of his success, this "sailor on horseback" horse-back" was recommended for promotion pro-motion to major-general. That promotion did not come however, how-ever, until March 13, 1865, when he was given the brevet of major-general. Meanwhile he had been promoted pro-moted to the rank of commander in the navy, but, although holding commissions com-missions in both the army and the navy, he drew the salary of only one of these offices. Honorably mustered out of the volunteer vol-unteer service in 1866, Carter was ready for another go at naval service. serv-ice. He asked for active duty, was given command of the gunboat Monocacy and sent to the Asiatic station where he remained for three years. Then he was promoted to captain. After another tour of duty on the European station, he was finally retired on August 6, 1881. The climax of his naval career came the next year when he was promoted pro-moted to rear-admiral. Carter's last years were spent in the nation's capital cap-ital where he died May 26. 1891. In 18G3 the "sailor on horseback," proved he could hold his own with some of the South's best cavalry commanders, including the doughty Gen. John H. Morgan. For his troopers troop-ers whipped the gray-clad horsemen of "Morgan the Raider" at West's on August 28 and following it up by defeating Pegram's forces and winning win-ning another victory over Morgan. He took part in the battle of Knox-ville Knox-ville and in 18G5 led the left wing of Schcficld's army at the Battle of Kingston, N. C, where Bragg was defeated. |