Sumner Carruth
Encyclopedia
Sumner Carruth was an officer in the volunteer army of the United States during the American Civil War
. He commanded the 35th Massachusetts Infantry and eventually rose to the command of two different brigades in the IX Corps
.
. He worked as a machinist. At the outbreak of the Civil War he was a militia
officer. His company, the Chelsea
Light Infantry, was mustered into the federal service as Company H of the 1st Massachusetts Infantry
in 1861. 1st Lt. Carruth was credited with the leading role in persuading the company to volunteer.
Israel B. Richardson
. Carruth next served in the Army of the Potomac
during the Peninsula Campaign
. The regiment was in the III Corps
in the division of Maj. Gen.
Joseph Hooker
. Carruth was present at the Battle of Yorktown (1862)
, where his company distinguished itself. The company also fought at the Battle of Williamsburg
. Carruth was wounded in the arm at the Battle of Seven Pines
, apparently missing the subsequent battles of the Peninsula Campaign.
Carruth returned to the field as a major
in the newly-organized 35th Massachusetts Infantry, commissioned at that rank on August 21, 1862. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel
on August 27 of that year. The regiment served in IX Corps
in the division of Brig. Gen.
Samuel D. Sturgis
. Carruth was present at the Battle of South Mountain
, where the commander, Col. Edward A. Wild
was wounded. Carruth succeeded to command, but he was wounded at the Battle of Antietam
near Burnside’s Bridge. Carruth was captured at White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia
on November 11, 1862, missing the Battle of Fredericksburg
.
After being exchanged, Carruth next served in IX Corps in the Department of the Ohio
. He became colonel of his regiment on May 1, 1863 and served with the corps in the Siege of Vicksburg, as well as in Eastern Tennessee. Carruth led the 2nd brigade, 2nd division, IX Corps from February 2 to March 3, 1864, before the Corps was transferred back to Virginia. In Virginia, he led the same brigade in April 1864. Then he led 1st brigade, 1st division, IX Corps from April 25 to May 6, 1864. On the second day of the Battle of the Wilderness
, May 6, Carruth's brigade was involved in the fighting on the Orange Plank Road. Fighting in the Wilderness alongside the troops of Brig. Gen. Alexander Webb
and Brig. Gen. James Wadsworth
, Carruth was felled by sunstroke and carried from the field.
Col. Carruth returned to IX Corps in the Army of the Potomac late in 1864 during the Siege of Petersburg
, command his regiment. He led a brigade in the second division from January 23 to February 11, 1865, in the absence of Brig. Gen. John I. Curtin
. He did so again from May 4 to June 9 of that year, serving in the Department of Washington after the Confederate surrender. Carruth was mustered out of the volunteer service on June 9, 1865. On January 13, 1866, President
Andrew Johnson
nominated Carruth for the award of the honorary grade of brevet
brigadier general, U.S. Volunteers, to rank from April 9, 1865, and the U.S. Senate confirmed the award on March 12, 1866. His brevet was awarded for gallant and meritorious services in the attack on Fort Mahone on April 2, 1865 during Battle of Petersburg III
. Maj. Gen. John G. Parke, commander of IX Corps, recommended him; and two other officers commended his regiment for its role in that action.
on August 18, 1862, just before leaving the 1st Massachusetts and joining the 35th regiment. The Sumner’s had two daughters, Minnie Hale, born in 1863, and Clara Louise, born in 1869. Carruth farmed and served as a customs official. Sumner died in 1892 in Andover, Massachusetts
and was buried in the West Parish Cemetery.
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. He commanded the 35th Massachusetts Infantry and eventually rose to the command of two different brigades in the IX Corps
IX Corps (ACW)
IX Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War that distinguished itself in combat in multiple theaters: the Carolinas, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi.-Formation, Second Bull Run, and Antietam:...
.
Pre-War
Carruth was born on December 22, 1834 in North Brookfield, MassachusettsNorth Brookfield, Massachusetts
North Brookfield is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 4,680 at the 2010 census.For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place North Brookfield, please see the article North Brookfield , Massachusetts.- History :North Brookfield...
. He worked as a machinist. At the outbreak of the Civil War he was a militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
officer. His company, the Chelsea
Chelsea, Massachusetts
Chelsea is a city in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States directly across the Mystic River from the city of Boston. It is the smallest city in Massachusetts in land area, and the 26th most densely populated incorporated place in the country.-History:...
Light Infantry, was mustered into the federal service as Company H of the 1st Massachusetts Infantry
1st Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry
The 1st Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union army during the American Civil War.Organized at "Camp Ellsworth" in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the regiment was made up partly of companies that had belonged to the 1st Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Militia, a...
in 1861. 1st Lt. Carruth was credited with the leading role in persuading the company to volunteer.
Civil War Service
On May 22, 1861, Carruth, became captain of Company H by election. He first saw combat at First Bull Run in the brigade of Col.Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
Israel B. Richardson
Israel B. Richardson
Israel Bush Richardson was a United States Army officer during the Mexican-American War and American Civil War, where he was a major general in the Union Army...
. Carruth next served in the Army of the Potomac
Army of the Potomac
The Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.-History:The Army of the Potomac was created in 1861, but was then only the size of a corps . Its nucleus was called the Army of Northeastern Virginia, under Brig. Gen...
during the Peninsula Campaign
Peninsula Campaign
The Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March through July 1862, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater. The operation, commanded by Maj. Gen. George B...
. The regiment was in the III Corps
III Corps (ACW)
There were four formations in the Union Army designated as III Corps during the American Civil War.Three were short-lived:*In the Army of Virginia:**Irvin McDowell ;**James B...
in the division of Maj. Gen.
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
Joseph Hooker
Joseph Hooker
Joseph Hooker was a career United States Army officer, achieving the rank of major general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Although he served throughout the war, usually with distinction, Hooker is best remembered for his stunning defeat by Confederate General Robert E...
. Carruth was present at the Battle of Yorktown (1862)
Battle of Yorktown (1862)
The Battle of Yorktown or Siege of Yorktown was fought from April 5 to May 4, 1862, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. Marching from Fort Monroe, Union Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan's Army of the Potomac encountered Maj. Gen. John B. Magruder's small Confederate force...
, where his company distinguished itself. The company also fought at the Battle of Williamsburg
Battle of Williamsburg
The Battle of Williamsburg, also known as the Battle of Fort Magruder, took place on May 5, 1862, in York County, James City County, and Williamsburg, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War...
. Carruth was wounded in the arm at the Battle of Seven Pines
Battle of Seven Pines
The Battle of Seven Pines, also known as the Battle of Fair Oaks or Fair Oaks Station, took place on May 31 and June 1, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of an offensive up the Virginia Peninsula by Union Maj. Gen....
, apparently missing the subsequent battles of the Peninsula Campaign.
Carruth returned to the field as a major
Major (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, major is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel...
in the newly-organized 35th Massachusetts Infantry, commissioned at that rank on August 21, 1862. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
on August 27 of that year. The regiment served in IX Corps
IX Corps (ACW)
IX Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War that distinguished itself in combat in multiple theaters: the Carolinas, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi.-Formation, Second Bull Run, and Antietam:...
in the division of Brig. Gen.
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
Samuel D. Sturgis
Samuel D. Sturgis
Samuel Davis Sturgis was an American military officer who served in the Mexican-American War, as a Union general in the American Civil War, and later in the Indian Wars.-Early life:...
. Carruth was present at the Battle of South Mountain
Battle of South Mountain
The Battle of South Mountain was fought September 14, 1862, as part of the Maryland Campaign of the American Civil War. Three pitched battles were fought for possession of three South Mountain passes: Crampton's, Turner's, and Fox's Gaps. Maj. Gen. George B...
, where the commander, Col. Edward A. Wild
Edward A. Wild
Edward Augustus Wild was an American homeopathic doctor and a brigadier general in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Early life and career:...
was wounded. Carruth succeeded to command, but he was wounded at the Battle of Antietam
Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam , fought on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, and Antietam Creek, as part of the Maryland Campaign, was the first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Northern soil. It was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with about 23,000...
near Burnside’s Bridge. Carruth was captured at White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia
White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia
White Sulphur Springs is a city in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 2,444 at the 2010 census.-Geography:White Sulphur Springs is located at ....
on November 11, 1862, missing the Battle of Fredericksburg
Battle of Fredericksburg
The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, between General Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside...
.
After being exchanged, Carruth next served in IX Corps in the Department of the Ohio
Department of the Ohio
The Department of the Ohio was an administrative military district created by the United States War Department early in the American Civil War to administer the troops in the Northern states near the Ohio River.General Orders No...
. He became colonel of his regiment on May 1, 1863 and served with the corps in the Siege of Vicksburg, as well as in Eastern Tennessee. Carruth led the 2nd brigade, 2nd division, IX Corps from February 2 to March 3, 1864, before the Corps was transferred back to Virginia. In Virginia, he led the same brigade in April 1864. Then he led 1st brigade, 1st division, IX Corps from April 25 to May 6, 1864. On the second day of the Battle of the Wilderness
Battle of the Wilderness
The Battle of the Wilderness, fought May 5–7, 1864, was the first battle of Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Both armies suffered heavy casualties, a harbinger of a bloody war of attrition by...
, May 6, Carruth's brigade was involved in the fighting on the Orange Plank Road. Fighting in the Wilderness alongside the troops of Brig. Gen. Alexander Webb
Alexander S. Webb
Alexander Stewart Webb was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War who received the Medal of Honor for gallantry at the Battle of Gettysburg...
and Brig. Gen. James Wadsworth
James S. Wadsworth
James Samuel Wadsworth was a philanthropist, politician, and a Union general in the American Civil War. He was killed in battle during the Battle of the Wilderness of 1864.-Early years:...
, Carruth was felled by sunstroke and carried from the field.
Col. Carruth returned to IX Corps in the Army of the Potomac late in 1864 during the Siege of Petersburg
Siege of Petersburg
The Richmond–Petersburg Campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War...
, command his regiment. He led a brigade in the second division from January 23 to February 11, 1865, in the absence of Brig. Gen. John I. Curtin
John I. Curtin
John Irvin Curtin was a cousin of Pennsylvania governor Andrew Gregg Curtin. He led a regiment and then a brigade in the American Civil War.-Early life:Curtin was born at Eagle Forge, Pennsylvania...
. He did so again from May 4 to June 9 of that year, serving in the Department of Washington after the Confederate surrender. Carruth was mustered out of the volunteer service on June 9, 1865. On January 13, 1866, President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the United States . As Vice-President of the United States in 1865, he succeeded Abraham Lincoln following the latter's assassination. Johnson then presided over the initial and contentious Reconstruction era of the United States following the American...
nominated Carruth for the award of the honorary grade of brevet
Brevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
brigadier general, U.S. Volunteers, to rank from April 9, 1865, and the U.S. Senate confirmed the award on March 12, 1866. His brevet was awarded for gallant and meritorious services in the attack on Fort Mahone on April 2, 1865 during Battle of Petersburg III
Battle of Petersburg III
The Third Battle of Petersburg, also known as the Breakthrough at Petersburg or the Fall of Petersburg, was a decisive Union assault on the Confederate trenches, ending the ten-month Siege of Petersburg and leading to the fall of Petersburg and Richmond, Virginia.-Fort Mahone:The Union IX Corps...
. Maj. Gen. John G. Parke, commander of IX Corps, recommended him; and two other officers commended his regiment for its role in that action.
Post-War
Sumner Carruth married Clara Smith of Newark, New JerseyNewark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
on August 18, 1862, just before leaving the 1st Massachusetts and joining the 35th regiment. The Sumner’s had two daughters, Minnie Hale, born in 1863, and Clara Louise, born in 1869. Carruth farmed and served as a customs official. Sumner died in 1892 in Andover, Massachusetts
Andover, Massachusetts
Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was incorporated in 1646 and as of the 2010 census, the population was 33,201...
and was buried in the West Parish Cemetery.
See also
- List of Massachusetts generals in the American Civil War
- Massachusetts in the American Civil War
Sources
- Frederick H. Dyer, Compendium of the War of the Rebellion, Des Moines, Ia.: Dyer Pub. Co., 1908, vol. 1.
- John H. Eicher and David J. Eicher, Civil War High Commands, Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. ISBN 0-8047-3641-3.
- Hunt, Roger D. and Brown, Jack R., Brevet Brigadier Generals in Blue. Olde Soldier Books, Inc., Gaithersburg, MD, 1990. ISBN 1-56013-002-4.
- Gordon C. Rhea, The Battle of the Wilderness, May 5–6, 1864, Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2004. ISBN 0-8071-3021-4, 9780807130216.
- Stewart Sifakis, Who Was Who in the Civil War, New York, N.Y. : Facts on File, c1988, p. 109.