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S. Carruth
(1834 - 1892)
Home State: Massachusetts
Command Billet: Commanding Regiment
Branch of Service: Infantry
Before Antietam
In 1861, the Chelsea Light Infantry, a militia unit, was mustered into service as Company H of the 1st Massachusetts Infantry, under command of Captain Sumner Carruth (to rank from 23 May 1861). He was listed on mustering as a 26 year old machinist, living in Chelsea. He was wounded 25 June 1862 at Fair Oaks, Va.. He was discharged from the 1st Massachusetts 19 August, to accept appointment as Major of the 35th Massachusetts on 21 August 1862.
On the Campaign
He relieved the wounded Colonel Wild after South Mountain on 14 September, in command of the regiment, but was himself wounded on the 17th.
The rest of the War
He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel shortly after the battle, on 21 September, and was made Colonel of the Regiment 1 May 1863. He mustered out of the service 9 June 1865. He was cited by brevet to Brigadier General in April 1865 for bravery at Petersburg , where he had commanded a brigade of Massachusetts troops.
References & notes
Information above from Heitman1,
the Chelsea Historical Society2, and
muster roll data for the 1st Massachusetts, from the Letters of the Civil War website (gone 2005).
His photo above is from Uriguen3, and there is a bust portrait of him (Image RG98S-CWP 213.49) at the USAMHI4
Carruth married Clara Smith of Newark N.J. on 18 August 1862, the day before leaving the 1st Massachusetts and three days before his appointment in the 35th. They later had two daughters (Minnie Hale, 1863; Clara Louise, 1869). 5
Birth
12/22/1834; North Brookfield, MA
Death
3/10/1892
1 Heitman, Francis Bernard, Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army 1789-1903, 2 volumes, Washington DC: US Government Printing Office, 1903, pg. 286 [AotW citation 426]
2 Undated article: "Chelsea in the Civil War".
Chelsea Historical Society, Chelsea (Mass.) Historical Society, Published c. 2000, first accessed 01 January 2005, <http://olgp.net/chs/index.htm>, Source page: /war/civil.htm [AotW citation 427]
3 Uriguen, Mikel, Photo Gallery (Generals and Brevet Generals), Generals of the Civil War, Published c. 1998, first accessed 01 January 1998, <http://www.generalsandbrevets.com/>, Source page: /bc/bc2.htm [AotW citation 428]
4 US Army, Military History Institute (USAMHI), American Civil War (ACW) photographs, Military History Institute Photograph Database, Published c. 1998, first accessed 01 January 2005, <http://cdm16635.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/search/collection/p16635coll20/>, Source page: RG98S-CWP 213.49 [AotW citation 429]
5 Family genealogical data, including birth information, from descendant Sean T Wright. Mr Wright is preparing the History of The Descendants of John Carruth 1740-1880 for publication.
Carruth, William Ward, Compiler, The Descendants of John Carruth, Boston: David Clapp & Son, Printers, 1880 [AotW citation 439]