Ezra Ayres Carman

After graduation from the Western Military Institute—which became the University of Nashville—in 1855, he taught mathematics and earned a Master's degree.

He volunteered for service at Newark, NJ on 3 Sept 1861, and was appointed Lt. Colonel of the 7th NJ Infantry. He was wounded at Williamsburg, Virginia on 5 May 1862.

He was discharged at Newark on 8 Jul 1862 to take command of 13th NJ. He served as Colonel of the Regiment from 5 August 1862 to 5 June 1865.

He was in command of the 13th NJ, part of the the Federal 12th Corps' attack from the North and East Woods on the morning of 17 September.

From 1871 to 1875 he was Comptroller of Jersey City, New Jersey. From 1877 to 1885 he was Chief Clerk of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

He served on the Antietam Battlefield Board from 1894 to 1898 and he is acknowledged as probably the leading authority on the battle. It was his work which carefully documented the positions and movements of all the combat units on the field.

From 1905 until his death in 1909 he served as Chairman of the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park Commission.

Image above from the USAMHI1; service details from Heitman 2 and most bio facts from Carman 3

See the Atlas of the battlefield of Antietam, at the Library of Congress - largely Col. Carman's work.

See also a more complete biographical sketch of the Colonel, part of the finding aid to a collection of his papers at the New Jersey Historical Society, Newark.

02/27/1834; Metuchen, NJ

12/25/1909; Washington, DC; burial in Arlington National Cemetery, VA