Ezra Ayers Carman was born on February 27, 1834, in Middlesex County, New Jersey, to Melancthon Carman and Ann Ayers. He graduated from the Western Military Institute (present-day University of Nashville) in 1855, and he married Ada Salmon on November 22, 1859. They had at least four children: Louis, born around 1861; Ada, born around 1864; Francis, born around 1868; and John, born around 1870. He earned a living as a book keeper in Newark, New Jersey.

 

In September 1861, he received a commission as lieutenant colonel of the 7^th New Jersey Infantry. He was wounded in the arm at Williamsburg in May 1862. In July 1862, he was promoted to colonel of the 13^th New Jersey Infantry. He took part in the Battle of Antietam, the Battle of Chancellorsville, and the Battle of Gettysburg. In 1863, he was transferred to the Western Theater, and he participated in the Atlanta campaign the following year. He mustered out on June 8, 1865.

 

He settled in Jersey City, New Jersey, after the war. He worked at a sawmill, and by 1870, he owned $10,000 of real estate and $2,500 of personal property. He moved to Washington, D.C., in the 1870s, and he served as chief clerk at the Department of Agriculture from 1877 until 1885. He became a historical expert on the Battle of Antietam, and he served on the Antietam Battlefield Commission in the 1890s. He died of pneumonia in Washington on December 25, 1909.

 

Image: Ezra A. Carman (courtesy Wikicommons)

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