Walter H. Carr Biography This biography appears on pages 192-195 in "History of Dakota Territory" by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. V (1915) and was scanned, OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net. This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit organizations for their private use. Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other means requires the written approval of the file's author. This file is part of the SDGENWEB Archives. If you arrived here inside a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at http://usgwarchives.org/sd/sdfiles.htm WALTER H. CARR. Walter H. Carr is one of the prominent pioneer merchants of South Dakota, in which connection he has become widely and favorably known. He is also prominent in Grand Army circles, being numbered among the honored veterans of the Civil war to whom the country owes a debt of gratitude that can never be paid. He was born in England on the 27th of February, 1848, a son of William and Ann (Kinder) Carr, the former a practicing physician. The family came to the United States about 1851 and settled near Utica, New York. The father died in 1873 at Bloomington, Indiana, while the mother later passed away at Utica, New York. Walter H. Carr was a little lad of but three summers when the family came to the United States. He was educated in the public schools of New York and was about twelve years of age at the time of the outbreak of the Civil war. Two years later, or in 1863, he enlisted in defense of the Union, becoming a member of Company D, Second New York Heavy Artillery, enlisting in that command at Utica. He was just past fifteen years of age at the time, being one of the youngest to enter the army from New York. One of his two brothers joined the same company and with other recruits was sent on to Washington to join the regiment, which was then stationed at Fort C. F. Smith, Virginia, on the Potomac river, near Washington, D. C. There the recruits were taught all the arts of war in both artillery and infantry practice and prepared for the hard military service that was soon to follow. About the 17th of May, 1864, the regiment was ordered to the front and was attached to the famous Second Army Corps, Army of the Potomac, under the leadership of that gallant commander, General W. S. Hancock. The army had just participated in the great battle of the Wilderness near Richmond, Virginia. His regiment joined the Second Corps just in time to be ordered into the battle of Spottsylvania, Virginia, where they lost a large number of men in killed, captured and wounded, Mr. Carr was afterward in the engagements at North Ann, Virginia, May 22; Totopotomoy, May 31st; Cold Harbor, June 3d; Petersburg, June 16th to 18th; Strawberry Plain, July 28th; Deep Bottom, August 14-16; and Reams Station, August 25, 1864. At the last named place he and his brother, Henry Carr, were taken prisoners on the skirmish line. His brother, Henry, died many years afterward at Utica, New York, passing away in 1911, but the other brother, Charles, who had joined the army, was killed at Petersburg, Virginia, at the battle of the Mine, July 30, 1864. After Walter H. and Henry Carr were captured at Reams Station they were sent to Petersburg, thence to Richmond and were confined in Libby prison two weeks, after which they were transferred to Belle Isle, near Richmond, Virginia, where they remained for about two weeks. In the latter part of September he and his brother were transferred from Belle Isle prison pen to Salisbury (N. C.) prison pen, being confined there until February 22, 1865, when they were sent to Goldsboro, North Carolina, where they were paroled. They then marched to Wilmington, North Carolina, and remained in camp about one week, after which they went to Annapolis, Maryland, by steamer, there entering a parole camp, where they remained until discharged on the 10th of June, 1865, on account of the close of the war. Walter H. Carr suffered all of the horrors of the various prisons, where no comforts were supplied and where the scanty provisions were of such a nature that they were unfit to eat had not absolute hunger and starvation driven the men to it. While there incarcerated he saw hundreds about him die of exposure and starvation. When the war closed he was discharged and returned home, but he was greatly broken down in health owing to the hardships of his prison life. His strength was so greatly exhausted that he was unable to walk and was carried into the house. His military record is one of which he has every reason to be proud, for he rendered nearly two years, faithful service to his country and yet was scarcely more than seventeen years of age when the war ended. When Mr. Carr had sufficiently recovered his health he was employed in various ways until May, 1867, when he left Utica, New York, for Yankton, Dakota Territory. He made his way to Omaha, Nebraska, and by steamer proceeded up the Missouri river to Yankton, where he arrived on the 10th of June, 1867. There was no railroad in those days and pioneer conditions were everywhere prevalent. Judge W. W. Brookings of Yankton was a friend of Mr. Carr and it was through his influence that the latter came to Dakota Territory. His first work in this territory was in hauling corn from Yankton to Sioux Falls with ox teams, the corn being used by the soldiers at the fort. Soon after his arrival here he took a preemption claim on Smutty Bear Bottom and lived there for two years. On the 6th of March, 1876, he engaged in business on Third street in Yankton and continued there until 1900, when he removed to Hurley, South Dakota, and established the grocery store of which he has now been proprietor for over fifteen years. His success has been due to his enterprising and thoroughly reliable methods. On the 20th of February, 1878, Mr. Carr was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Allen, a daughter of Joseph Allen. The wedding ceremony was performed by the Rev. Melancthon Hoyt at Swan Lake, Dakota Territory, which town was then the county seat of Turner county but is no longer in existence. They have three children, namely: Allen Charles, a veteran of the Spanish-American war, serving one year in the Philippines, who is now residing in Hurley, South Dakota; Louis Edward, of Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Emma Grace. There are also two grandchildren, Walter Mills and Carroll Beulah, children of Allen C. Carr. In his political views Mr. Carr has always been a stalwart republican since age conferred upon him the right of franchise. He is a Mason, belonging to St. John's Lodge, No. 1, at Yankton, South Dakota. Since joining the Grand Army of the Republic he has been most active in its work. He served as commander of Phil Kearney Post at Yankton, South Dakota, in 1883, and has been commander of E. S. McCook Post of Hurley for the past eight years. He has also been senior vice commander of the State Department of the G. A. R. of South Dakota and has served as a delegate to many national encampments. He proudly wears the little bronze button of the order and he is one of its most popular and best known representatives in South Dakota. He is also one of the oldest living pioneers in South Dakota and has been an active factor in the upbuilding and development of the territory and state, sharing the hardships of pioneer life and taking part in the later work of improvement. He is well known not only in Yankton and Turner counties but throughout southeastern Dakota, where he is honored and respected as a citizen who has cheerfully and wisely performed his full share in building up, from the foundation, one of the famous sovereign states of the Union.