Henry B. Carrington

Henry Beebee Carrington (March 2, 1824 – October 26, 1912) was a lawyer, professor, prolific author, and an officer in the United States Army during the American Civil War and in the Old West during Red Cloud's War. A noted engineer, he constructed a series of forts to protect the Bozeman Trail, but suffered a major defeat at the hands of the warchief Red Cloud.

Early life

Carrington was born in Wallingford, Connecticut. An ardent abolitionist in his youth, he was graduated from Yale University in 1845. He was professor of natural science and Greek at the Irving Institute in Tarrytown, New York from 1846 to 1847. Under the influence of the school's founder, Washington Irving, he subsequently wrote Battles of the American Revolution, which appeared in 1876.

In 1847 he studied at Yale Law School while teaching school briefly at a women's institute. The following year he moved to Columbus, Ohio, where he practiced law in partnership with William Dennison, Jr. (who was to become Governor of Ohio in 1860). Carrington was an active anti-slavery Whig, and helped organize the Republican Party in 1854. He became a close friend and supporter of Governor Salmon P. Chase and the latter appointed him Judge Advocate General in 1857. In the next year he became Adjutant-General of Ohio and was charged with reorganizing the state militia.

Civil War service

At the outbreak of the American Civil War Carrington subsequently mustered ten regiments of militia and organized the first twenty-six Ohio regiments. He was commissioned as colonel of the new 18th U.S. Infantry in May 1861 and established Camp Thomas near Columbus.