Carter Moore Braxton

Not to be confused with Carter Braxton.

Carter M. Braxton
Born	(1836-09-05)September 5, 1836 Norfolk, Virginia, US
Died	May 27, 1898(1898-05-27) (aged 61) Newport News, Virginia, US
Buried	Greenlawn Cemetery
Allegiance	Confederate States of America
Branch	Confederate States Army
Rank	Lieutenant colonel
Battles	American Civil War Seven Days Battles Battle of Cedar Mountain Second Battle of Manassas Battle of Chantilly Battle of Antietam Battle of Fredericksburg Battle of Chancellorsville Battle of Mine Run Battle of the Wilderness Battle of Cold Harbor Battle of Hatcher's Run Battle of Five Forks

Carter Moore Braxton Jr. (1836–1898) was an American civil engineer and businessman, and a Confederate artillery officer, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel, during the American Civil War.

Origins

Carter Moore Braxton Jr. was born in Norfolk, Virginia on September 5, 1836, the son of Carter Moore Braxton Sr. by his third wife, Elizabeth Teagle Mayo Braxton. Elliott Muse Braxton was his elder half brother.

The family moved from Norfolk to King and Queen County, and there Carter Moore Braxton remained until his father died in 1847, after which he came to Fredericksburg, continuing his residence there until 1881. He then moved to Newport News and lived there till death.

Military career

Map of the Battle Field of Fredericksburg, Dec 13, 1862

During the American Civil War he enlisted in the forces of the Confederacy, and on May 8, 1861, was made captain of the artillery company from Fredericksburg which became known as Braxton's Battery. About a year later he was appointed chief of artillery on the staff of General A. P. Hill, in which capacity he served throughout the war.

During the Civil War, Braxton fought in the Seven Days Battles, the Second Battle of Manassas and the battles of Cedar Mountain, Chantilly, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Mine Run, the Wilderness, Cold Harbor, Hatcher's Run, and Five Forks.

Braxton was frequently in the heat of battle, and one later account states that he had seven horses killed under him in the course of the war. However, he was never wounded in action. After the war he prepared for publication a Map of the Battle Field of Fredericksburg, Explained by Extracts from Official Reports (1866).

Civilian life

During his residence and up to the time of his death he was connected with many important enterprises of Newport News and when the Chesapeake and Ohio railroad was extended to that city from Richmond he was chief engineer of the work. He was also the first president of the First National Bank and at the time of his death was vice-president of the Newport News Gas Company. For many years he was an active member of the First Baptist Church.

Death

He died of Bright's disease in Newport News on May 27, 1898, in his sixty-first year. His wife and five children were with him when he died. He was buried in the local Greenlawn Cemetery.

Sources

• Lane, Martin S. (December 22, 2021). "Carter M. Braxton (1836–1898)". In Encyclopedia Virginia. Virginia Humanities. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
• "Col. C. M. Braxton Dead". The Daily Star. May 28, 1898. p. 3.
• "Col. Braxton Dead". Daily Press. May 28, 1898. p. 1.
• "Braxton's Battery". The Daily Times. December 17, 1898. p. 4.

Further reading

• Krick, Robert K. (1986). The Fredericksburg Artillery. Lynchburg: H. E. Howard.
• Lane, Martin S. (2001). "Braxton, Carter Moore" In Sara Bearss, John T. Kneebone, J. Jefferson Looney, Brent Tarter, and Sandra Gioia Treadway (eds.). Dictionary of Virginia Biography, Vol. 2. Richmond: Library of Virginia. pp. 201–202.
• Map of the Battle Field of Fredericksburg, Explained by Extracts from Official Reports. Lynchburg: Virginian Power-Press Book and Job Office, 1866.
• "Col. Braxton's Funeral". Daily Press. May 29, 1898. p. 1.
• "Col. Carter M. Braxton". The Baltimore Sun. May 30, 1898. p. 10.
• "Death of Col. C. M. Braxton". The Free Lance. May 31, 1898. p. 3.
• "Part Taken by Braxton's Battery". The Daily Star. December 13, 1898. p. 1.