Carle Augustus Woodruff
Woodruff in September 1863[1]
Born(1841-08-08)August 8, 1841
Buffalo, New York
DiedJuly 20, 1913(1913-07-20) (aged 71)
Raleigh, North Carolina
Place of burial
Historic Oakwood Cemetery, Raleigh, North Carolina
AllegianceUnited States
Union
Service/branchUnion Army
Years of service1861 - 1903
RankBrigadier General
Battles/warsAmerican Civil War
*Battle of Gettysburg
*Battle of Trevillian Station
*Battle of Cold Harbor
AwardsMedal of Honor

Carle Augustus Woodruff (August 8, 1841 – July 20, 1913), was a career soldier in the United States Army who rose to the rank of brigadier general. He received the Medal of Honor while serving as an artillery officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

Early life and Civil War

Woodruff was born in Buffalo, New York, the son of Colonel Israel Carle Woodruff (1815-1878). He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the 2nd U.S. Artillery at Washington, D.C.[2] Serving with Combined Batteries B and L, 2nd U.S. Artillery, he was part of the U.S. Horse Artillery Brigade in the Army of the Potomac. As a section chief, he was cited for gallantry during an engagement at Newby's Crossroads, Virginia, on July 24, 1863, and received the Medal of Honor.[3]

Medal of Honor

Woodruff was eventually awarded the Medal of Honor for these actions, on September 1, 1893. He was also awarded brevet promotions for gallantry at the battles of Gettysburg (brevet captain, July 3, 1863) and Trevillian Station (brevet major, June 11, 1864), and for good conduct during the war (lieutenant colonel, March 13, 1865). Serving primarily as a section chief, Woodruff commanded Battery M, 2nd U.S. Artillery, at the Battle of Cold Harbor, June 3, 1864.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, 2d U.S. Artillery. Place and date: At Newbys Crossroads, Va., 24 July 1863. Entered service at: Washington, D.C. Born: Buffalo, N.Y. Date of issue: 1 September 1893.

Citation:

The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to First Lieutenant (Field Artillery) Carle Augustus Woodruff, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism on 24 July 1863, while serving with Horse Battery M, 2d U.S. Artillery, in action at Newbys Crossroads, Virginia. While in command of a section of a battery constituting a portion of the rear guard of a division then retiring before the advance of a corps of Infantry, First Lieutenant Woodruff was attacked by the enemy and ordered to abandon his guns. He disregarded the orders received and aided in repelling the attack and saving the guns.[4][5][6][7]

Postbellum service

Woodruff remained in the regular army after the Civil War, and gained his captaincy in 1869. He rose steadily through the officers corps, to major of the 2nd U.S. Artillery (1894), lieutenant colonel of the 7th U.S. Artillery (1899), and colonel of the Corps of Artillery, 1901. By the end of his career, he ranked as a brigadier general.

Woodruff was a companion of the Ohio Commandery of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States.

He died in Raleigh, North Carolina, and was buried there at Oakwood Cemetery. His grave can be found in the Magnolia Hill section, Lot 25.

Namesakes

Battery Woodruff at Fort Hughes is named for him. In Raleigh, NC, the Carle A. Woodruff Lodge of the Perfection, Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry is also named for him.

See also

Notes


References

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army Center of Military History.
  • "American Memory: Selected Civil War Photographs". Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress. Prints and Photographs Division. Retrieved 2010-09-24.
  • Heitman, Francis Bernard (1890). Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army, From its Organization, September 29, 1789 to September 29, 1889 (PDF) (1st ed.). Washington, DC: Government Printing Office. p. 711. LCCN 07012925. OCLC 3587137. OL 6983123M. Retrieved 2007-08-27.
  • Simpson, William Augustus (1896). "Second Regiment of Artillery" (PDF). In Rodenbough, Theophilus Francis; Haskin, William L. (eds.). The Army of the United States: Historical Sketches of Staff and Line with Portraits of Generals-in-chief. Washington, DC: Maynard, Merrill. pp. 312–327. LCCN 06024996. OCLC 181358347. OL 25514248M. Retrieved 2008-08-22.
  • "Carle Augustus Woodruff". The Hall of Valor Project. Sightline Media Group. 2020. Retrieved 2009-08-03.
  • "Carle Augustus Woodruff". The Comprehensive Guide to the Victoria & George Cross. VCOnline. 2020. Retrieved 2009-08-03.
  • "Woodruff, Carle Augustus". Congressional Medal of Honor Society. CMOHS. 2014. Retrieved 2009-08-03.
  • "Woodruff, Carle Augustus". The National Medal of Honor Museum. The National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation. 2020. Retrieved 2009-08-03.
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