Robert G . Carter Robert Goldthwaite Carter ( October 29 , 1845 – January 4 , 1936 ) was a US Cavalry officer who participated in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars , most notably against the Comanche during which he received the Medal of Honor for his role against a Comanche raiding party at Brazos River in Texas on October 10 , 1871 . He became a successful author in his later years writing several books based on his military career , including " On the Border with Mackenzie " ( 1935 ) , as well as a series of booklets detailing his years as an Indian fighter on the Texas frontier . Only 100 of these were published for private distribution and are considered extremely rare surviving only in selected excerpts included in " On the Border with Mackenzie " . Biography . Born in Bridgton , Maine , Carter moved to Portland with his family in 1847 , and again in 1857 , to Massachusetts . He was preparing to enter Phillips Academy when Carter enlisted as a private in the 22nd Massachusetts Infantry at the start of the American Civil War and remained with the Army of the Potomac from August 5 , 1862 until October 4 , 1864 . During the war , he took part in the Battle of Antietam , Gettysburg , the Wilderness and the Siege of Petersburg as well as other minor engagements . In July 1865 , he began attending West Point and was eventually commissioned a second lieutenant and assigned to the 4th U . S . Cavalry on June 15 , 1870 . During the next several years , Carter would participate in a number of expeditions against the Comanche and other tribes in the Texas - area . It was during one of these campaigns that he was brevetted first lieutenant and awarded the Medal of Honor for his " " most distinguished gallantry " " against the Comanche in Blanco Canyon on a tributary of the Brazos River on October 10 , 1871 . Carter would suffer a severe injury during the battle , his left leg being shattered as his horse fell against a rock , which would eventually result in his early retirement . He would officially receive the medal on January 23 , 1900 . Returning to active duty , he joined Colonel Ranald Mackenzie in several campaigns including against the Kickapoo of northern Mexico in May 1873 and awarded a brevet to captain . He did win promotion to first lieutenant on February 21 , 1875 although his leg injury disqualified him from active field duty and forced him to retire on June 28 , 1876 . Although he eventually recovered from his leg injury after proper treatment , his requests to return were denied by the US Army . He taught school and later headed the Washington - bureau of the Public Service Publishing Company in New York City . He would also write a number of booklets and books including " Four Brothers in Blue " ( 1913 ) and " The Old Sergeant ' s Story " ( 1926 ) . However , the most successful was his memoir " On the Border With Mackenzie " ( 1935 ) which was published as the age of 90 . He died at Washington , D . C . on January 4 , 1936 and buried in Arlington National Cemetery . Medal of Honor citation . Rank and organization : Second Lieutenant , 4th U . S . Cavalry . Place and date : On Brazos , River , Tex . , 10 October 1871 . Entered service at : Bradford , Mass . Birth : Bridgeport , Maine . Date of issue : 27 February 1900 . Citation :