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by Fiona Holter, USAICoE Staff Historian
FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz. — Fort Huachuca memorialized the courtyard July 28, at the Buffalo Soldier Chapel at Main Post in honor of Chaplain (Col.) Louis A. Carter. Chaplain Carter was the eighth African American chaplain to serve in the U.S. Army and the first to be promoted to the rank of colonel.
Buffalo Soldiers have a long record of valor and proficiency in the service of arms. Throughout their history, they have helped shape the standard of what it means to be a soldier. Among these soldiers was Chaplain (Colonel) Louis A. Carter who truly embodied the values and standards set forth by the ranks of Buffalo Soldiers throughout the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Before joining the Army, Carter spent several years taking classes at Tuskegee Institute and Selma University. In 1904, he earned a bachelor’s degree in divinity from Virginia Union University, then a doctorate in divinity from Guadalupe College of Texas in 1907, later earning a second doctorate in divinity from Western University in Kansas. Along with his education, Carter served in various pastorates in Alabama and Virginia until becoming the pastor of Old Mount Zion Baptist Church in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Carter began his thirty-year Army career in April 1910 when he received his commission as a chaplain at Madison Barracks, New York. Throughout his military career, he was the only chaplain to serve with all four historically black regiments. In 1913, he arrived at Fort Huachuca to serve with the 10th Cavalry Regiment. Two years later, he moved to Camp Harry J. Jones in Douglas, Arizona, to support the 9th Cavalry, bolstering morale for enlisted soldiers stationed along the Mexican border. He then deployed with the 9th Cavalry to the Philippines from 1915 to 1921. In 1921, he returned to border duty in Arizona with the 25th Infantry at Camp Stephen D. Little in Nogales. After an assignment with the 24th Infantry at Fort Benning, Georgia, Chaplain Carter finished his career with the 25th Infantry at Fort Huachuca from 1935-1940.
Throughout his career, Chaplain Carter focused on people first. Whether serving at one of the Southern Arizona installations or overseas, he spearheaded countless innovative programs to boost morale, build leaders, and drive change amongst his congregation and the Army. Some of his efforts included a letter writing week before Mother’s Day, professional leadership development talks, literary societies, debate clubs, and historical programs. By doing so, the “Shephard of Buffaloes,” as Chaplain Carter was known, wore many hats – chaplain, schoolmaster, librarian, social activist, champion of black pride, mentor, leader, and friend.
In 1936, Chaplain Carter was promoted to colonel. He was the first black chaplain to achieve the rank, once again inspiring his soldiers. He retired from the Army in 1940 and passed away on 14 June 1941. As a testament to his reputation amongst his troops, the
entire 25th Infantry Regiment led his funeral procession and helped lay him to rest in the cemetery at Fort Huachuca.
| Date Taken: | 07.27.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 07.27.2022 16:19 |
| Story ID: | 425941 |
| Location: | FORT HUACHUCA, ARIZONA, US |
| Web Views: | 204 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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