Lieutenant Colonel Edward Carrington

Carrington, Edward. 1749-1810.

On November 30, 1776, Edward Carrington was commissioned a lieutenant colonel in Colonel Charles Harrison's 1st Continental Artillery Regiment. He stayed in this position for most of the war. In 1780, Carrington was sent south to join General Nathanael Greene's Southern Department.

Greene chose not to use Carrington in the artillery. Instead, Carrington was assigned the position of Chief of Quartermaster Department for Greene's army. The first task assigned to Carrington was to scout the Roanoke and Dan Rivers in North Carolina. He was to look for crossing points for supplies and possible routes of retreat. Greene had this done in case he had to retreat from the the British army led by Lieutenant General Cornwallis. The mission was performed and the information obtained came of great use to General Greene in his eventual retreat from Cornwallis which became known as "the Race to the Dan".

Carrington returned to Greene's army shortly before the battle at Guilford Courthouse. He then became Quartermaster General for the army. In July 1781, Carrington was transferred back to Washington's army where he rejoined the Continental artillery and served at Yorktown.

Carrington was a part of Washington's army though Greene still retained him as Quartermaster General of the Southern Department. Carrington returned to Greene's army following Yorktown and resumed his duties as Quartermaster General. He remained there until the end of the war. His most notable achievement after the war was serving as the foreman of the jury that acquitted Aaron Burr of treason.