John Carter, a 24-year old hatter born in Ireland, enlisted as a paid substitute at Brooklyn, New York on 27 December 1864 and was assigned to Company A, 93rd Regiment New York Infantry. On 30 December Private Carter became part of a "Detachment of Drafted Men and Substitutes forwarded " from Hart Island, New York for assignment on 3 January 1865 to his unit "near Petersburg Va.". The green recruit Carter ran into immediate difficulty, managing to lose "equipage" (his half of a two-man shelter tent). We next find him, on 21 January, "on sick report" from which he was sent on 29 January "sick to Div. Hospital". On 2 February Carter was returned to duty and was present until he again fell out of the ranks only to be "restored to duty" on 31 March 1865. From this point, Private John Carter remained on duty through 4 May; he would have played a role in his regiment's involvement during the final days of the war, from Petersburg on 2 April and Appomattox on 5 April to Amelia Court House, Deatonsville Road and Sailor's Creek on 6 April and Farmville and High Bridge on 7 April. With Lee's surrender on 9 April 1865 the war in Virginia ended. However, we find Private Carter "absent without leave" on 4 May, only returning to duty two days later. Carter must have been relieved to be mustered out with his regiment near Washington, D.C on 29 June 1865; the life of a soldier apparently did not suit him. Unpaid for the entire length of his service, upon discharge John Carter was owed a hefty $26.69, from which $10 in sutler's bills and $2.30 for the missing shelter tent were duly deducted. Thus, Carter was paid a grand total of $14.39 for his six months of service. The period image shows a company of the 93rd New York Infantry in August 1863.