Peter was a slave owned by Benjamin Carty of Fayetteville, Lincoln county, Tennessee. As a slave, he was given the surname of his master, so his official name was Peter Carty.
Peter Carty, along with a hundred other slaves of Benjamin Carty, was freed by the 26th OVI on our about August 12, 1862, while the regiment was marching through the Fayetteville area.
The slaves were put to work assisting the regiment in various capacities including: cooking, helping build fortifications, teamsters and servants for the officers.
Peter Carty, or Black Pete as he was nicknamed by the soldiers, was the servant for Capt. William H Ross, Co. C. He was with Capt. Ross from August, 1862, until Capt. Ross was killed at the Battle of Chickamauga on Sept. 19, 1863. Following Capt. Ross' death, Peter worked as a servant for Capt. Adair.
He remained with Capt. Adair until Christmas, 1863. At that time, Capt. Adair brought him north to Ohio. Peter settled in the Urbana area, and began a career as a shoemaker.
Twenty nine years later, the 26th OVI was having its 1892 reunion at the courthouse in Columbus. A black man walked into the room where the former comrades were meeting. He looked around and did not recognize anyone. Secretary S F Robinson approached the man and asked him who he was looking for. He replied that he came to see some of the Twenty-Sixth Ohio. When told, he was among them, he could not believe it. Peter Carty's visit was a special highlight of the reunion that year.