Collection Information

Title	Ross Carter Papers
Call Number	MSS.036
Dates	1938 - 1995 (bulk dates 1947-1952)
Extent	2 Hollinger boxes (1 linear foot)
Synopsis	This collection contains information about Ross S. Carter, his last days, the impact that he had on his friends and family, and the prize that was established in his memory at Lincoln Memorial University.
Provenance	Provenance information for most of this collection is not available. Material located within the "Series: Family Donations" were gifted by members of the Fraley family; David & Marie Fraley and Catherine Page Fraley.
Biographical Note	Ross Samuel Carter (9 January 1919 - 18 April 1947) was born the third son of James David (1861 - 1942) and Lelia Viola (nee Fraley) Carter (1887 - 1969) in Duffield, Virginia. Ross Carter attended school at Lincoln Memorial University for three years graduating in 1941 with a bachelors degree in History. During his education, he worked his way through school milking cows and even sleeping in the no longer extant Sieberling dairy barn. After graduating from LMU in June 1941, Ross joined the paratroopers in 1942 to fight with Company C, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Infantry Division during the Second World War. He saw action in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, France, Netherlands, and Belgium. Ross was wounded in the arm during the initial phases of the Battle of the Bulge on December 20, 1944 at Cheneux, Belgium, but had sufficiently recuperated enough that he rejoined his unit in February 1945. For his heroism under fire, Ross Carter was decorated with the Silver Star. Of the forty men who were originally with his unit, only Ross and two others remained with him at the end of the war. Coming home from the conflict, Carter regaled his family and friends with the exploits of him and his friends. Encouraged to write a book detailing his experiences, he began composing and organizing his stories in the summer of 1945, working entirely from memory. Ross later wrote: "What I am writing is not military history but an eyewitness, participated in account and human story of men who fought the enemy to a standstill in many bloody battles all over Europe. I missed only forty-some days of duty with the regiment in three years; and so "was there" when all of these incidents happened." After the war, Ross reenlisted in the U.S. Army and later took part Task Force Frigid in Alaska in the winter of 1946. During this time a mole on his back became infected and soon developed into cancer. Entrusting his unpublished manuscript to his brother Boyd G. Carter (1908 - 1980), Ross Carter passed away in April 1947. He is buried in the Carter Family Cemetery outside of Duffield, Virginia. Boyd Carter edited his brother's memoirs and had them first published in 1951. From a diary entry found on the body of a German officer describing the fighting of the 504th during Allied operations around Anzio, Italy, Boyd Carter chose the title: Those Devils in Baggy Pants. The book sold over a million copies almost immediately and has since become one of the most well-known autobiographies of life on the front-lines during WWII. As a result of the book's popularity, Boyd Carter created the Ross S. Carter Prize for Original Writing given to an LMU student.
Scope & Content
Arrangement	The collection contains relatively few items from Ross Carter's time as a student at LMU. A large percentage of the correspondence is from Marie J. Niehaus, one of Ross Carter's friends and the individual who was with him when he passed away. The bulk of the collection centers on the Memorial Award that was established in Ross Carter's memory including correspondence regarding the award from multiple years, forms for monetary contributions to create the award, and actual literary submissions from potential winners. The collection does not contain any of the manuscripts that Ross Carter wrote from 1945-1946 that would later become the basis for Those Devils in Baggy Pants. Series 1: Clippings Series 2: Ross Carter Correspondence Series 3: Marie J. Niehaus Correspondence Series 4: Ross Carter Memorial Award Correspondence Series 5: Ross Carter Memorial Award Prize Contribution Sheets Series 6: Ross Carter Memorial Award 1952 Prize Entries Series 7: Publications Series 8: Tributes Series 9: Family Donations Separated Items
Processing Information	This collection was processed by University Archivist Travis Souther in February 2018. Two accretions to this collection were processed by Archivist Rachel Motes in February 2021; the "Series: Family Donations" and the "Separated Items" sections were created at this time as well.
Location	F.4.4
Citation Information	[Identification of Item], Ross Carter Papers, Archives and Special Collections, Lincoln Memorial University, TN, USA.

Collection Contents

Ross Carter, ca. 1946

Obituary, [Newspaper not identified]: 1947 April 19
"Characters of Book Leave Pages at Author's Grave" [Newspaper not identified]: 1951
"4 Comrades Pay Tribute to Author of 'Those Devils in Baggy Pants'" Kingsport Times: 1952 July 7

Correspondence: 1938

Mrs. J.D. Carter [Viola Lelia Fraley Carter] to Lincoln Memorial University: 1938 August 24

Correspondence: 1940 (3 Photocopies of typed letter)

Ross S. Carter to Mr. and Mrs. J.D. Carter [Viola Lelia Fraley Carter]: 1940

Correspondence: 1941

E.S. Fraley to C.P. Williams: 1941 May 3
C.P. Williams to E.S. Fraley: 1941 May 5

Correspondence: 1947

Marie J. Niehaus to Robert L. Kincaid: 1947 February 27
T/Sgt. Frank L. Dietrich to Marie J. Niehaus (Ross Carter War Service Record): 1947 April 7
Marie J. Niehaus to Robert L. Kincaid: 1947 April 10
Robert L. Kincaid to Marie J. Niehaus: 1947 April 16
Mrs. J.D. Carter [Lelia Viola Fraley Carter] to Marie J. Niehaus: 1947 April 17 (Western Union Telegram)
Robert L. Kincaid to Marie J. Niehaus: 1947 April 22
T/Sgt. Frank L. Dietrich to Marie J. Niehaus: 1947 April 25
Robert L. Kincaid to Marie J. Niehaus: 1947 April 30
Robert L. Kincaid to Marie J. Niehaus: 1947 May 1
Marie J. Niehaus to Robert L. Kincaid: 1947 May 4
Robert L. Kincaid to Marie J. Niehaus: 1947 May 6
Marie J. Niehaus to Robert L. Kincaid: 1947 May 8
Robert L. Kincaid to Marie J. Niehaus: 1947 May 14
Marie J. Niehaus to Robert L. Kincaid: n.d.

Correspondence: 1947

Robert L. Kincaid to Mrs. J.D. Carter [Viola Lelia Fraley Carter]: 1947 April 22
Boyd G. Carter to Robert L. Kincaid: 1947 October 22,
Robert L. Kincaid to Boyd G. Carter: 1947 October 27
Boyd G. Carter to Robert L. Kincaid: 1947 October 29
Robert L. Kincaid to Boyd G. Carter: 1947 November 3
T/Sgt. Frank L. Dietrich to Robert L. Kincaid: 1947 November 20
Robert L. Kincaid to Mr. and Mrs. Fred J. Carter: 1947 November 29
Robert L. Kincaid to Mrs. Viola L. Carter: 1947 November 29
Robert L. Kincaid to T/Sgt. Frank L. Dietrich: 1947 November 29
Robert L. Kincaid to Edgar S. Fraley: 1947 November 29
Robert L. Kincaid to Fred J. Fraley: 1947 November 29
Robert L. Kincaid to Mrs. Weymouth [Mary Carter] Palmer: 1947 November 29
Boyd G. Carter to Robert L. Kincaid: 1947 December 1
Robert L. Kincaid to Boyd G. Carter: 1947 December 1
Boyd G. Carter to Robert L. Kincaid: 1947 December 7
Robert L. Kincaid to Boyd G. Carter: 1947 December 11
Robert L. Kincaid to Boyd G. Carter: 1947 December 11
PFC Charles L. Butler to Robert L. Kincaid: 1947 December 13
Boyd G. Carter to Robert L. Kincaid: 1947 December 17
Viola L. Carter to Robert L. Kincaid: 1947 December 17
Robert L. Kincaid to Charles L. Butler: 1947 December 17
Robert L. Kincaid to J.D. Carter [Lelia Viola Fraley Carter]: 1947 December 22
Robert L. Kincaid to Mrs. Weymouth Palmer: 1947 December 29
Robert L. Kincaid to Silas Shelburne Stamper: 1947 December 29
Viola L. Carter to Robert L. Kincaid: 1947 December 31

Correspondence: 1948

Robert L. Kincaid to Wright S. Carter: 1948 January 2
Robert L. Kincaid to Viola L. Carter: 1948 January 2
Robert L. Kincaid to Sgt. Dorothy S. Siler: 1948 January 2
Robert L. Kincaid to Mrs. Weymouth [Mary Carter] Palmer: 1948 January 6
Robert L. Kincaid to Thompson Photographers: 1948 January 6
Robert L. Kincaid to Mrs. Fred J. Carter: 1948 January 28
Jeanne Barkley to Robert L. Kincaid: 1948 February 25
Shelburne Stamper to Robert L. Kincaid: n.d. [March 1948?]
Robert L. Kincaid to Shelburne Stamper: 1948 March 5
Robert L. Kincaid to Jeanne Barkley: 1948 March 10
Boyd G. Carter to Robert L. Kincaid: 1948 March 10
Robert L. Kincaid to Boyd G. Carter: 1948 March 23
Jeanne Barkley to Robert L. Kincaid: 1948 March 24
Boyd Carter to Robert L. Kincaid: 1948 March 30
Robert L. Kincaid to Jeanne Barkley:1948 March 30
Viola Carter to Robert L. Kincaid: 1948 April 3
E.J. Carter to Robert L. Kincaid: 1948 April 6
Robert L. Kincaid to Viola Carter: 1948 April 8
Robert L. Kincaid to E.J. Carter: 1948 April 9
Jeanne Barkley to Robert L. Kincaid: 1948 April 21
Robert L. Kincaid to Jeanne Barkley: 1948 April 27
T/Sgt. Frank L. Dietrich to Robert L. Kincaid: 1948 April 31
Robert L. Kincaid to T/Sgt. Frank L. Dietrich: 1948 May 4
Robert L. Kincaid to James C. Engle: 1948 May 27
Robert L. Kincaid to Boyd G. Carter: 1948 June 19
Jeanne Barkley to Robert L. Kincaid: 1948 June 22
Robert L. Kincaid to Jeanne Barkley: 1948 June 23
Boyd G. Carter to Robert L. Kincaid: 1948 June 29
Robert L. Kincaid to Boyd G. Carter: 1948 July 1
Robert L. Kincaid to Boyd G. Carter: 1948 October 29
Boyd G. Carter to Robert L. Kincaid: 1948 October 18
Robert L. Kincaid to Boyd G. Carter: 1948 November 10

Correspondence: 1951

Viola L. Carter to Robert L. Kincaid: 1951 May 15
Robert L. Kincaid to Fred J. Carter: 1951 May 16
Robert L. Kincaid to Mrs. Viola L. Carter-Duffield, Virginia: 1951 May 16
Boyd G. Carter to President Robert L. Kincaid: 1951 August 17
Robert L. Kincaid to Dr. Boyd G. Carter: 1951 August 21
Mrs. Viola L. Carter to Robert L. Kincaid: 1951 October 4
Boyd G. Carter to Robert L. Kincaid: 1951 October 10
James C. Engle to Robert L. Kincaid: 1951 October 10
Robert L. Kincaid to Boyd G. Carter: 1951 October 10
Robert L. Kincaid to James C. Engle: 1951 October 11
Boyd G. Carter to Robert L. Kincaid: 1951 October 15
Robert L. Kincaid to Boyd G. Carter: 1951 October 15
Boyd G. Carter to Robert L. Kincaid: 1951 November 1
President Robert L. Kincaid to Boyd G. Carter: 1951 November 5
Boyd G. Carter to President Robert L. Kincaid: 1951 November 9
Ross S. Carter Memorial Award Award Announcement: ca. 1951

Correspondence: 1953

Robert L. Kincaid to Marie J. Niehaus: 1953 June 23 (LMU World War II Heroes - Alumni who were casualties)

Correspondence: 1956

Boyd G. Carter to Robert L. Kincaid: 1956 February 12
Boyd G. Carter to Robert L. Kincaid: 1956 March 31
Robert L. Kincaid to Boyd G. Carter: 1956 April 12
Robert L. Kincaid to William A. Mehrholz (82^nd Airborne Division Assoc.): 1956 April 12
William A. Mehrholz to Robert L. Kincaid: 1956 April 17
Boyd Carter to Robert L. Kincaid: 1956 April 19
Robert L. Kincaid to Boyd G. Carter: 1956 May 25
Robert L. Kincaid to William A. Mehrholz: 1956 May 26
Boyd Carter to Robert L. Kincaid: 1956 May 28
William A. Mehrholz (82^nd Airborne Division Assoc.) to Robert L. Kincaid: 1956 May 31
Robert L. Kincaid to Mr. William A. Mehrholz: 1956 June 7
William A. Mehrholz to Robert L. Kincaid: 1956 October 23
Robert L. Kincaid to Boyd G. Carter: 1956 October 25
Faye Davis to Mr. William A. Mehrholz: 1956 November 1
Boyd G. Carter to Robert L. Kincaid: 1956 November 5
Robert L. Kincaid to Boyd G. Carter: 1956 November 7
Boyd Carter to Robert L. Kincaid: 1956 November 19
Faye Davis to Boyd G. Carter: 1956 November 21
William A. Mehrholz-Evanston, Illinois (82^nd Airborne Division Assoc.) to Robert L. Kincaid: 1956 December 10
Robert L. Kincaid to Reverend Arie D. Bestebreurtje: 1956 December 17
Robert L. Kincaid to William A. Mehrholz: 1956 December 17

Correspondence: 1957

1st Lt. Jack L. Cooper (504^th Airborne Infantry Regiment) to Robert L. Kincaid: 1957 January 30
1st Jack L. Cooper to Robert L. Kincaid: 1957 January 30 (copy of above)
[Faye Davis] to Lt. Jack L. Cooper: 1957 February 1
Colonel Robert R. Linvill [] to Robert L. Kincaid: 1957 February 8
Commanding General 82^nd Airborne Division (Fort Bragg, North Carolina) to Robert L. Kincaid: 1957 February 11(Western Union Telegram)
Robert L. Kincaid to Colonel Robert R. Linvill (504 Airborne Infantry Regiment-Fort Bragg, N.C.): 1957 February 15
Robert L. Kincaid to Boyd G. Carter: 1957 February 26
Robert L. Kincaid to Sgt. Walter R. Cord (Public Information Officer-504^th Airborne Infantry Regiment): 1957 March 6
Boyd G. Carter to Robert L. Kincaid: 1957 March 10
From: Faye Davis to Boyd G. Carter: 1957 March 13
Boyd G. Carter to Robert L. Kincaid: 1957 March 31
Robert L. Kincaid to Boyd G. Carter: 1957 April 4
William A. Mehrholz to Robert L. Kincaid: 1957 April 16
Robert L. Kincaid to Antonio Giannola: 1957 April 22
Robert L. Kincaid to William A. Mehrholz: 1957 April 22
Robert L. Kincaid to William A. Mehrholz: 1957 April 26
Faye Davis to Boyd G. Carter: 1957 May 4
Robert L. Kincaid to Boyd G. Carter: 1957 July 24
Boyd G. Carter to Robert L. Kincaid: 1957 August 5

Correspondence: 1965

Boyd G. Carter to H. Lamarr Rice: 1965 August 17

Correspondence, 1969

Boyd G. Carter to Herbert Y. Livesay: 1969 February 18
Herbert Y. Livesay to: Dr. Boyd G. Carter: 1969 February 24
Boyd G. Carter to Herbert Y. Livesay: 1969 March 24
Herbert Y. Livesay to Boyd G. Carter: 1969 April 2
Romel Tony Emiren (45^th Infantry Division) to Lincoln Memorial University Library: 1969 May 15
Herbert Y. Livesay to Boyd G. Carter: 1969 July 3
Boyd G. Carter to Herbert Y. Livesay: 1969 August 12
Herbert Y. Livesay to Boyd G. Carter: 1969 August 18
Boyd G. Carter to President Herbert Y. Livesay: 1969 August 27
Herbert Y. Livesay to Boyd G. Carter: 1969 September 2

Correspondence: 1970

Boyd G. Carter to Herbert Y. Livesay: 1970 May 16
H.Y. Livesay to Boyd G. Carter: 1970 June 2
Boyd G. Carter to Herbert Y. Livesay: 1970 June 23
H.Y. Livesay to Boyd G. Carter: 1970 June 30

Correspondence: 1971

E.S. Fraley to Herbert Y. Livesay: 1971 March 12
Herbert Y. Livesay to E.S. Fraley: 1971 March 17
Boyd G. Carter to Stuart L. Watson (Vice President Development): 1971 June 18
Stuart L. Watson to Dan Serilla (Phoenix Chapter 82nd Airborne): 1971 June 25

Correspondence: 1972

Stuart L. Watson to Boyd G. Carter: 1972 February 7

Correspondence: 1973

Stuart L. Watson to Boyd G. Carter: 1973 May 25

Correspondence: 1982

Georgia Baker (Director of Alumni Affairs) to Mrs. Boyd Carter: 1982 November 19

Correspondence: 1995

Cynthia Cooke (Vice President for Alumni and Development) to Mrs. Pearl Carter: 1995 April 26

Prize Contributions Sheets, 1947
Prize Contribution Sheets, 1948

Prize Entry: "The Decision," 1952
Prize Entry: "The End," 1952
Prize Entry: "Final Encounter," 1952
Prize Entry: "Goodbye, Chris," 1952
Prize Entry: "The Harvest," 1952
Prize Entry: "Hilltop," 1952
Prize Entry: "Light Comes After Darkness," 1952
Prize Entry: "Marriage Relation," 1952
Prize Entry: "Mercy of the Secret," 1952
Prize Entry: "A Morning in March," 1952
Prize Entry: "A Most Interesting Conversation," 1952
Prize Entry: "Past: Four Variations," 1952
Prize Entry: "Past Remembrances," 1952
Prize Entry: "Responsibility of Good Government," 1952
Prize Entry: "Short Short Story," 1952
Prize Entry: "Thou Shalt Not Kill," 1952
Prize Entry: "Three Poems," 1952
Prize Entry: "Where He Leads Me," 1952
Prize Entry: "Gillis Wilmouth Poetry," 1952
Prize Entry: "The Youth," 1952

Paraglide, Spring 1956
Paraglide, Fall 1956
Paraglide, Spring 1957

Jean Barkley Tribute: 1991
Boyd G. Carter Poetry: "To Ross in Memoriam"
Ross S. Carter Poetry: "On What Obscure Battlefield---?"

Sub-series: David & Marie Fraley Donation

Reader's Digest, October 1951
- Specific to "Book Section: Those Devils in Baggy Pants" Ross S. Carter
Les Demons Du Ciel by Ross S. Carter, Amiot Dumont, Paris, 1952
- A French translation of "Those Devils in Baggy Pants"

Sub-series: Catherine Page Fraley Donation

Photographs: Ross Carter and the Fraley-Carter Family
- Ross in his jump gear that was possibly taken at Ft. Bragg before leaving for active duty
- A family gathering of Carters and Fraleys
Newspaper Clipping: LMU "Yank" Has Narrow Escape on Anzio Beachhead
Correspondence: Ross Carter to Uncle William Elbert Fraley, Anzio Front March 22, 1944

Books

Lunteren, Frank van. 2014. The Battle of the Bridges : The 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment in Operation Market Garden. Philadelphia: Casemate.

Located in the Main Collection of the Carnegie-Vincent Library with the call number of D769.348 504th .L86 2014
It's online catalog record can be found via https://lmulibrary.on.worldcat.org/oclc/883514771
Donated by David Fraley with special consideration to the families and friends of the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment 82nd Airborne

Lunteren, Frank van. 2015. Blocking Kampfgruppe Peiper : The 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment in the Battle of the Bulge. Philadelphia: Casemate.

Located in the Main Collection of the Carnegie-Vincent Library with the call number of D769.348 504th .L87 2015
It's online catalog record can be found via https://lmulibrary.on.worldcat.org/oclc/910090559
Donated by David Fraley with special consideration to the families and friends of the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment 82nd Airborne

Lunteren, Frank van. 2016. Spearhead of the Fifth Army : The 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment in Italy from the Winter Line to Anzio Hardcover ed. Philadelphia: Casemate.

Located in the Main Collection of the Carnegie-Vincent Library with the call number of D769.348 504th .L88 2016
It's online catalog record can be found via https://lmulibrary.on.worldcat.org/oclc/964644744
Donated by David Fraley with special consideration to the families and friends of the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment 82nd Airborne

Ross Carter Papers: Ross Carter Papers

Ross Carter Papers

Collection Information

Collection Contents