Ezra Ayers Carman was born on February 27, 1834, in Oak Tree, New Jersey to Melancthon Freeman and Ann Maria Ayers Carman. He was married to Louisa Salmon on August 20, 1856, and they had one son. She died in 1857. He then married Ada Salmon on November 22, 1859. They had four sons and a daughter. Ezra was a Lieutenant Colonel of the 7th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry and the Colonel of the 13th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry which he led in the Battle of Gettysburg. He also led an infantry brigade in Major General Sherman's army which resulted in the capture of Atlanta and the March to the Sea. Ezra was brevetted Brigadier General on March 13, 1865. After the war, Ezra became connected with the United States Department of Agriculture and in 1877 was made the Chief Clerk. He would later serve as Chief Clerk of the War Department as well. Because of his interest and knowledge in the Antietam battlefield where he fought, he was appointed Historical Expert of the Antietam Battlefield Board in 1894. In his appointment, he gathered and coordinated firsthand accounts from the Union and Confederate battles there. Ezra died on December 25, 1909, in Washington, D.C. He was buried in Arlington, Virginia.