BAXTER, CHARLES (1814-1847). Lieutenant colonel, First Regiment New York Volunteers. According to the 1894 Souvenir of the Annual Reunion with Historical Sketch of the Twelfth Regiment N.G.S.N.Y., Baxter was born on December 22, 1814, in New York City. His father Stephen Baxter was, at the time of his son’s birth, a lieutenant and paymaster of a regiment of New York State Volunteers, in the service of the federal government, according to the New York Daily Herald. On July 13, 1848, the newspaper quoted from an address that John Van Buren, President Martin Van Buren’s son, gave on July 12, 1848, in front of New York’s City Hall, as Charles Baxter’s remains, and those of his comrades, were gathered there, to be transported to Green-Wood for interment.
Five of Baxter’s great-uncles, all with the surname of Rosekrans, served as officers in the American army during the Revolutionary War. Baxter’s brother William was a sergeant-major in the United States army and was believed to have been killed in the Florida (Seminole) War.
Little is known of Baxter’s early life. ...
In honor of his service and sacrifice, New York City renamed Orange Street to Baxter Street. The street is located between Mulberry and Centre Streets in what is now Little Italy and Chinatown. Section 107, lot 2230.
