Carroll, Anna Ella

Carroll, Anna Ella (1815–93) political writer; born near Pocomoke County, Md. Descended from old Maryland families, she seems to have been taught primarily by her father, Thomas Carroll, who served as governor (1830–31); the family fell on hard times by 1837 and for some 15 years her activities are vague. But in 1854 she emerged as a supporter of the Know-Nothing Party, publishing books and articles attacking the Catholics. During the Civil War, she enlisted her pen in the Union cause with such pamphlets as War Powers of the Central Government (1861), but her claims for large payments were denied. After the war she claimed she had suggested Grant's successful Tennessee River strategy of 1862, and she spent her remaining years and energy trying to get compensation from the government. Her cause was taken up by some but most students have decided that the "Carroll Plan" did not influence Grant.