In his absence his father Benjamin Carter traded a horse and a cow for a large tract of land in what was then Wayne County, about eight miles southeast of where the town of Van Buren would eventually be established.

The Union Army of Southeast Missouri was encamped in the area during the winter of 1862–63, and Carter County saw a number of local skirmishes, but by the war's end it had suffered only minimal property damage.

Also taken was a packet of rebel mail that was being sent from the camp of Confederate general James McBride to Potosi, Missouri, telling of his plans to take Greenville.

Altogether, the Union forces under Colonel Bazel F. Lazear captured a total of 40 Rebel troops on this expedition, who were subsequently sent to military prisons in St. Louis.

[15] From December 1862 to January 1863 Union General John W Davidson, en route to the south with a force of about 3000 troops, camped near Van Buren.

At the same time, coming from the south and moving north were a number of Confederate troops under the command of General Jeff Thompson, who had, unknown to the Union forces, camped not far away on top of Barren Hill.

By far, most of the death and destruction in Carter County did not come at the hand of either Union or Confederate troops, but from bands of outlaws known as Jayhawkers and Bushwhackers respectively depending on whether they sympathized with the north of the south.

Many of these outlaw bands were composed of native Carter County residents who were taking advantage of the war to settle personal grudges.

[16] One local history describes a short lived community of freed slaves that arose about two miles south of Van Buren after the Civil War.

Their graveyard is located in a little field at the mouth of Water Hollow about one and a half mile below Van Buren on the banks of the Current River.

[17] The Missouri Lumber and Mining Company, more than any other entity was for many years to shape the economic, cultural, and ecologic landscape of Carter County.

After purchasing property about two miles north of Fremont they established a smelter with the intention of producing pig iron from ore shipped from Michigan.

A town named Midco, after the Mid-Continent Iron Company, arose as people moved into the area first to build the smelter and afterward to work at the plant.

Paul Dunn, a District Forester who worked in the area in the 1920s and 1930s once reported that at least 75 percent of the land outside of state parks were burned off twice a year.

That decade also saw the construction of the Jefferson Highway (now State Route 21) in the eastern half of Carter County and which served the towns of Grandin, Hunter, and Ellsinore.

[24] Carter County is in the rugged southern Courtois Hills region of the southeastern Ozark Plateau,[25] and is roughly dissected from north to south by the Current River.

This mine operated for a ten-year period between 1902 and 1912, and for a time Carter County ranked 16th in the State of Missouri in iron ore production.

The most predominant denominations among residents in Carter County who adhere to a religion are Southern Baptists (54.91%), Assemblies of God (11.45%), and United Methodists (8.97%).

[44] During the same year (1874), the Carter County Superintendent in his report said, "Among other difficulties may be mentioned an indifference to the subject of popular education on the part of many citizens, and a reluctance to be taxed for school purposes.

Carter County, along with the rest of the state of Missouri, is represented in the U.S. Senate by Josh Hawley (R-Columbia) and Roy Blunt (R-Strafford).

Like most rural areas throughout Missouri, voters in Carter County generally adhere to socially and culturally conservative principles which tend to influence their Republican leanings.

The proposition strongly passed every single county in Missouri with 75.94 percent voting in favor as the minimum wage was increased to $6.50 an hour in the state.

On the Democratic side, former Vice President Joe Biden (D-Delaware) both won statewide and carried Carter County by a wide margin.

Incumbent President Donald Trump (R-Florida) faced a primary challenge from former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld, but won statewide by an overwhelming margin.

Businessman Donald Trump (R-New York) narrowly won the state overall, but carried a majority of the vote in Carter County.

On the Democratic side, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (D-New York) narrowly won statewide, but Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) carried Carter County by a small margin.

Senator Rick Santorum (R-Pennsylvania), who finished first in the state at large, but eventually lost the nomination to former Governor Mitt Romney (R-Massachusetts).

In 2008, the Missouri Republican Presidential Primary was closely contested, with Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) prevailing and eventually winning the nomination.

Then-Senator Hillary Clinton (D-New York) received more votes than any candidate from either party in Carter County during the 2008 presidential primary.

Despite initial reports that Clinton had won Missouri, Barack Obama (D-Illinois), also a Senator at the time, narrowly defeated her statewide and later became that year's Democratic nominee, going on to win the presidency.