In 1868, Margaret Carrington (his wife) published her story about Fort Phil Kearny in a book titled Absaraka, home of the Crows. Margaret Irvin Carrington. 1868. Ab-sa-ra-ka, home of the Crows. Philadelphia: J. B Lippincott. After Margaret’s death in 1870, Carrington brought out new editions of the book with expanded details of his experiences; the book eventually went through seven editions.Brown; pages 225-226. In 1870, Carrington retired from active service and was appointed professor of military science at Wabash College in Indiana, serving until 1878 when he moved to Hyde Park in Boston, Massachusetts. In 1871, Carrington married Frances Grummond, the widow of Lt. George W. Grummond who was killed in the Fetterman massacre.
