John I. Curtin
Encyclopedia
John Irvin Curtin was a cousin of Pennsylvania
governor Andrew Gregg Curtin
. He led a regiment and then a brigade in the American Civil War
.
. He was educated at Dickinson Seminary, later Lycoming College
and became a civil engineer
.
In the Army of the Potomac
, Curtin served in IX Corps
. He led the regiment at the Battle of South Mountain
and the Battle of Antietam
in the place of Col. Thomas Welsh
, who was holding brigade command. Welsh return to command of the regiment for the Battle of Fredericksburg
. When Welsh was promoted to the rank of brigadier general, Curtin became the regiment's commander. After IX Corps was transferred west, Curtin led the 45th Pennsylvania in the Siege of Vicksburg. He was absent, however, from the Knoxville Campaign
.
When IX Corps returned to the Army of the Potomac in 1864, Curtin led his regiment at the Battle of the Wilderness
in the 2nd Division of Brig. Gen.
Robert B. Potter. Curtin took command of 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, on May 11, 1864, after Col. Zenas Bliss
was injured at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
. He led the brigade at the Battle of Cold Harbor
and continued in command until June 18, when he was wounded in the Second Battle of Petersburg. (Col. Simon Goodell Griffin
led the other brigade of the division.)
Curtin led his brigade again in the Siege of Petersburg
from August 21 to January 13, 1865, before going on leave. (Col. Sumner Carruth
led the brigade during Curtin's absence.) After this absence, Curtin resumed brigade command on February 11, serving until April 24. After the Confederate surrender, in the Department of Washington, Curtin led the 3rd Division, IX Corps, in place of Brig. Gen. John Hartranft from May 4 to July 8 and then his old brigade from July 8 to July 17, 1865.
Curtin became a brevet
brigadier general on October 12, 1864. He was mustered out of the volunteer service on July 17, 1865.
. He was buried at the Union Cemetery in Bellefonte
.
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
governor Andrew Gregg Curtin
Andrew Gregg Curtin
Andrew Gregg Curtin was a U.S. lawyer and politician. He served as the Governor of Pennsylvania during the Civil War.-Biography:...
. He led a regiment and then a brigade in the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Early life
Curtin was born at Eagle Forge, PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. He was educated at Dickinson Seminary, later Lycoming College
Lycoming College
Founded in 1812, Lycoming College is located in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. One of the 50 oldest colleges in America, Lycoming enrolls 1400 undergraduate students from over 28 states and 12 foreign countries. Eighty percent of the college's students live on campus...
and became a civil engineer
Civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
.
Civil War service
In 1861, Curtin served as a private in the 2nd Pennsylvania Infantry. On September 9, 1861, he was commissioned a captain in the 45th Pennsylvania Infantry. Curtin was promoted to the rank of major on July 30, 1862, and lieutenant colonel on September 4 of the same year. He became the regiment's colonel on April 13, 1863.In the Army of the Potomac
Army of the Potomac
The Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.-History:The Army of the Potomac was created in 1861, but was then only the size of a corps . Its nucleus was called the Army of Northeastern Virginia, under Brig. Gen...
, Curtin served in IX Corps
IX Corps (ACW)
IX Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War that distinguished itself in combat in multiple theaters: the Carolinas, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi.-Formation, Second Bull Run, and Antietam:...
. He led the regiment at the Battle of South Mountain
Battle of South Mountain
The Battle of South Mountain was fought September 14, 1862, as part of the Maryland Campaign of the American Civil War. Three pitched battles were fought for possession of three South Mountain passes: Crampton's, Turner's, and Fox's Gaps. Maj. Gen. George B...
and the Battle of Antietam
Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam , fought on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, and Antietam Creek, as part of the Maryland Campaign, was the first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Northern soil. It was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with about 23,000...
in the place of Col. Thomas Welsh
Thomas Welsh (general)
Thomas Welsh was a soldier in the United States Army during the Mexican-American War and a Union brigadier general during the American Civil War.-Early life and career:...
, who was holding brigade command. Welsh return to command of the regiment for the Battle of Fredericksburg
Battle of Fredericksburg
The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, between General Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside...
. When Welsh was promoted to the rank of brigadier general, Curtin became the regiment's commander. After IX Corps was transferred west, Curtin led the 45th Pennsylvania in the Siege of Vicksburg. He was absent, however, from the Knoxville Campaign
Knoxville Campaign
The Knoxville Campaign was a series of American Civil War battles and maneuvers in East Tennessee during the fall of 1863. Union forces under Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnside occupied Knoxville, Tennessee, and Confederate forces under Lt. Gen. James Longstreet were detached from Gen...
.
When IX Corps returned to the Army of the Potomac in 1864, Curtin led his regiment at the Battle of the Wilderness
Battle of the Wilderness
The Battle of the Wilderness, fought May 5–7, 1864, was the first battle of Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Both armies suffered heavy casualties, a harbinger of a bloody war of attrition by...
in the 2nd Division of Brig. Gen.
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
Robert B. Potter. Curtin took command of 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, on May 11, 1864, after Col. Zenas Bliss
Zenas Bliss
Zenas Randall Bliss was an officer and general in the United States Army and a recipient of the Medal of Honor. He formed the first unit of Seminole-Negro Indian Scouts, and his detailed memoirs chronicled life on the Texas frontier.Bliss was a native of Rhode Island and graduated from West Point...
was injured at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, sometimes simply referred to as the Battle of Spotsylvania , was the second major battle in Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Overland Campaign of the American Civil War. Following the bloody but inconclusive Battle of the Wilderness, Grant's army disengaged...
. He led the brigade at the Battle of Cold Harbor
Battle of Cold Harbor
The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought from May 31 to June 12, 1864 . It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign during the American Civil War, and is remembered as one of American history's bloodiest, most lopsided battles...
and continued in command until June 18, when he was wounded in the Second Battle of Petersburg. (Col. Simon Goodell Griffin
Simon Goodell Griffin
Simon Goodell Griffin was an American soldier, legislator, farmer and teacher.-Pre-War:Simon G. Griffin was born at Nelson, New Hampshire in 1824. Griffin was a farmer and a teacher at first...
led the other brigade of the division.)
Curtin led his brigade again in the Siege of Petersburg
Siege of Petersburg
The Richmond–Petersburg Campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War...
from August 21 to January 13, 1865, before going on leave. (Col. Sumner Carruth
Sumner Carruth
Sumner Carruth was an officer in the volunteer army of the United States during the American Civil War. He commanded the 35th Massachusetts Infantry and eventually rose to the command of two different brigades in the IX Corps.-Pre-War:...
led the brigade during Curtin's absence.) After this absence, Curtin resumed brigade command on February 11, serving until April 24. After the Confederate surrender, in the Department of Washington, Curtin led the 3rd Division, IX Corps, in place of Brig. Gen. John Hartranft from May 4 to July 8 and then his old brigade from July 8 to July 17, 1865.
Curtin became a brevet
Brevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
brigadier general on October 12, 1864. He was mustered out of the volunteer service on July 17, 1865.
Post war
Col. Curtin died in Bellefonte, PennsylvaniaBellefonte, Pennsylvania
Bellefonte is a borough in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. It lies about twelve miles northeast of State College and is part of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. He was buried at the Union Cemetery in Bellefonte
Union Cemetery (Bellefonte, Pennsylvania)
Union Cemetery located on East Howard Street in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania was established in 1795. Burials occurred as early as 1808, and the cemetery itself was chartered in 1856. It is the final resting place of Bellefonte's founding families, Pennsylvania Governors and their wives, U.S...
.
See also
- List of American Civil War generals