Home History Soldiers Monuments Media

Lieutenant John Curtis

Home / Ninth Regiment Roster / Gravesites / Solders Born Outside of US

Soldiers:

A native of Bridgeport, John Curtis was born April 17, 1845 and enlisted in the Ninth on August 17, 1861. Curtis was a sergeant-major when he wrote of the days spent digging the canal, “It was truly awful at night or sundown, (when) the hammering of nails would be heard making boxes out of rough planks for the dead. Some of them were buried stitched up in a blanket. Cannonading and the firing of mortars were kept up continually. …. If our men died in an engagement with the enemy we could be more satisfied, but to lay down and die like a dog with nobody to care for you is barbarous and the tyrant Gen. Williams driving us…” 

John Curtis

A few weeks later Curtis, age 17, earned the Regiment’s only Medal of Honor as the Ninth, just arrived from the canal area, helped to turn back a Confederate effort to recapture Baton Rogue, the Louisiana capital. He voluntarily sought the line of battle and alone and unaided captured 2 prisoners, driving them before him to regimental headquarters at the point of the bayonet.

Born April 19, 1845, after the war he became cashier of a bank in Tidioute, Pennsylvania and later was the superintendent of the New England Division of the Adams Express Co., with headquarters in Boston. He married Adeleine Stuart in 1870 and had nine children.

1st Lt John C. Curtis died January 17, 1919 and is buried at Mountain Grove Cemetery in Bridgeport, CT.

His gravestone proudly marks his – Medal of Honor – Co I , 9th Conn Vol Inf - as well as “A Founder and First President of the Boys Club of Bridgeport”.

Lieutenant John Curtis

Added information from Murray’s History (Page 413): Lieut. John C. Curtis, of the Ninth, received a Congress Medal of Honor for bravery at the battle of Baton Rouge. He was Sergeant Major of the regiment at the time of the battle. During the engagement, while the Ninth was in reserve, he begged Lieut. Col. Fitz Gibbon, then in command of the Ninth, for permission to go into the line of fire with the Sixth Michigan regiment. Lieut. Col. Fitz Gibbon gave his consent. Being a sergeant major, Curtis was armed with a non-commissioned officer's short sword. He put on the equipments of a member of the Ninth who was disabled, took the latter's rifle and hastened to the Sixth Michigan which was closely engaged with the enemy. Curtis captured two Confederates at the point of the bayonet and brought them into the lines of the Ninth. As he appeared, driving his two prisoners ahead of him, Lieut. Col. Fitz Gibbon exclaimed: "Great Scott! See what is coming!" and the whole regiment cheered. Curtis was then but seventeen years of age.”

Cpl John Alexander
Pvt Albert Andrews

Mus Charles Andre
Pvt Josiah Barker
Pvt David Barry
QM Nathan Bennett
Lt John Bolger

Sgt William Brown
Pvt Dominick Burns
Sgt Bernard Caffrey
Col Thomas W. Cahill
Pvt John I. Cain
Pvt Ambrose Carney
Lt John Carroll
Lt Daniel Carroll
Pvt John Carroll
Lt Patrick T. Claffee
Capt Thomas Coates
Cpl John P. Coen
Cpl Michael P. Coen
Sgt Michael Cronan
Pvt Patrick Cullen
Capt Elliot Curtis
Lt John Curtis
Mus Dennis Deegan
Pvt Levi S. Drew
Capt John Duffy
Lt Fredrick M. Fairchild
Pvt Daniel Farrell
Lt Col Richard FitzGibbon
Pvt Patrick Flanagan
Mjr Frederick Frye
Surg Charles Gallagher
Capt Patrick Garvey

Sgt Daniel Gallagher
Lt William Gleeson
Capt James Graham
Sgt Malachi Hackett
Pvt John Hazlett
Prin Muc John Healy
Lt Col John G Healy
Pvt Edward Heffernan
Sgt Daniel Heffernan
Capt James Hennessey
Pvt Michael Horrigan
Lt Patrick Ingoldsby
Pvt Martin Joyce
Pvt Patrick Kane
Pvt Patrick Lane
Pvt Patrick Larkin
Lt Joseph Lawler
Lt James Lawler
Lt Thomas Lawler

Pvt John Marlow
Capt Michael McCarten
Chap Daniel Mullen
Sgt James T. Mullen
Lt Michael Mullins
Capt Lawrence O'Brien
Lt William O'Keefe
Lt Daniel O'Sullivan
Capt Charles Palmer
Sgt Phillip Reilley
Chap Leo Rizzo
Sgt Timothy Ryan
Capt Gary Scott
Lt John Shaw
Capt Terrance Sheridan
Lt Christian Streit
Sgt Thomas Tallmadge
Capt David C. Warner
Pvt Robert Walsh
Capt Michael Williams
Capt William Wright

Ninth Regiment Connecticut Volunteers. 2010 © All rights reserved.