John C. Curtis

John Calvin Curtis (April 17, 1845 January 17, 1917) was a Lieutenant of the Ninth Regiment Connecticut Volunteer Infantry in the American Civil War, and a Medal of Honor recipient.

John Calvin Curtis
Born(1845-04-17)April 17, 1845
Bridgeport, Connecticut
DiedJanuary 17, 1917(1917-01-17) (aged 71)
Place of burial
Allegiance United States of America
Union
Service/branchUnited States Army
Union Army
Years of service1861-1865
Rank First Lieutenant
Unit 9th Regiment Connecticut Volunteer Infantry
Battles/warsAmerican Civil War
*Battle of Baton Rouge (1862)
AwardsMedal of Honor

Curtis was born on April 17, 1845 in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He enlisted in the Ninth Regiment on August 17, 1861. On August 5, 1862, as a Sergeant-Major at age 17, he became instrumental in repulsing a Confederate attack aimed at recapturing Baton Rouge, Louisiana. During heavy firing, 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."[1] For this act, Curtis received the Medal of Honor on December 16, 1896, the only soldier from the Ninth to be so honored.

Curtis was later promoted to First Lieutenant. He died on January 17, 1917, and was buried at Mountain Grove Cemetery in Bridgeport.[2]

Medal of Honor citation

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.

See also

Notes

  1. Medal of Honor citation
  2. MoH recipients' grave sites

References

  • "Bio info". Retrieved September 29, 2010.
  • "Medal of Honor info". Retrieved September 29, 2010.
  • "MoH recipients' grave sites". Retrieved September 29, 2010.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.