
Newton Martin Curtis
'Newton Martin Curtis' (
May 21,
1835 –
January 8,
1910) was a
Union brigadier general during the
American Civil War and a member of the
United States House of Representatives from
New York.
Curtis was born in
De Peyster, New York. Upon graduating from the Gouverneur Wesleyan Seminary, Curtis became a teacher, lawyer, and postmaster of De Peyster. In the year prior to the Civil War, he was working as a farmer.
In 1861, he volunteered in the
Union Army as a
captain in the 16th New York Infantry. He fought in the
Peninsula Campaign and was wounded in a minor engagement at
West Point, Virginia. He became
colonel of the 142nd New York Infantry and fought in the
Bermuda Hundred Campaign. He took command of the 1st Brigade, 2nd Division,
X Corps during the
siege of Petersburg. Curtis received a
brevet promotion to brigadier general on
October 28,
1864, for his actions at the
Battle of New Market Heights.
His brigade became part of the expedition against
Fort Fisher in December 1864. The
first attack against Fort Fisher was defeated, but Curtis took part in the
second attack in January 1865, in which his brigade played a key role in the Union victory. He was wounded at the head of his brigade and received a full promotion to brigadier general of volunteers and was also awarded the
Medal of Honor. He remained in the army for less than a year after the fighting had ended, receiving a brevet to
major general of volunteers.
After the war, Curtis was a collector of customs and then a Special Agent for the
United States Treasury Department from 1867 until 1880. He was in the Department of Justice from 1880 until 1882. The
Republican served as a New York state
legislator (1884–1890) and a U.S. Congressman from New York's 22nd District (1891–97). He wrote a book titled ''From Bull Run to Chancellorsville'', published in 1906. He died in
New York City and is buried in
Ogdensburg, New York, where a statue stands in his honor.
The General Newton Martin Curtis Camp #142 of the
Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War was named for Curtis.
References
★ Eicher, John H., & Eicher, David J.: ''Civil War High Commands'', Stanford University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8047-3641-3.