The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-01-18
Prominent Bridgeporter
Who Died Yesterday Pos
sessed Medal of Honor.
SINGLE HANDED, HE
CAPTURED 2 OF FOE
Enlisted at Is and Perform
ed Valiant Deeds Before
He Reached 20.

cry.
Mr.. Curtis health had been grad.
ually failing for the last year. On
Sunday he contracted pneumonia
against the ravages of which his en-
feebled powers could not long battle
and death followed three days of Sc
rious illness.
Mr.. Curtis was born April 10, 1S45
in the house at Main and Arch streets,
built by his father, Victory Curtis, In
1924 His mother was Susan Miles
Curtis, who was also Of Colonial an
| cestry. .,<>
At the outbreak of the Civil war, in
1861, Mr.. Curtis, then little past his
10Th birthday, enlisted as a private In
the Ninth regiment, Connecticut Vol
unteers, infantry.
! When only 18 years old, he distin-
guished himself at Baton Rouge, win
| ming the medal for his brave act. The
| Military Order, Congress Medal OF
Honor, Legion Of the United States,
lsgives the story Of the young mans
| conspicuous lighting:
Baton Rouge, situated on the Mis-
sissippi river, Is, miles northwest OF
New Orleans, La, was captured by
| the Federal forces on May, IL, 1852.
fight, on August s, following, when
the Union troops under General Thos.
Williams were attacked by the Con-
federates. After severe engagement
the enemy was repulsed with heavy
loss.
1.-THE Federals lost 200, among them
General Williams. The Confederate
brigadier general, Charles Clarke, also
lost his life. The Confederate IRON
clad gunboat Arkansas designed to
engage the naval force In the river
proved, useless, and was attacked and
destroyed the next day by vessels un-
der the command of David D. Porter.
AT Baton Rouge, La, August 5,
1862, Lieutenant John Calvin Curtis
gained Congress medal for very
conspicuous ravery. He was at that
time Lieutenant Of Company T in the
Ninth Connecticut Infantry, and by
his remarkable bravery and GOODNESS
in action during the battle won the
plaudits of his comrades. He not only
displayed the sterling qualities Of a
commander, but during q charge on
the enemy's lines, during which Gem
eral Williams was killed, he captured
single handed two Confederate pris-
oners He was Sergeant Major when
he went into the battle of Baton
Rouge. AS his equipment only gave
a short sword, he put on the equip
ment of one of the regiment who had
fallen
When his own regiment was tenn
porarily he1 in reserve he requested
porarily held in reserve he requested
to go into the engagement and firing
line of the Sixth Michigan regiment
on the right. He advised him not to
go. and urged him to remain with his
own regiment, but reluctantly con-
sented, and away the young boy went
and was in the midst of the fighting
which was very severe. The Sixth
Michigan lost many men and officers.
The fighting was in a dense fog. and
both lines were very close, this result
ing in many hand-to-hand conflicts.
A portion of the regiment was Obliged
to push back, and young Curtis was
compelled to jump renee, and jump
ed right close to two Confederates.
one OF whom was a member of a
Mississippi regiment, the other Of a
Louisiana regiment. His bayonet was
on his gun, and he rushed at them,
yelling at the same time to surrender,
which they did, as they were so sur
prised, and supposed he was only the
forerunner Of a larger force. ;, They
were taken aback by the sudden rush
he made, and were his prisoners be-
fore they had time to realize their
position.
He rushed them at the point of his
bayonet to where the regiment was
stationed, and the colonel and regi-
ment set up a great cheer. The colo
mel first spied the three coming, and
shouted: Great God, see what's COM
ing; see that boy coming in with two
Confederate prisoners He was COM
mended by the colonel in the official
report to the state and war depart
ment for bravery and received COM
mission as second lieutenant, and
later received the Congress medal
"He was perhaps the youngest
commissioned officer in the U. s.
army at the time. The next year he
was promoted to first lieutenant, and
was in command of a company most
of the time. He received very com
plimentary appointments while in the
service, which seemed to come out Of
a clear sky. He was appointed and
served as judge advocate Of the mill
LdEy COIllullSSlOIl u0lu III NEW orleans
for about a month. Later on, was ap-
pointed and served as acting assist
ant adjutant general of Brig.-Gen. H
F. Kimberly, brigade at Madisonvil1e,
La, for about six weeks. He left
Louisiana and went to Virginia, and
was before Petersburg and Deep Bot
tom and Malvern Hill, and went
through the Shenandoah Valley with
Sheridan. He was mustered out on
the last day Of October, 1864, having
served three years and two months,
and was then only 10 years and six
months of age"
When Mr.. Curtis returned to
Bridgeport he entered the employ of
the Adams Express Co. as clerk
Henry r. PARROT was at that time
first agent of the company here and
Mr.. Curtis eventually worked his way
up until he succeeded him. Later he
was made superintendent of the New
England division of the company, a
position which he hold for Is years.
During that time the family resided in
Boston where Mr.. Curtis headquar-
tiers were. After his retirement in