History of De Peyster, (Saint Lawrence County) New York United States of America

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Newton Martin Curtis, soldier, was born in De Peyster, N.Y., May 21, 1835; son of Jonathan and Phebe (Rising) Curtis. His first ancestor in America, William Curtis, came from England in the Mary Lion in October, 1632. Newton attended the Gouverneur, N.Y., Wesleyan seminary and prepared for matriculation at Rochester university, but was prevented by illness from entering, and later from completing a course of study of law. He recruited Company G, 16th N.Y. volunteers; was mustered into the U.S. service May 15, 1861; participated in the first battle of Bull Run, July 21, 1861; was severely wounded at West Point, Va., May 7, 1862; promoted lieutenant-colonel in October, 1862, and colonel of the 142d N.Y. volunteers in January, 1863; assigned to command a brigade in June, 1864, after the second battle of Cold Harbor; with his brigade advanced on Petersburg, June 15, 1864, and took part in all the operations before Petersburg and Richmond to December 5, when he was sent with the first expedition to Fort Fisher. His troops, after the Federal landing north of Fort Fisher, Christmas, 1864, invested the fort, captured the garrison flag, two guns and the caissons of a battery, and a battalion of infantry, when he was ordered to fall back and the expedition returned to Hampton Roads. For his part in this assault he was brevetted brigadier-general U.S. volunteers to date from Oct. 28, 1864. His report to General Grant largely determined a second assault which he led with his command Jan. 15, 1865, in which successful engagement he received six wounds, one causing the loss of his left eye. The following morning he received by the hand of General Terry an appointment as brigadier-general, U.S. volunteers, written on a sheet of foolscap and signed by the secretary of war on the field of battle. Later he was brevetted major-general, U.S. volunteers, and performed military duty under that rank during the last year of his service as chief of staff to General Ord and to General Terry, commanding the Departments of Virginia and North Carolina; and later while in command of the district of Southwestern Virginia with headquarters at Lynchburg, where he was mustered out of the U.S. volunteer service Jan. 15, 1866. His promotions were each given for distinguished and meritorious services and he received a congresssional medal of honor for personal bravery in the battle of Fort Fisher. In civil life he held the offices of collector of customs; special agent of the U.S. treasury department; member of the New York assembly, 1884-90; and representative in the 52d, 53d and 54th congresses, 1891-97. He was a breeder of Ayrshire and short horn cattle, president of St. Lawrence county and the New York state agricultural societies; one of the committee to locate and establish the New York state experiment station at Geneva; and for six years secretary and for five years president of its board of control. He introduced the assembly bill for state care of the insane at the request of the State charities association, and his own bills: to require a sane woman to be in the escort with every insane woman when travelling under orders of a court; to change the titles of the lunatic and state asylums for the insane to state hospitals; and to establish the State hospital at Ogdensburg, N.Y. His most important bills in congress which became laws were: to regulate enlistments in the regular army in time of peace, providing that recruits shall be under thirty years of age, citizens of the United States who can read, write and speak the English language; to transfer the military prisons to Leavenworth, Kan., from the war department to the department of justice; providing that soldiers convicted of military offences shall be retained and disciplined at army posts and prisoners convicted in the civil courts of violations of the U.S. statutes shall be retained under federal jurisdiction and not be confined in states prisons and county jails; and to abolish the penalty of death for eighteen specified offences, approved Jan. 15, 1897.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

History of De Peyster, (Saint Lawrence County) New York

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