- Samuel Curtis
Infobox Military Person
name= Samuel Ryan Curtis
born= birth date|1805|2|3
died= death date and age|1866|12|26|1805|2|3
placeofbirth=Champlain, New York
placeofdeath=Council Bluffs, Iowa
placeofburial=
caption=Samuel R. Curtis at the time of the Civil War
nickname=
allegiance= Union
branch=Union Army
serviceyears=
rank= Major General
commands=Army of the Southwest Army of the Border
unit=
battles=Mexican-American War American Civil War *Pea Ridge *Westport
awards=
laterwork= U.S. Congressman Indian Peace Commissioner Railroad commissionerSamuel Ryan Curtis (
February 3 ,1805 –December 26 ,1866 ) was an American military officer, most famous for his role in theTrans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War .Born near
Champlain ,New York , Curtis graduated from theUnited States Military Academy in 1831. He moved toOhio , where he was a lawyer and took several other civilian jobs. During theMexican-American War , he served as militarygovernor of several occupied cities. After the war, he moved toIowa , was the mayor of Keokuk in 1856, and served in Congress from 1857 to 1861 as a Republican. He was a supporter of eventual PresidentAbraham Lincoln , and was considered for acabinet position; however, after the Civil War broke out, Curtis was appointed colonel of the 2nd Iowa Infantry onJune 1 ,1861 . He was subsequently promoted to brigadier general, effectiveMay 17 .After organizing the chaos in
St. Louis, Missouri , Curtis was given command of theArmy of the Southwest onDecember 25 ,1861 , by Maj. Gen.Henry W. Halleck . Curtis moved his headquarters south toRolla, Missouri , to solidify Union control inArkansas . In March 1862, his army won theBattle of Pea Ridge in northwest Arkansas. His success made him pensive rather than triumphant. A few days after the battle he wrote, "The scene is silent and sad. The vulture and the wolf now have the dominion and the dead friends and foes sleep in the same lonely graves." [Shea & Hess, p 275] He was promoted to major general for his success, effectiveMarch 21 ,1862 . Tragically, on the same day in late March that he heard about his promotion, he also found out that his twenty year old daughter Sadie died oftyphoid fever inSt. Louis . [Shea & Hess, p 290]After Pea Ridge, Curtis' small army moved east and invaded northeast Arkansas, capturing the city of
Helena, Arkansas in July. In September, Curtis was given command of the District of Missouri, but Lincoln was soon forced to reassign him, after Curtis's abolitionist views led to conflict with the governor of Missouri.In October 1863, his son Major Henry S. Curtis,
adjutant to Brig. Gen.James G. Blunt , was killed byQuantrill's Raiders . In this surprise attack at theBattle of Baxter Springs , Quantrill's men wore Federal uniforms and gave no quarter. [Boatner, p 51] In 1864, Curtis returned to Missouri, fighting against the Confederate invasion led by Maj. Gen.Sterling Price . When Price's incursion was halted by Curtis' victory at theBattle of Westport , he was given a position until the end of the war on thefrontier , commanding the Department of the Northwest.After the war, he returned to
Keokuk, Iowa , where he was involved with the Union advances inrailroad s, until his death in 1866 inCouncil Bluffs, Iowa . He is buried in Oakland Cemetery,Keokuk .ee also
References
* Boatner, Mark M. III. "The Civil War Dictionary." New York: David McKay, 1959. ISBN 0-679-50013-8
* Eicher, John H., and Eicher, David J., "Civil War High Commands", Stanford University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8047-3641-3
* Shea, William & Hess, Earl, "Pea Ridge: Civil War Campaign in the West." University of North Carolina Press, 1992. ISBN 0-8078-4669-4
* [http://www.nps.gov/peri/curtis.htm National Park Service Biography]Footnotes
Persondata
NAME= Curtis, Samuel
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= Union Army general
DATE OF BIRTH=
PLACE OF BIRTH=
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=
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