John Irvin Curtin

He was educated at Dickinson Seminary at WIlliamsport, Pennsylvania, and was among

the corps of engineers which located the Bald Eagle Valley Railroad, and when the war opened, volunteered in the Bellefonte Fencibles, which became part of the Tenth regiment, sent first to defend the bridges on the line of railway leading to Washington, and subsequently to Patterson in the Shenandoah Valley. At the close of the three months' term, he recruited a company, of which he was made Captain, for the Forty-fifth, a veteran regiment.
(from Bates' Martial Deeds)

He was in command of the regiment in the absence of Colonel Welsh, who was commanding Brigade on the Maryland Campaign. Curtin was slightly wounded in the elbow - which 'disabled' his arm - on 14 September 1862 in action at Fox's Gap, but remained with his unit and led them in action above the Lower Bridge at Antietam on 17 September.

He was appointed Colonel of the 45th in April 1863 on Colonel Welsh's promotion, and led the regiment for the War's duration. He had brigade command in the 9th Corps in late 1863 near Chattanooga and in early 1864 around Petersburg, where he was seriously wounded in the shoulder on 17 June 1864. He returned to his brigade in August.

He was honored by brevet to Brigadier General in October 1864, briefly held Division command, and mustered out with his unit on 17 July 1865.

Immediately after the war he ventured to develop land for coal and oil in Kentucky, but returned to Pennsylvania in 1867. He was there in the lumber business in Clinton County.

He made an address at the dedication of the Regiment's monument at Antietam on 17 September 1904.

Service basics from the Regimental History1 and further detail from Bates.2 The photograph above is from one posted online by Uriguen.3 His gravesite is on Findagrave.

He was half-brother of Pennsylvania Governor Andrew Curtin.

06/17/1837; Curtin, PA

01/01/1911; Bellefonte, PA; burial in Union Cemetery, Bellefonte, PA