George Curtis was a resident of
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
at the beginning of the
Civil War and joined a New York infantry regiment. He then became a
Pinkerton
Pinkerton may refer to:
Places
* Pinkerton, Ontario, named after surveyor and early settler Matthew Pinkerton
* Pinkerton's Landing Bridge, railroad bridge in Pennsylvania
People
* Allan Pinkerton (18191884), Scottish detective and spy
* Bill ...
agent, and a Union spy.
He was selected in 1862 to obtain information from
Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States
* Richmond, London, a part of London
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, ...
. He made his way to the Confederate capital as a contraband merchant selling gun caps, ammunition, and the much needed
quinine. The day after reaching Virginia he was taken to the Confederate lines and to an audience with Major General
A. P. Hill
Ambrose Powell Hill Jr. (November 9, 1825April 2, 1865) was a Confederate general who was killed in the American Civil War. He is usually referred to as A. P. Hill to differentiate him from another, unrelated Confederate general, Daniel Harvey Hi ...
.
General Hill gave him a pass to go on to Richmond and also asked Curtis if he would carry some dispatches as well. Curtis gladly agreed to carry out his request. When Curtis reached Richmond he was introduced to Confederate Secretary of War
Judah Benjamin where he negotiated for the delivery of his contraband goods and received a pass to move in and out of Richmond freely.
Throughout the war Curtis was asked to, and did, carry dispatches to Confederate General
John B. Magruder
John Bankhead Magruder (May 1, 1807 – February 18, 1871) was an American and Confederate military officer. A graduate of West Point, Magruder served with distinction during the Mexican–American War (1846–1848) and was a prominent Confede ...
. But before they reached General Magruder they were taken by Mr. Bangs, Pinkerton's supervisor for field agents. There they were copied before continuing on to General Magruder. Curtis was never suspected for a spy, he was never arrested. He worked as a contraband merchant for the duration of the war, never once was he suspected of carrying important information to the Union forces.
[Markle, D. E. (1994). Spies and spymasters of the Civil War.]
Footnotes
References
*Markle, D. E. (1994). Spies and spymasters of the Civil War. New York, Hippocrene Books.
External links
Espionage in the Civil War
{{DEFAULTSORT:Curtis, George
Year of birth missing
Year of death missing
American Civil War spies