James Freeman Curtis II (December 19, 1825 – March 1, 1914), participant in the 1849

California Gold Rush The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) was a gold rush that began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California f ...

, Chief of Police of San Francisco, officer in the California state militia and volunteer in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

Biography

James Freeman Curtis was born December 19, 1825, in Boston, Massachusetts. His father died in a train accident in 1839. Not much is known about his father, except he was a midshipman on the in the War of 1812. Curtis went to sea and in 1849 sailed around

Cape Horn Cape Horn ( es, Cabo de Hornos, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which are the Diego Ramí ...

, and settled in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...

. In the 1850s, he was a leading member of the

San Francisco Committee of Vigilance The San Francisco Committee of Vigilance was a vigilante group formed in 1851. The catalyst for its formation was the criminality of the Sydney Ducks gang. It was revived in 1856 in response to rampant crime and corruption in the municipal govern ...

and was a member of the

Society of California Pioneers The Society of California Pioneers, established in 1850, is dedicated to the study and enjoyment of California art, history, and culture. Founded by individuals arriving in California before 1850 and thriving under the leadership of several gener ...

. He was also an active member of the

California Militia The California National Guard is part of the National Guard of the United States, a dual federal-state military reserve force. The CA National Guard has three components: the CA Army National Guard, CA Air National Guard, and CA State Guard. ...

and in 1854, was elected First Lieutenant of the California Guard, Light Battery, the oldest military company in the state organized in 1849. Curtis was the Chief of Police of San Francisco with his election to the office November 4, 1856, which he held until 1858. Massachusetts Historical Society; Curtis-Stevenson Family Papers
/ref> During the Civil War, Curtis, joined the 4th Infantry Regiment California Volunteers as Major on September 2, 1861. His first assignment was as commander of

Fort Colville Fort Colville was a U.S. Army post in the Washington Territory located north of current Colville, Washington. During its existence from 1859 to 1882, it was called "Harney's Depot" and "Colville Depot" during the first two years, and finally " ...

Washington Territory The Territory of Washington was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington. It was created from the ...

. In 1862 he became commander of

Fort Lincoln Fort Lincoln may refer to: *Fort Abraham Lincoln, an old military post near Mandan, North Dakota, now a state park *Fort Lincoln Internment Camp, former military post and internment camp near Bismarck * Fort Lincoln (Kansas) * Fort Lincoln (Texas), ...

, near

Crescent City, California Crescent City ( Tolowa: ''Taa-’at-dvn''; Yurok: ''Kohpey''; Wiyot: ''Daluwagh'') is the only incorporated city in Del Norte County, California; it is also the county seat. Named for the crescent-shaped stretch of sandy beach south of the cit ...

. On June 25, 1863 he was promoted

Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colon ...

and commander of Camp Drum, in Wilmington, California and of the Military

District of Southern California The District of Southern California was a nineteenth century district of Department of the Pacific, a command of the United States Army. History Department of the Pacific was created January 15, 1861, during the American Civil War. The District o ...

. He took command of 4th Infantry Regiment California Volunteers, August 20, 1863 until it was disbanded by consolidation, November 30, 1865. On April 11, 1864 he was promoted Colonel of the 4th Infantry Regiment, and continued as commander of Camp Drum, and the Military District. He remained in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban ...

for the duration of the war and was discharged November 30, 1865. In 1867 he was retroactively promoted to Brevet

Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointe ...

as of May 13, 1865, for meritorious conduct during the war.Records of California men in the war of the rebellion 1861 to 1867, California Adjutant General's Office, State Office, J. D. Young, Supt. State Printing, Sacramento, 1890. pg. 595 After the Civil War he moved to

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Monta ...

where he became the secretary of state in 1892. He was also a member of the

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy ( U.S. Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. It was founded in 1866 in Decatur, ...

. Curtis died March 1, 1914, in Boston, Massachusetts.

Legacy

Many workers and guests claim Col. Curtis haunts the

Drum Barracks The Drum Barracks, also known as Camp Drum and the Drum Barracks Civil War Museum, is the last remaining original American Civil War era military facility in the Los Angeles area. Located in the Wilmington section of Los Angeles, near the Port ...

Civil War Museum in Wilmington, California. ''

Unsolved Mysteries ''Unsolved Mysteries'' is an American mystery documentary television show, created by John Cosgrove and Terry Dunn Meurer. Documenting cold cases and paranormal phenomena, it began as a series of seven specials, presented by Raymond Burr, Ka ...

'' featured the story on October 28, 1992.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Curtis, James Freeman 1825 births 1914 deaths American military personnel of the Mexican–American War People of Massachusetts in the American Civil War San Francisco Police Department chiefs People from Boston Union Army colonels