Page:Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography volume 5.djvu/117

 VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY

63:

Charles Cosby Curtis. Elizabeth City county, X'irgiiiia, citizens, remember with gratitude the proud record of Robert Keith Curtis as sheriff of that district, an office he filled with distinction for the long period of twenty-two years, succeeded in that posi- tion at his death by his son, Robert Chiches- ter Curtis. Son of Colonel Robert C. Cur- tis, who commanded a Virginia regiment during the war between the states, Robert Keith Curtis likewise performed valiant service for the Confederate cause, suffering in its defence wounds in battle and dangers as a scout, in which latter capacity he ren- dered most valuable assistance to the South- ern commanders.

Charles Cosby Curtis is the third of his line to hold the position of sheriff', Glouces- tei county, \"irginia, having benefitted for many years by the competent manner in which Colonel Robert C. Curtis discharged his obligations as the incumbent of that im- portant ottice. His war record and that of his son, Robert Keith Curtis, are glorious and thrilling recitals of valor and bravery, but no less worthy of praise are their honorable achievements in public service and private life, in which they have been joined b}- their son and grandson, Charles Cosby Curtis.

Colonel Robert C. Curtis, scion of a Vir- ginia family of ancient and virtuous repu- tation, won fame and distinction through his gallant and accomplished leadership of his Virginia regiment against the invading Union forces. The qualities that served him best in the midst of battle gave power to his long administration of the ofiice of sheriff of Elizabeth City county, and he was numbered among the most able officials ever in the service of that county. He mar- ried, November 2^, 1833, Elizabeth H. Fitz- hugh, born in 1816, eight years his junior, and had issue: MarN- Elizabeth, born Feb- ruary 13, 1836; Charles Philip, born May 8, 1837; Robert Keith, of whom further.

Robert Keith Curtis, son of Colonel Rob- ert C. and Elizabeth H. (Fitzhugh) Curtis, was born in Gloucester county, Virginia, July 27. 1844, and died July 13, 1913. He was educated in Gary's Military Academy, at Hampton, Virginia, and when fifteen years of age entered the \^irginia militia, so that at the beginning of the war between the states he was possessed of full military training. Although then but a lad of seven-

teen years, his patriotic ardor and loyalty e(|Ualled those emotions in any man who offered his life and services to the Confed- erate cause, and in military knowledge he was the superior of most. The first call for volunteers found him prepared, and he be- came a member of the Washington Artil- lery, although upon reaching Yorktown he was transferred to the Old Dominion Dragoons, then Company B, of the Third \'irginia Cavalry. Subsequently he became identified with the cavalry forces command- ed by General Fitzhugh Lee and General Stuart, serving through the Peninsula, Sec- ond Manassas, Maryland, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville and Gettysburg campaigns, and participating in all of the battles in which his regiment was engaged. In the first action on the third day of the battle of Gettysburg he sustained four wounds in his right arm, and. falling fainting from his mount, was caught by his comrades and re- moved to Gordonsville for treatment. He was then sent to North Carolina, where his mother was staying during the war, and upon his return to the army was detailed as a scout under General Fitzhugh Lee, re- maining in that capacity until the Appo- mattox surrender. His wartime experiences as a scout form a connection of narratives of thrilling interest, and through successful exijloits on numerous occasions he became ( General Lee's most trusted agent for work of that perilous nature. He was thrice cap- tured by the enemy, each time escaping from his guards when to be taken to prison meant immediate execution without trial. At the close of the struggle he returned to Elizabeth City coimty, taking up agricul- tural pursuits, and ordering his life in the course it would have taken four years previ- ous had it not been for that frightfully bloody interlude that history will long note as the -American civil war.

The followmg is a copy of a letter re- ceived by Mr. Curtis:

THE COMMONWEALTH OF V.^. To Robert Curtis. Greetings:

Know You, That from special trust and confi- dence reposed in your fidelity, courage and good conduct, our Governor, in pursuance of the author- ity vested in him by the Constitution and Laws of the Commonwealth, doth commission you Second Lieutenant in the ,^7th Regiment of the gth Brigade and 4th Division of the Virginia Militia, to rank as such from the 24th day of May, 1866.