John A. Curtis

John Alexander Curtis (August 22, 1834 – June 27, 1913) was an American politician who served in the Virginia House of Delegates.

Early life John A. Curtis was born in 1834 in Hampton, Virginia. At the age of 14, he began studying seamanship.

Civil War In May 1861, he enlisted as a private with Company A of the 32nd Virginia Infantry Regiment. He fought in the Peninsula campaign. In October 1862, he was promoted to superintendent of transportation on the James River and Kanawha Canal under Major Kensie Johns. In spring 1863, he was commissioned acting master of the Confederate States Navy. He was then assigned to duty in the secret service and crossed the James River to Day's Point for military information. In July 1864, two blockade runners under his command tried to rescue prisoners from Point Lookout. He was then stationed in Smithville (later Southport, North Carolina). He was then acting master of CSS Tallahassee. Around September 1864, he was detailed for secret service near Fortress Monroe. He was appointed captain of steam transport on the James River in the fall of 1865. He resigned from this role in 1866 and worked for a ship brokerage in Richmond.