Curfman Family During the American Civil War: Daniel Curfman Jr. & Brother Archibald
- Keith Curfman
- Jan 21, 2024
- 7 min read
Updated: Feb 15
Daniel Curfman Jr., the eldest son of Daniel and Matilda (Greene) Curfman, was born on March 21, 1833 in Cass Township, Huntingdon Co., Pennsylvania. He served in the Company E of the 51st Pennsylvania Infantry from September 1864 until the end of the war in 1865. He was in hospitals from January 1, 1865 until his discharge in 1865 for rheumatism and dysentery. According to Daniel's pension files, he suffered from these illnesses for the rest of his life, including Crohn's disease that was brought on by his time in the war. According to the 1870 Clay Township, Huntingdon Co census, Daniel had real estate valued at $1200 and personal property valued at $500. According to the 1880 and 1910 census he was a farmer. He died on November 2, 1913 in Huntingdon Co., PA.
Daniel married Margaret E. Rupert (she went by Emily) on February 20, 1862 by Rev. Jeremiah Clay. She was the youngest daughter of John and Christianna Myers Rupert. She was born in 1835 in Huntingdon Co. and grew up next door to Daniel Jr. According to the 1880 Clay Township census she had 8 children with 6 living. She died on Nov 17, 1922 at the age of 88, in Mapleton Depot, Huntingdon Co.
This is a photo of Daniel and Emily during a family reunion on the 8th of September, 1908. Daniel would have been 75 in this photo. Note the impressive head of hair and beard.
Emily was married first to George Walls, the son of John and Sarah Walls and they moved to Iowa for unknown reasons. Emily and George Walls had 2 children: Robert Barton Walls and Aaron Hicks Walls. Both boys were listed as “Curfman” in the 1870 census. Robert was born in Iowa in 1856 and Aaron was born in 1861 in Clay Township, Huntingdon Co. George died from unknown reasons on 17 Sep 1860 at about age 25 in in Monroe, Iowa. They also had a child die in infancy in Iowa.
Below is a list of the names of Daniel and his children and grand children. Daniel and his wife can be seen in the center. Three generations of Curfmans are in this photo.
Above photos is believed to have been taken on the same day as the family photo. September 23, 1908. Note the variety of food on the table and the horses and buggies in the background.
Margaret (Emily) Rupert Walls then married Daniel Jr. on February 20, 1862 in Clay Township and they had 4 children, including Austin, Amanda, Sherman Grant and Albert. Daniel Jr. raised his two step sons, Robert and Aaron Hicks.
Image of Daniel. Date unknown.
Newspapers.com lists some interesting things about Daniel, including his loss of a $20 greenback in 1887 which would be the equivilent of $550 in 2024. In 1907, Daniel visited Grant Curfman (his son) in Hustontown, PA. And, in 1875, Daniel's house burned down after a spark in the stove pipe caught the roof on fire. Everyone was in the house and was able to get out safely, but the whole house burned.
Background on Daniel Curfman Jr's Civil War Service
Daniel served in the 51st Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers Company E. He was recruited in Mifflinburg, PA.[1]
Image credit: pacivilwarflags.org
The 51st PA Infantry was originally organized at Harrisburg November 16, 1861. The regiment left PA for Annapolis, Md., November 16. Attached to Reno's Brigade, Burnside's North Carolina Expeditionary Corps, to April, 1862. 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, Dept. of North Carolina., to July, 1862. 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, 9th Army Corps, Army of the Potomac, to April, 1863; Army of the Ohio to June, 1863; Army of the Tennessee to August, 1863, and Army of the Ohio to April, 1864. 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, 9th Army Corps, Army Potomac, to September, 1864. 1st Brigade, 1st Division, 9th Army Corps, to July, 1865. The Regiment lost during service 12 Officers and 165 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 137 Enlisted men by disease. Total 314.[2]
Daniel joined the 51st PA Infantry on 26 September, 1864.[4] Therefore, he was only present for a few battles. By 1 January, 1865 Daniel was in the hospital and would not rejoin the regiment until they were mustered out. Battles that Daniel may have participated in or witnessed:
Poplar Springs Church, Peeble's Farm, September 29-October 2.
Reconnaissance on Vaughan and Squirrel Level Road October 8.
Boydton Plank Road, Hatcher's Run, October 27-28.
Fort Stedman March 25, 1865. (Daniel would have been hospitalized from this point forward)
Appomattox Campaign March 28-April 9.
Assault on and fall of Petersburg April 2.
Pursuit of Lee to Farmville, VA.
Moved to City Point, thence to Alexandria April 20-28.
Participated in the Grand Review May 23.
Duty at Washington and Alexandria till July.
Mustered out July 27, 1865.[3]
The 51st Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment, was known as the "Shepard Rifles," and they participated in several significant battles and campaigns between July 1864 and January 1865 during the American Civil War. Here are some of the engagements they were involved in during that period:
1. Battle of the Crater (July 30, 1864): The 51st Pennsylvania took part in this battle at Petersburg, Virginia. It was a part of the Union assault where a mine was exploded beneath Confederate lines, resulting in a large crater. However, due to disorganization and confusion, the Union attack failed to exploit the breach.
2. Second Battle of Deep Bottom (August 14-20, 1864): This engagement was part of the Richmond-Petersburg Campaign. The Union attempted to extend their lines to threaten Richmond but faced Confederate resistance. The 51st Pennsylvania was likely involved in this action.
3. Battle of Ream's Station (August 25, 1864): Union forces, including the 51st Pennsylvania, defended the Weldon Railroad against a Confederate attack. The Confederates managed to break through, but the Union eventually retook the position.
4. Battle of Boydton Plank Road (October 27-28, 1864): It was a part of the larger Siege of Petersburg. Union forces, including the 51st Pennsylvania, attempted to seize Boydton Plank Road, but they faced stiff Confederate resistance and the attack stalled.
5. Battle of Hatcher's Run (February 5-7, 1865): While it falls slightly outside the time frame you mentioned (February 1865), it's worth noting. The 51st Pennsylvania likely participated in this battle, which was another attempt by the Union to extend their lines and disrupt Confederate supply lines.[5]
The 51st Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment was involved in these significant actions during the latter part of the Civil War. Their contributions were part of the Union's efforts in the Eastern Theater to break through Confederate defenses around Petersburg and Richmond.
Life in Company E would have been marked by the routines of camp life, drills, marches, and combat. They would have faced the challenges of inadequate supplies, disease, and the horrors of battle. Soldiers in Company E likely formed strong bonds with each other, forged through shared experiences and the hardships of war. They might have also maintained connections with their families and communities back home, exchanging letters and news whenever possible.
Daniel was on picket duty the night he fell ill and nearly lost the use of both legs. He was serving at the front during the Siege of Petersburg, Va., Daniel was described as having a bowel blockage for ten days and rheumatism, which later turned into a lifelong disease of the stomach and bowels. On January 3, 1865, in Petersburg, VA, Daniel experienced severe stomach and bowel pains, receiving treatment from an Army surgeon in a field hospital. Transported by cart to City Point hospital, he .
Daniel was discharged from the hospital on May 15, 1865, at the age of 31, Daniel later filed for a pension in January 1880 at the age of 45. Interestingly, he was listed as both 5'6" and 5'8" tall, with a dark complexion, black hair, and blue eyes.
Despite a denied disability pension request, it was eventually approved, and from the 1880s to 1914, the pension increased from $4/month to $22/month. Even after Daniel's passing, his wife continued to receive the pension, with the condition that she attest that her first husband, George Walls, had never served in the military.
Additional insights into Daniel's life emerge from his pension files. Describing him as 5' 6" to 5'8" tall, with black hair and either black or blue eyes. In 1902, a physical examination of Daniel at the age of 69 showed that he was 150 lbs, had only one tooth on the bottom jaw and none on the top, and was still suffering from stomach and bowel disease that he contracted while in service. At points, the pain is so bad that he was unable to walk.
A relative on my mother's side (Levi H. Ammon) also served in the 51st PA infantry, Company E. However, he would have never met Daniel Jr. because he was killed at the Battle of the Wilderness in 1864.
[5] ChatGPT
[6] Info from Ruth Curfman research
Archibald Curfman Background
Daniel Jr. had a brother, Archibald, who also served in the Civil War. Archibald moved to Montana as a homesteader later in life and died in Garfield Co., Montana. A monument to local war veterans includes Archibald's name.
According to the Garfield Historical society in Montana, ARCHIBALD GREENE CURFMAN (1843-1919) Company G, 45th Infantry Regiment of Pennsylvania. Homesteaded in 1916 near Phon and is buried in Greenridge Cemetery.
No known photo of Archibal Curfman exists. A newspaper article in 1919 indicated that Archibald had a stroke shortly before passing away.
The 45th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry was a regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Here are some key points about the 45th Pennsylvania Infantry:
Organization and Muster-In:
The 45th Pennsylvania was mustered into service on August 21, 1861, at Camp Curtin in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Leadership:
The regiment was commanded by Colonel Thomas Welsh, who led the unit throughout much of its service.
Service Period:
The regiment served for three years during the Civil War, from 1861 to 1864.
Campaigns and Battles:
The 45th Pennsylvania participated in several major campaigns and battles, including the Peninsula Campaign, the Battle of Antietam, the Battle of Fredericksburg, the Battle of Chancellorsville, and the Battle of Gettysburg.
Peninsula Campaign (1862):
The regiment was part of the Army of the Potomac during the Peninsula Campaign, which aimed to capture Richmond, Virginia. The 45th Pennsylvania saw action in battles such as Yorktown and Fair Oaks.
Antietam (1862):
The regiment played a significant role in the Battle of Antietam, one of the bloodiest battles of the war, fought on September 17, 1862.
Fredericksburg (1862):
The 45th Pennsylvania participated in the Battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862.
Chancellorsville (1863):
The regiment was engaged in the Battle of Chancellorsville in May 1863.
Gettysburg (1863):
At the Battle of Gettysburg (July 1-3, 1863), the 45th Pennsylvania played a role in the defense of Cemetery Ridge.
Later Service:
After Gettysburg, the regiment continued to serve in various capacities until it mustered out on June 30, 1864.
Casualties:
Like many Civil War regiments, the 45th Pennsylvania suffered significant casualties during its service.
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