| William L. Curry | 1st Ohio Voluntary Cavalry |
| by Phil Craig |
William Leontes Curry was born on June 25, 1839 in Union County, Ohio. He was raised on his family's farm which had been settled as part of his grandfather's compensation for fighting in the Revolutionary War. Curry obtained his early education in public schools in Jerome Township, Ohio later he attended Marysville Academy and Otterbein University (now Otterbein College) until he withdrew from school to study the law in January of 1861.
Curry's enlistment in the Union army officially began with the First Ohio Volunteer Cavalry in September of 1861 in the rank of First Sergeant. During his military career he climbed through the ranks quite rapidly. On June 16, 1862 he became Second Lieutenant. At this rank he was captured as a prisoner ofwar at Courtland, Alabama on July 25, 1862. On December 31, 1862 he was promoted to the rank of First Lieutenant. Finally he was promoted to Captain on December 15, 1864, although he was not mustered in. On December 30, 1864 he was mustered out of the military due to injuries after being thrown from his horse and the expiration of his term.
Following his military career, he held positions promoting reunions for the First Ohio Cavalry. He worked diligently to collect information on Civil War soldiers from Ohio in an effort to write a book about Ohio in the Civil War while he was an employee of the Ohio Historical Society and of the State of Ohio. He also became an all around author and politician. He used political ties to promote a bill that would compensate volunteer veterans. He worked his entire life researching the war he had fought in and trying to gain a political edge for veterans who were not receiving any benefits, such as volunteers.
Unfortunately for William L. Curry he was not able to complete the book he had worked much of his life on after the war. His book on Ohio in the Civil War went unfinished when he died on April 27, 1927.
Bibliography
"The Civil War Center, Louisiana State University website." http://www.cwc.isu.edu (accessed February 23, 2001).
"The Civil War Files Index." http://civilwararchive.com/files.htm (accessed February 15, 2001)
Civil War Roster, microfiche archives, Ohio Historical Center, Columbus, Ohio.
"Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System." http://165.83.216.56/cwss (accessed February 15, 2001).
Columbus Dispatch, Wednesday, April 27, 1927, p.l.
Curry, W.L. Address of Col. William L. Curry of Columbus, Ohio. First Ohio Cavalry, 1915.
William L. Curry Papers. Ohio Historical Center, Columbus, Ohio. Box 11/Reel 1, Box 14/Reel 6, and Box 15.
"First Annual Reunion." First Ohio Cavalry, 1885.
"Ohio In The Civil War." http://www.ohiocivilwar.com (accessed January 31, 2001).
Ohio Death Certificate. volume 5328, certificate number 22257.
Reid, Whitelaw. Ohio In The Civil War. Her Statesmen, Her Generals and Soldiers. Cincinnati, Ohio. Wilstach, Baldwin, 1872.
"United States Military History Index." http://www .USAMHI.com (accessed March 1, 2001).