Colonel Leonard D. H. Currie Headstone Fund

Leonard Douglas Hay Currie was born on March 6, 1832, in Middlesex, England. He purchased a commission as an ensign in the 19th Regiment of Foot (The Green Howards) in 1849. During the Crimean War, Currie was severely wounded in the left foot at the Battle of Alma on September 20, 1854. A surgeon considered amputating the badly injured limb, but Currie objected, saving the foot. On May 18, 1855, Queen Victoria presented him with the Crimea Medal at Buckingham Palace.

When civil war broke out in North America, Currie sold his commission and left the British Army, arriving in the U.S. in October 1861. “Thinking I might be of use,” he wrote to the New York’s governor, Edwin D. Morgan, “I was glad when an opportunity was offered me to place my services at the disposal of the government.” On September 30, 1861, he was appointed assistant adjutant general on the staff of Brigadier General William F. “Baldy” Smith. Impressed with the British officer, four generals, including Major General George B. McCallan, recommended that he be appointed to command a regiment. “I believe him capable of filling any military position which may be assigned to him,” Major General William B. Franklin declared.

On September 24, 1862, Currie was made colonel of the 133rd New York Infantry. He was shot in each arm during the assault on Port Hudson, Louisiana, on June 14, 1863. He urged them forward when he was struck down by yelling, “Lead on, men!” After recovering from his wounds, he returned to the regiment and rose to brigade command. Currie was mustered out on June 6, 1865.

After the war, he returned to England and died on January 3, 1907. He was buried at Ventnor Cemetery on the Isle of Wight, located off the coast of England. The VA approved a government-issued headstone. The money raised will cover its installation fee.