Captain George Newman Bliss (July 22, 1837 – August 29, 1928) was an American soldier who fought in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. Bliss received the country's highest award for bravery during combat, the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

, for his actions to counter a Confederate advance in Waynesboro, Virginia on 28 September 1864. He was honored with the award on 3 August 1897.

Biography

Bliss was born in

Tiverton, Rhode Island Tiverton is a New England town, town in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 16,359 at the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census. Geography Tiverton is located on the eastern shore of Narragansett Bay, across the Sa ...

on 22 July 1837 to James Leonard and Sarah A. Bliss née Stafford. Before the war Bliss completed his law degree at Albany Law School in May 1861 and was called to the bar in New York. That same year he enlisted into the Company B of the 1st Rhode Island Cavalry. The following year he was promoted to captain of Company C. He participated in several Civil War battles including the

Battle of Second Bull Run The Second Battle of Bull Run or Battle of Second Manassas was fought August 28–30, 1862, in Prince William County, Virginia, as part of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of the Northern Virginia Campaign waged by Confederat ...

, the Battle of Middleburg within the Gettysburg campaign and the

First Battle of Deep Bottom The First Battle of Deep Bottom, also known as Darbytown, Strawberry Plains, New Market Road, or Gravel Hill, was fought July 27–29, 1864, at Deep Bottom in Henrico County, Virginia, as part of the Siege of Petersburg of the American Civil ...

as part of the Siege of Petersburg. In September 1864, while in command of a provost guard in the Shenandoah Valley he performed an act of gallantry that resulted in his capture by Confederate soldiers and earned him his Medal of Honor award after his release from Libby Prison on 5 February 1865. Bliss mustered out of the army in 1865, following the conclusion of the war. He subsequently married Fanny Amelia Carpenter with whom he had five children. He died on 29 August 1928 in East Providence, Rhode Island and is buried at Lakeside-Carpenter Cemetery.

Medal of Honor citation

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bliss, George N. 1837 births 1928 deaths People of Rhode Island in the American Civil War Union Army officers United States Army Medal of Honor recipients American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor

Biography

Medal of Honor citation

See also

References