John McKnight Bloss (January 21, 1839 – April 26, 1905) was an

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 ...

soldier who had an influence on the

Battle of Antietam The Battle of Antietam (), or Battle of Sharpsburg particularly in the Southern United States, was a battle of the American Civil War fought on September 17, 1862, between Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and Union G ...

and was later President of Oregon Agricultural College (now

Oregon State University Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering co ...

) from 1892 until 1896.

Early life and education

He was born in

New Philadelphia, Indiana New Philadelphia is an unincorporated community in Franklin Township, Washington County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. History New Philadelphia was originally called Philadelphia, and under the latter name was laid out in 1837. A post office wa ...

in 1839. Bloss attended

Hanover College Hanover College is a private college in Hanover, Indiana, affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Founded in 1827 by Reverend John Finley Crowe, it is Indiana's oldest private college. The Hanover athletic teams participate in the H ...

in Indiana from 1854 and earned an A.B. degree with honors in 1860. After his military service in the Civil War, he studied medicine at Ohio Medical College in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

in 1865.

American Civil War

Bloss fought on the Union side with the

27th Indiana Infantry Regiment The 27th Indiana Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service *The 27th Indiana Volunteer Infantry was organized at Indianapolis, Indiana, on September 12, 1861. *First Battle of ...

. He was one of the soldiers who helped recover

Special Order 191 Special Order 191 (series 1862), also known as the "Lost Dispatch" and the "Lost Order", was a general movement order issued by Confederate Army General Robert E. Lee on about September 9, 1862, during the Maryland Campaign of the American Civi ...

, "Lee's Lost Dispatch", which provided invaluable military intelligence about General

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nort ...

's plans, resulting in the

. This helped lead the Union to victory in the battle.Sears, p. 112; McPherson, p. 108. Bloss fought and was wounded in several battles, including Antietam, before he resigned in 1864.

Career in education

He was a teacher; a principal; superintendent of the Indiana city schools of Evansville (1875–80) and Muncie (1883–86) and of Topeka, Kansas (1886–92); and the State Superintendent for Public Instruction for Indiana (1880–82). In April 1892, Bloss was selected as the third president of

, but retired in 1896 due to his failing health.

Personal life

Bloss married Emma L. McPheeters in 1865. They had two children, Nannie and William (Will). After Emma died of

typhoid Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several ...

in Topeka, Kansas. He remarried in 1893, after meeting Mary A. Wood while serving as OAC president. Bloss died in 1905 and is buried in

Muncie, Indiana Muncie ( ) is an incorporated city and the county seat, seat of Delaware County, Indiana, Delaware County, Indiana. Previously known as Buckongahelas Town, named after the legendary Delaware Chief.http://www.delawarecountyhistory.org/history/docs ...

Notes

References

* McPherson, James M. ''Crossroads of Freedom: Antietam, The Battle That Changed the Course of the Civil War''. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002. . * Sears, Stephen W. ''Landscape Turned Red: The Battle of Antietam''. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1983. . Presidents of Oregon State University Union Army soldiers 1839 births 1905 deaths {{Oregon-bio-stub