George N. Bliss
Captain George Newman Bliss was an American soldier who fought in the American Civil War. Bliss received the countrys highest award for bravery during combat, the Medal of Honor, for his action during the Battle of Waynesboro in Virginia onSeptember 1864. He was honored with the award onAugust 1897.
Bliss was born in Tiverton, Rhode Island onJuly 1837 to James Leonard and Sarah A. Bliss ne 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 Battle of Middleburg within the Gettysburg campaign and the First Battle of Deep Bottom as part of the Siege of Petersburg. It was during the Battle of Waynesboro in September 1864 when he was on duty in the Shenandoah Valley that he performed the 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 onFebruary 1865.
Source: Wikipedia