Historical note:

            George N. Bliss (1837-1928) was a captain in the First Regiment of the Rhode Island Cavalry that served during the American Civil War (1861-1865). George Newman Bliss was born 22 July 1837 in Tiverton, R.I. to James Leonard and Sarah A. (Stafford) Bliss. On 1 January 1872, he married Fanny Amelia Carpenter (1850-1930) the daughter of William A. and Mary (French) Carpenter of Seekonk, Mass. and together they had the following children: George Morton (1873-), William Carpenter (1874-), George Miles (1875-), Helen Louise (1877-), Carlton Sears (1880-), and Rose Danielson (1883-). George N. Bliss died 29 Aug 1928 in East Providence, R.I.

            For the first seventeen years of his life, George N. Bliss lived in Fall River, Mass. until he moved to Pawtucket, R.I. in the summer of 1854. In 1856, Bliss enrolled in Brown University, but went on to earn his bachelor's degree at Union College in Schenectady, N.Y. in 1860. Following his graduation, Bliss entered Albany Law School and graduated in May 1861 and was then admitted to the New York state bar.

            Around the time that Bliss was beginning his career as a lawyer, war was beginning to break out against the north and the southern states who decided to secede from the United States and form their own government. As a result, the twenty four year old Bliss enlisted as a private in Company B of the First Rhode Island Cavalry in September 1861 to take part in preserving the Union. Bliss quickly rose among the ranks and was promoted to Quartermaster Sergeant, then to a full Lieutenant, a position he held until he was named Captain of Company C in August 1862.

            As part of the First Regiment of Rhode Island Cavalry, Bliss and his fellow soldiers deployed to Washington, D.C. in March 1862 after five months of training. The cavalry was responsible for aiding other military divisions when an advancement against the enemy was to be made, mainly with reconnaissance of the surrounding land and keeping guard over the soldiers' headquarters. Bliss and his regiment, saw action in the following Civil War battles. The Battle of Second Bull Run in late August 1862, which was the culmination of Gen. Robert E. Lee of the Confederate Army's successful offensive campaign. The Battle of Middleburg from 17-19 June 1863 which was part of the larger Gettysburg campaign. The First Battle of Deep Bottom from 27-29 July 1864 which was part of the Union's victory at the Siege of Petersburg later in March 1865.

            Capt. Bliss fought three years in the war and was a successful leader. Besides his duties as captain of Company C; Bliss spent time in the conscription camps to help recruit new soldiers after the great losses the Union Army suffered after the campaigns of 1863. Bliss remained in the conscription camps from the summer of 1863 to April 1864, where he took part in recruiting black soldiers to the army and reenlisting veterans, like himself, who had already served their three years. By the fall of 1864, Bliss had returned to active duty with the First Regiment of Rhode Island Cavalry and although he was tired and weary of the ongoing war, he was willing to continue fighting for as long as it took rather that submitting to a dishonorable peace.

            In September 1864, while on duty in the Shenandoah Valley, Bliss was captured by Confederate soldiers and spent the following four months imprisoned at Libby Prison in Richmond, Va. On 5 February 1865, Bliss and other Union soldiers who were held as hostages were exchanged for Confederate soldiers and were released from Libby Prison. Following his release, Bliss was placed on light duty as president of a court martial in Annapolis, Md. On 15 May 1865, Capt. George N. Bliss mustered out of service and made plans to enter the law profession now that the war had ended.

            Following the end of the Civil War, Bliss settled down in East Providence, R.I. where he worked as a lawyer and served as Superintendent of East Providence schools. He remained active in Civil War veterans affairs and was named Major of the First Battalion of Cavalry of the Rhode Island Militia in October 1879. Bliss wrote prolifically about the Civil War and his experiences, particularly his internment in Libby Prison and he read a number of his articles to the Rhode Island Soldiers and Sailors Historical Society. Bliss also attended the Great Reunion of 1913 at Gettysburg, which was the largest reunion of Civil War veterans from both the Union and the Confederacy with over 50,000 veterans in attendance.

Bibliography

Bliss, George N. "How I Lost My Sabre in the War and Found it in Peace." in Personal

            Narratives of the Battles of the Rebellion, being Papers read before the Rhode Island

            Soldiers and Sailors Historical Society. No. 6. Providence, R.I.: Rhode Island Soldiers

            and Sailors Historical Society, 1903.

Bliss, John Homer, comp. Genealogy of the Bliss Family in America, ca. 1550-1880. Boston,

            Mass. : Printed by the author, 1881.

Denison, Rev. Frederic. Sabres and Spurs: First Regiment Rhode Island Cavalry in the Civil

            War, 1861-1865. Central Falls, R.I.: The First Rhode Island Cavalry Veteran Association,

            1876.

East Providence City Directories

Rhode Island Birth Records

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Scope and content:

            The majority of this collection is comprised of correspondence that Capt. George N. Bliss wrote to his family and friends during his service in the Civil War with the First Regiment of Rhode Island Cavalry from 1862-1865. His letters serve as a great representation of the life of a Union soldier during this time; since he often commented on the conditions in the camp, political issues, the competence of his superiors and fellow soldiers, and gave detailed descriptions of his own experiences. A researcher may also determine from his commentary and his responses to his correspondents how the war was perceived over time, especially when the war proved to go on longer than expected.

            Also included in this collection are other miscellaneous documents relating to Bliss' service in the Civil War such as a muster roll, a supplies inventory, and a program from a theater production. Later materials include a household account book with the Bliss family's expenses from 1873-1880 and a memorandum book recording some of Bliss' duties as Superintendent of East Providence Schools.

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Provenance:

            The bulk of these materials were purchased from Nino D. Scotti in October 1969. This purchase included the majority of the papers from 1862-1867. In 1996, Albert T. Klyberg donated one volume of household accounts from 1873-1880. A log of George N. Bliss' visits to East Providence schools as Superintendent of Schools from 1899 to 1900 was purchased from Roberta Sackin Batt in 2003.

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Processing note:

            The materials in this collection are arranged in chronological order. This collection was rehoused to full archival standards in August 2008.

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Inventory:

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Subjects:

Gettysburg Reunion, 1913

Libby Prison

Schools - East Providence (R.I.)

United States. Army - Recruiting, enlistment, etc.

United States. Army. Rhode Island Cavalry Regiment, 1st (1861-1865)

United States - History - Civil War, 1861-1865 - African Americans

United States - History - Civil War, 1861-1865 - Campaigns

United States - History - Civil War, 1861-1865 - Correspondence

United States - History - Civil War, 1861-1865 - Personal narratives

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RIHS1822