Serving as a soldier in the U.S. Army, Captain George W. Corliss received the Medal of Honor for his actions on August 9, 1862 at Cedar Mountain, Virginia during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with Company C, 5th Connecticut Infantry. Corliss was about 28 years old.
One other service member also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on September 10, 1897, 35 years after the action. He later rose to the rank of Brevet Major.
Corliss was born in 1834 in Connecticut. His Medal of Honor is credited to Hartford, Hartford County, Connecticut. Corliss died on May 15, 1903 in New York, New York, at the age of about 69. He is buried at Maple Grove Cemetery in Kew Gardens, New York. His medal is held by Connecticut Historical Society (1896 design), Hartford, CT.
Corliss is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 57 credited to Connecticut.
Official Medal of Honor citation
Seized a fallen flag of the regiment, the color bearer having been killed, carried it forward in the face of a severe fire, and though himself shot down and permanently disabled, planted the staff in the earth and kept the flag flying.
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
Battles and campaigns
Places
- Born: Connecticut — map
Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Connecticut →
Timeline
- 1834Born in Connecticut
- August 9, 1862Act of valor — Cedar Mountain, VirginiaAge about 28. Company C, 5th Connecticut Infantry
- September 10, 1897Medal of Honor presented
- May 15, 1903Died in New York, New YorkAge about 69.
- Resting placeMaple Grove CemeteryKew Gardens, New York
Biography
Captain George Wilhelm Corliss (c. 1834 – May 15, 1903) was an American soldier who fought in the American Civil War. Corliss received the country's highest award for bravery during combat, the Medal of Honor, for his action during the Battle of Cedar Mountain in Virginia on 9 August 1862. He was honored with the award on 10 September 1897.
From the Wikipedia article “George W. Corliss”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →
