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Honoring American TroopsMedal of Honor Archive

Colonel · U.S. Army

Zenas Randall Bliss

Colonel Zenas Randall Bliss, Army, received the Medal of Honor for actions on December 13, 1862 in Fredericksburg, Virginia during the Civil War.

U.S. Civil War December 13, 1862

Colonel Zenas Randall Bliss, a soldier in the U.S. Army, received the Medal of Honor for gallantry on December 13, 1862 in Fredericksburg, Virginia during the Civil War. At the time he was serving with 7th Rhode Island Infantry. Bliss was 27 years old.

17 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on December 30, 1898, 36 years after the action. He later rose to the rank of Major General.

Bliss was born on April 17, 1835 in Johnston, Providence County, Rhode Island. Bliss died on January 2, 1900 in Washington, District of Columbia, at the age of 64. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.

Bliss is one of 1,525 Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War and one of 31 credited to Rhode Island.

Official Medal of Honor citation

This officer, to encourage his regiment which had never before been in action and which had been ordered to lie down to protect itself from the enemy's fire, rose to his feet, advanced in front of the line, and himself fired several shots at the enemy at short range, being fully exposed to their fire at the time.

Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.

Battles and campaigns

Also served in: American Civil War.

Life beyond the battlefield

Source: Wikidata.

Places

  • Born: Johnston — map
  • Died: Washington, D.C. — map
  • Buried: Arlington National Cemetery — map

Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Rhode Island →

Timeline

  1. April 17, 1835
    Born in Johnston, Providence County, Rhode Island
  2. December 13, 1862
    Act of valor — Fredericksburg, Virginia
    Age 27. 7th Rhode Island Infantry
  3. December 30, 1898
    Medal of Honor presented
  4. January 2, 1900
    Died in Washington, District of Columbia
    Age 64.
  5. Resting place
    Arlington National Cemetery
    Arlington, Virginia

Biography

Zenas Randall Bliss (April 17, 1835 – January 2, 1900) was an officer and general in the United States Army and a recipient of the Medal of Honor. He formed the first unit of Seminole-Negro Indian Scouts, and his detailed memoirs chronicled life on the Texas frontier. He was the father of Rhode Island Lieutenant Governor Zenas Work Bliss. Bliss was a native of Rhode Island and graduated from West Point in 1854. He served most of his thirty-seven-year career on the Texas frontier, and served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. During the Civil War he was captured by Confederate forces and held as a prisoner of war.

From the Wikipedia article “Zenas Bliss”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →

Also honored for actions on December 13, 1862

JA John Gregory bishop Adams Second Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1862 WB Wallace A. Beckwith Private · Army Civil War · 1862 JC Jacob Cart Private · Army Civil War · 1862 Charles Henry tucky Collis Colonel · Army Civil War · 1862 CC Charles Dearborn Copp Second Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1862 TD Timothy Donoghue Private · Army Civil War · 1862 Francis Henry Goodall First Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1862 William P. Hogarty Private · Army Civil War · 1862 John Johnson Private · Army Civil War · 1862 JK Joseph Keene Private · Army Civil War · 1862 George Henry Maynard Private · Army Civil War · 1862 JP John Gideon Palmer Corporal · Army Civil War · 1862

See all 18 recipients for December 13, 1862 →

More Civil War recipients from Rhode Island

WA William B. Avery Second Lieutenant · Army Civil War · 1862 GP George W. Potter Private · Army Civil War · 1865 JE John Edwards Captain of the Top · Navy Civil War · 1864 JB James H. Burbank Sergeant · Army Civil War · 1862 TH Thomas Hayes Coxswain · Navy Civil War · 1864 GM George E. McDonald Private · Army Civil War · 1865
Sources. Service and award details compiled from the recipient record of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, Wikidata and Wikipedia. The narrative summary is generated from these records. Spotted an error? Send a correction.