George W. Corliss

George W. Corliss
Born 1834
Connecticut
Died May 15, 1903
New York
Buried at Maple Grove Cemetery, New York
Allegiance  United States of America
Service/branch  United States Army
Rank Captain
Unit Connecticut Company C, 5th Connecticut Infantry
Battles/wars Battle of Cedar Mountain
Awards Medal of Honor

Captain George W. Corliss (1834 to 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.[1][2]

Biography

Corliss was born in Connecticut in 1834. He enlisted into the 5th Connecticut Infantry at New Haven in Connecticut. During his act of bravery for which he earned a Medal of Honor, Corliss was injured in his right leg and was therefore captured by Confederates. He was held at Libby Prison until he was exchanged around January 1863. He soon resigned from active service due to his disability but rejoined as a commissioned 1st Lieutenant and Regimental Adjutant with the 3rd Veterans Reserve Corps. He was brevetted major in 1865.[3]

Corliss was married to Catherine Bounce and they resided in Mississippi where he was assistant Sub-Commissioner of the District of Vicksburg within the Bureau of Refugees. After leaving this post in 1869 he resided in New Haven, Connecticut and then Manhattan, where he was an insurance broker. He was married again to Mary Harriet Munson, after the death of his first wife. His second marriage produced two children.[3]

Corliss died on 15 May 1903 and his remains are interred at the Maple Grove Cemetery in New York.[3]

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.[1][2]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Civil War (A-L) Medal of Honor Recipients". Retrieved 28 October 2013.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "George W. Corliss". Retrieved 28 October 2013.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Major George W. Corliss (1834-1903) Summit 214". Retrieved 29 October 2013.