John McKnight Bloss (January 21, 1839 – April 26, 1905) was an
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
soldier who had an influence on the
Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam ( ), also called the Battle of Sharpsburg, particularly in the Southern United States, took place during the American Civil War on September 17, 1862, between Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virgi ...
and was later President of Oregon Agricultural College (now
Oregon State University
Oregon State University (OSU) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate degree programs and a variety of graduate and doctor ...
) from 1892 until 1896.
Early life and education
He was born in
New Philadelphia, Indiana in 1839.
Bloss attended
Hanover College
Hanover College is a private college in Hanover, Indiana, United States, affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Founded in 1827 by Reverend John Finley Crowe, it is Indiana's oldest private college. The Hanover athletic teams participat ...
in Indiana from 1854 and earned an A.B. degree with honors in 1860.
[ After his military service in the Civil War, he studied medicine at Ohio Medical College in ]Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...
in 1865.[
]
American Civil War
Bloss fought on the Union side with the 27th Indiana Infantry Regiment. He was one of the soldiers who helped recover Special Order 191
Special Order 191 (series 1862), also known as the "Lost Dispatch" and the "Lost Order", was a general movement order issued by Confederate Army General Robert E. Lee on about September 9, 1862, during the Maryland Campaign of the American Civil ...
, "Lee's Lost Dispatch", which provided detailed Confederate troop movements from General Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a general officers in the Confederate States Army, Confederate general during the American Civil War, who was appointed the General in Chief of the Armies of the Confederate ...
's plans, during the Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam ( ), also called the Battle of Sharpsburg, particularly in the Southern United States, took place during the American Civil War on September 17, 1862, between Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virgi ...
. This helped lead the Union to victory in the battle.[Sears, p. 112; McPherson, p. 108.] Bloss fought and was wounded in several battles, including Antietam, before he resigned in 1864.[
]
Career in education
He was a teacher; a principal; superintendent of the Indiana city schools of Evansville (1875–80) and Muncie (1883–86) and of Topeka, Kansas (1886–92); and the State Superintendent for Public Instruction for Indiana (1880–82).[ In April 1892, Bloss was selected as the third president of ]Oregon State University
Oregon State University (OSU) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate degree programs and a variety of graduate and doctor ...
,[ but retired in 1896 due to his failing health.
]
Personal life
Bloss married Emma L. McPheeters in 1865. They had two children, Nannie and William (Will). After Emma died of typhoid
Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a disease caused by ''Salmonella enterica'' serotype Typhi bacteria, also called ''Salmonella'' Typhi. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often ther ...
in Topeka, Kansas. He remarried in 1893, after meeting Mary A. Wood while serving as OAC president.
Bloss died in 1905 and is buried in Muncie, Indiana
Muncie ( ) is a city in Delaware County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. It is located in East Central Indiana about northeast of Indianapolis. At the 2020 census, the city's population was 65,195, down from 70,085 in the 2010 c ...
.[
]
References
Further reading
* McPherson, James M. ''Crossroads of Freedom: Antietam, The Battle That Changed the Course of the Civil War''. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002. .
* Sears, Stephen W. ''Landscape Turned Red: The Battle of Antietam''. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1983. .
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bloss, John M.
Presidents of Oregon State University
Union army soldiers
1839 births
1905 deaths