Ronald S. Coddington CollectionAlfred Janson Bloor
IN MAY 1864, casualties from the Wilderness and Spotsylvania poured into the U.S. supply base at Belle Plain, Virginia. Caregivers, including relief workers from the U.S. Sanitary Commission, assisted the wounded onto vessels bound for army hospitals in the North.
One of the commission members on the ground at Belle Plain was Alfred Janson Bloor, 36, an assistant secretary, there to bear witness to the organization’s efforts. A native of Scotland, Bloor had immigrated to New York City as a teenager with his family. He became an architect and worked with some of the best in the profession, including Frederick Law Olmsted, who designed Manhattan’s Central Park and other noteworthy projects.
When war came, the USSC formed and raised huge sums of money to support the troops. Olmsted became executive secretary and Bloor joined him as an assistant. In his role, Bloor communicated with many leaders, including President Abraham Lincoln and Superintendent of Nurses Dorothea Dix.
Bloor also made periodic inspections in the field. His visit to Belle Plain resulted in seven letters to USSC suppliers apprising them of the organization’s efforts. These were published in book form as Letters from the Army of the Potomac for wider circulation.
Bloor remained with the USSC through the war, then returned to his career as an architect. He served as an officer in numerous professional organizations and became a founder of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He died at 89 in 1917, with his country now joined in a world war.
Ronald S. Coddington is publisher of Military Images, a magazine dedicated to showcasing and preserving photos of Civil War soldiers and sailors.
