Fredericksburg Commander Col. Zenas Bliss, 7^th Rhode Island Infantry, is pictured and quoted a number of times in the Time Life Series Voices of the Civil War: Fredericksburg.  Here is one of the great quotes:

“Just at that moment a spherical case shot, filled with bullets and slugs, exploded immediately over our heads, and very close to us, probably not more than three or four feet above us.  Page was struck in the head and fell on my left arm.

Captain Winn asked if he was killed and I shook my head, as I did not want Page to hear the remark, if he were alive.  He did hear it though, and raised his head and said, ‘Colonel, I am not dead.’  I told him he was all right, to cover his head with his overcoat cape, and lie still and I would have him taken off the field as soon as possible.  When he raised his head I saw that his left eye was gone, and the blood was streaming from the wound.  The projectile entered his left temple and knocked out his eye.

At the time the shell exploded, I was struck pretty sharply on the left wrist.  I had a soldier’s overcoat, and had the sleeves rolled up so that it was several thicknesses on my arm, and the bullet struck on the roll and did not break the skin.  When Page raised his head I saw the bullet lying near my wrist, covered with blood, and I suppose it had passed through his head and struck me, and I picked it up and told him that was the bullet that hit him, and to keep it.  He carried it home and showed it to many people as the bullet that had knocked his eye out.”

For his heroism at Fredericksburg, Bliss was awarded a Congressional Medal of Honor.  The form is a requisition for forage for the 7^th Rhode Island “in camp near Sandy Hook, M.D.”  It is dated October 7, 1862 and is signed twice by Bliss.  A nice example!