Wilmon Whilldin Blackmar, Class of 1863

2nd Lieutenant Blackmar’s Medal of Honor recognized distinguished service during the Battle of Five Forks, Virginia, on April 1, 1865. “At a critical stage of the battle, without orders, he led a successful advance upon the enemy.” Following the war, Blackmar returned to his law practice and became active in veterans’ organizations, ultimately as commanding general of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR). With almost 500,000 members, the GAR was the nation’s most influential Civil War veterans’ group.