Christopher Blanding was born around 1819 in Rhode Island to Shubael and Mary Blanding. He married Loraine Read on November 22, 1847, and their son Christopher was born around 1849. They lived in Providence, Rhode Island, and he worked as a tailor and merchant. 

 

In August 1861, he received an appointment as lieutenant colonel of the 3^rd Rhode Island Heavy Artillery, but he was never mustered into service at that rank. Instead, in January 1862, he mustered in as a major in the regiment. He fell ill later that year, and he resigned in September 1862. Three months later, he became the captain of the Rhode Island Hospital Guards, a company of injured or disabled soldiers unable to serve on the front lines. They spent the war guarding Lovell General Hospital in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, and Blanding mustered out on August 26, 1865.

 

He returned to Providence after the war, and he worked as a paper dealer. By 1870, he owned $1,000 of personal property. He applied for a federal pension in March 1892 and eventually received one. He died on May 29, 1896.

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