Frederick J. Corliss was born on December 6, 1829, probably in Marshfield, Vermont, to Leander Corliss. His father was a laborer who owned $800 of real estate in 1850. Corliss married Mary Ann Smith around 1853, and they had at least five children: Margaret, born around 1854; John, born around 1859; Nathan, born around 1861; Curtis, born around 1867; and Arthur, born around 1873 By 1860, Corliss was living in Cabot, Vermont, and working as a farmer. That year, he reported $600 of real estate and $200 of personal property.

 

Corliss enlisted in the Union army on September 18, 1862, and mustered in as a corporal in Company H of the 13^th Vermont Infantry on October 10, 1862. He was promoted to sergeant on June 4, 1863. The regiment helped defend Washington, D.C., and it took part in the Battle of Gettysburg. Corliss mustered out in Brattleboro, Vermont, on July 21, 1863, when his 9-month term of enlistment expired. He returned to Cabot, and by 1870, he owned $5,000 of real estate and $1,475 of personal property. He applied for a federal pension on July 2, 1887, and secured one soon afterwards. The family eventually moved to Waterford, Vermont. Corliss died of cancer in Thetford, Vermont, on August 25, 1911.

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