John Henry Bliler was born September 8, 1844, near Manchester, Ohio. Bliler enlisted in Co. H, 104th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, on August 4, 1862. During the Civil War, he served in Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia (including New Hope Church, Kennesaw Mountain, and the Atlanta campaign). He served under General William Tecumseh Sherman, and against such Southern generals as Joseph E. Johnston and John Bell Hood.
From the guide to the Inventory of the John Henry Bliler Diary: Ragan MSS 00120 ., 1862-1865, (Cushing Memorial Library)