b. 19/11/1868 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. d. 16/09/1937 Washington DC.
DATE OF MOH ACTION: 11/05/1898 Cienfuegos, Cuba.
Robert E Blume MOH
Blume was born November 19, 1868 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and after entering the navy in 1897 he was sent as a seaman to fight in the Spanish–American War aboard the USS Nashville.
In 2003 an agent working for the Federal Bureau of Investigation was posing as a buyer when two people attempted to sell two Medals of Honor to him. One medal belonged to Blume and the other to United States Army First Sergeant George Washington Roosevelt who received his in actions during the American Civil War. Edward Fedora and his wife, were charged with violating 18 U.S.C. § 704(b), Unlawful Sale of a Medal of Honor. Edward Fedora, a Canadian businessman, plead guilty and was sentenced to prison, but there is no record of what happened to his wife Gisela.
MOH CITATION:
On board the U.S.S. Nashville during the cutting of the cable leading from Cienfuegos, Cuba, 11 May 1898. Facing the heavy fire of the enemy, Blume set an example of extraordinary bravery and coolness throughout this action.
BURIAL LOCATION: ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY, ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA.
SECTION 6, GRAVE 9752-SS
LOCATION OF MEDAL: CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR SOCIETY, MOUNT PLEASANT, SOUTH CAROLINA.
