Alexander Bielaski

Alexander Bielaski
Born	(1811-08-01)August 1, 1811 Minsk Governorate, Russian Empire
Died	November 7, 1861(1861-11-07) (aged 50) near Belmont, Missouri, U.S.
Buried	Mound City National Cemetery
Allegiance	Kingdom of Poland United States
Branch	Army of Poland Union Army
Rank	Captain
Battles/wars	November Uprising Battle of Grochów American Civil War Battle of Belmont
Spouse(s)	Mary Ann Carey
Children	Oscar Bielaski
Relations	A. Bruce Bielaski (grandson) Ruth Shipley (granddaughter)

Alexander Bielaski (August 1, 1811 – November 7, 1861) was an engineer and Union Army officer who was killed during the Battle of Belmont during the American Civil War. Born in the Minsk Governorate of the Russian Empire or elsewhere in the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Bielaski fought under Polish officer Henryk Dembiński during the November Uprising against the Russians in 1831. After suffering a disfiguring wound at the Battle of Grochów, he immigrated to the United States in 1832 and worked as an engineer and surveyor, including doing work for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and the Illinois Central Railroad. Bielaski was a friend of Abraham Lincoln, who gave him a commission in the Union Army when the American Civil War broke out in 1861. Serving as an aide to Brigadier General John A. McClernand, Bielaski was killed while leading the 27th Illinois Infantry Regiment in a charge at the Battle of Belmont.