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Civil War Soldiers - Thomas
| Thomas, George H., major-general, U.S.
Army, one of the ablest, purest and most successful of the military
chieftains of the Civil war, was born in Southampton county, Va., July
31, 1816. His early opportunities of education were good and at the
age of twenty he had just entered upon the study of law when his
friends secured him an appointment as cadet at the military academy at
West Point. He entered in 1836 and, after a thorough and solid rather
than a brilliant course, he graduated in 1840, ranking twelfth in a
class of 42 members, among whom were Sherman, Ewell, Jordan, Getty,
Herbert, Van Vliet and others who afterward attained celebrity.
Assigned to duty on the day of graduation as second lieutenant in the
3d artillery, he served in the regular army for twenty years, during
which time he rendered honorable and faithful service in the Florida
war from 1840 to 1842; in command of various forts and barracks from
1842 to 1845; in the military occupation of Texas in 1845-46; in the
Mexican war from 1846 to 1848 — participating in nearly all its
leading battles; in the Seminole war in 1849-50; as instructor in
artillery and cavalry at West Point from 1851 to 1854; on frontier
duty at various posts in the interior of California and Texas, leading
several expeditions against the Indians, from 1855 to the autumn of
1860. During these twenty years he was repeatedly brevetted for
gallant and meritorious services, rising through all the grades to a
captain of artillery, and in 1855 was made a major of the 2nd cavalry,
which regiment he commanded for three years. He was wounded in a
skirmish with the Indians at the headwaters of the Brazos river in
Aug., 1860, and the following November went east on a leave of
absence. During the winter of 1860-61 he watched with the most painful
anxiety the culmination of that conflict of opinion which preceded the
war. Relinquishing his leave of absence, he reported for duty at
Carlisle barracks, Pa., April 14, — the day when the flag went down at
Sumter— and less than 48 hours after the first shot was fired. On May
27 he led a brigade from Chambersburg across Maryland to Williamsport;
rode across the Potomac in full uniform at the head of his brigade on
June 16, to invade Virginia and fight his old commanders; a few days
afterward he led the right wing of Gen. Patterson's army in the battle
of Falling Waters and defeated the Confederates under Stonewall
Jackson. After serving through the brief campaign of the Shenandoah
Gen. Thomas entered upon that wider sphere of action in which he was
destined to win an undying reputation. At Gen. Robert Anderson's
request Sherman and Thomas were made brigadier-generals of volunteers
and assigned to his command — the Department of the Cumberland. The
first month's work that Thomas performed in the department was at Camp
Dick Robinson, Ky., where he mustered into service eleven regiments
and three batteries of Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee troops,
which he organized into the first brigade, and which formed the
nucleus of the division, then of the corps and finally of the great
army which he afterward so long commanded. He was soon placed in
command of the 1t division of the army and on Dec. 31 was ordered to
move against Zollicoffer, who commanded a large force occupying the
road leading from Cumberland gap to Lexington, Ky. In pursuance of
this order Gen. Thomas fought and won the battle of Mill Springs,
which was by far the most important military success that had yet been
achieved west of Virginia, and with the exception of the defeat of
Marshall near Prestonburg a few days before, it was the first victory
in the department. In this battle Gen. Thomas laid the foundation of
his fame in the Army of the Center. From Nov. 30, 1861, to Sept. 30,
1862, he commanded a division of Gen. Buell's army without
intermission, except that during the months of May and June he
commanded the right wing of the Army of the Tennessee and around
Corinth. On Sept. 30, 1862, he was appointed second in command of the
Army of the Ohio, having previously refused the chief command, and
served in that capacity in the battle of Perryville and until Oct. 30,
1862, when the old name of Department of the Cumberland was restored
and Gen. Rosecrans assumed command. That officer reorganized the army
into three distinct commands — right, left and center — and assigned
Thomas to the center, which consisted of five divisions. He held this
command in the battle of Stone's river and until Jan. 9, 1863, when
the 14th army corps was created by order of the war department, and
Thomas commanded it during the summer campaign in middle Tennessee and
the Chickamauga campaign. On Sept. 27, 1864, after the capture of
Atlanta, he was ordered by Gen. Sherman to return with a portion of
his army into Tennessee and defend that state against Hood's invasion.
Thus Thomas was confronted by that veteran army which had so ably
resisted Sherman on his march to Atlanta, and had to meet it with an
effective force of about 40,000 infantry and 7,000 cavalry, having to
remount the latter, provide transportation, and almost to organize and
supply a new army. Although severely checked by Schofield at Franklin,
Tenn., Hood gathered head and threatened Nashville. Then the
government and country waited impatiently for Thomas to attack, but he
would not move until he was ready. He thought he "ought to be trusted
to decide when the battle should be fought," and to know better than
any one hundreds of miles away. Grant called him "slow," Sherman
commented on his "provoking, obstinate delay," and Stanton, still
actuated by the partisan bitterness that had caused him to secure the
removal of two successful commanders, wrote to Grant: "This looks like
the McClellan and Rosecrans strategy of do nothing and let the enemy
raid the country." Urgent despatches and orders rained in upon him,
but he said they might remove him if they liked, and complained to one
of his generals, "They are treating me like a boy." An order removing
him was actually made on Dec. 9, but happily revoked. On Dec. 13 Gen.
Logan was started for Nashville with orders to take the command on his
arrival if Thomas had not moved, and two days later Grant himself set
out thither. On the road both received the great news of the battle of
Dec. 15. Thomas had at length attacked, driving the enemy eight miles,
and Hood, "for the first and only time, beheld a Confederate army
abandon the field in confusion." On the next day Thomas completely
redeemed his promise to "ruin Hood," whose army was broken to pieces
and chased out of Tennessee. But even here the victor was blamed as
dilatory in the pursuit, although the reward of his splendid services
could no longer be kept back. When he received his commission as
major-general in the regular army his friend and medical director,
seeing that he was deeply moved, said: "It is better late than never,
Thomas." "It is too late to be appreciated." he replied; "I earned
this at Chickamauga," and afterward, "I never received a promotion
they dared to withhold." But the nation was by this time ready to
recognize Gen. Thomas' merits and to understand that it was solely by
his remarkable abilities, without the influence of powerful friends,
that he had attained a position second to that of no officer of the
army. Honors and rewards were pressed upon him, but with a simple
dignity of character he declined them all, satisfied with having done
his duty. After the war he was placed in command successively of the
most important and difficult military departments, often under
circumstances of great responsibility and delicacy, but his conduct
gave general satisfaction. Gen. Thomas' death was the result of
apoplexy and occurred in San Francisco, Cal., March 28, 1870. Source: The Union Army: A History of Military Affairs in the Loyal
States 1861-1865, Volume 8 Biographical, 1908
|
| Thomas, Henry G., brigadier-general,
U.S. Army, was born in the state of Maine and was one of the sons of
that commonwealth that hastened to offer his services to the Federal
government at the outbreak of the Civil war. He was mustered into the
service of the United States on June 24, 1861, as a captain of a
company in the 5th Me. infantry, and with his command left the state
for Washington two days later. With his regiment he remained in camp
at Meridian hill until July 5, when the march was commenced to the
battlefield of Bull Run, where he received his first taste of actual
warfare. On Aug. 5, 1861, he became a captain in the 11th U. S.
infantry and was on regimental recruiting service until July, 1862. He
joined the regiment in the field in October of that year and was
engaged in the action of Snicker's gap. He was commissioned colonel of
the 79th U. S. colored infantry on March 20, 1863, but that regiment
was mustered out of the service on July 11, following, and on Jan. 16,
1864, he was commissioned colonel of the 19th U. S. colored infantry,
served as commandant of Camp Birney, Md., from February until May, and
then commanded a brigade of the 9th corps, Army of the Potomac, until
November, being engaged at the battles of the Wilderness,
Spottsylvania, Petersburg, explosion of the mine, Weldon railroad and
Hatcher's run. On Nov. 30, 1864, he was commissioned brigadier-
general of volunteers and transferred to the Army of the James, where
he commanded a brigade and temporarily a corps, in the operations
before Richmond. On March 13, 1865, he was brevetted major-general of
volunteers for gallant and meritorious service during the war, and was
mustered out of the volunteer service Jan. 15, 1866. In the regular
army service he was brevetted major May 12, 1864, for gallant and
meritorious service in the battle of Spottsylvania, lieutenant-colonel
on July 30, for gallant and meritorious service in front of
Petersburg, and colonel and brigadier-general on March 13, 1865, for
gallant and meritorious service during the war. After the close of the
war he continued in the regular army until July 2, 1891, when he was
retired. His death occurred on Jan. 23, 1897.
Source: The Union Army: A History of Military Affairs in the Loyal
States 1861-1865, Volume 8 Biographical, 1908
|
| Thomas, Lorenzo, brigadier-general,
U.S. Army, was born in the state of Delaware in 1805. He was appointed
from that state a cadet in the military academy at West Point Sept. 1,
1819, and on July 1, 1823, he was graduated and assigned to duty in
the army as second lieutenant in the 4th infantry. He served in
garrison at Cantonment Clinch, Fla., in 1824; in constructing a
military road to St. Augustine, 1824-25; in the Creek Nation, Ga.,
1825-26; in garrison again at Cantonment Clinch, 1827-28, and as
adjutant of the 4th infantry at regimental headquarters from March 1,
1828, to Feb. 15, 1831, being commissioned first lieutenant in the 4th
infantry March 17, 1829. He served on recruiting service, 1831-33, in
the adjustant-general's office at Washington, D. C., from June 5,
1833, to Sept. 3, 1836, and did quartermaster duty in the Florida war,
1836-37, being commissioned captain in the 4th infantry Sept. 23,
1836. He served in the quartermaster-general's office in Washington,
D. C. from Oct. 16, 1837, to July 7, 1838, being commissioned major
and assistant adjutant-general on the last-named date. In the war with
Mexico he was adjutant- general and chief of staff to Maj.-Gen.
Butler, both while commander of a division of volunteers and commander
of the army, and his experience and systematic administrative powers
were conspicuous in the final movements and the withdrawal of the army
in Mexico. Early in the Civil war he became adjutant-general of the
army by succession, and was afterward especially assigned to the duty
of organizing volunteer troops, particularly the colored regiments. He
was commissioned brigadier-general on Aug. 3, 1861, brevetted
major-general, U. S. A., on March 13, 1865, and having passed the age
of sixty-two years he was placed on the retired list of the army in
Feb., 1869. Gen. Thomas died at his residence in the city of
Washington on March 2, 1875.
Source: The Union Army: A History of Military Affairs in the Loyal
States 1861-1865, Volume 8 Biographical, 1908
|
| Thomas, Stephen, brigadier-general,
U.S. Army, was born in the state of Vermont, and from that state
entered the volunteer military service of the United States in the
early days of the Civil war. On Feb. 18, 1862, he was commissioned
colonel of the 8th Vt. infantry, a regiment recruited for Gen.
Butler's Southern expedition, being mustered in for a three years'
term. With his regiment he left for New York on March 4 and there
embarked for Ship island, where from April 5 until early in May his
regiment was encamped. It was then ordered to New Orleans and
quartered in the Mechanics' institute building, which it occupied
until the end of the month, then crossed to Algiers and Col. Thomas
was placed in command of the District of La Fourche. He opened the
Opelousas railroad as far as La Fourche crossing and his regiment was
engaged for some months in guarding the road. From October to
December, as a part of Gen. Weitzel's brigade, his regiment began the
work of opening the Opelousas railroad to Brashear City. It was then
encamped at Brashear City until Jan. 8, 1863, when it moved to Camp
Stevens at Thibodeaux, but returned after two days and shared in the
expedition against the gunboat "John L. Cotton," located in the Bayou
Teche, during which the regiment performed excellent service. On April
12 Col. Thomas moved his regiment with the 19th corps in the advance
to Port Hudson, having a brisk engagement with the enemy at Fort
Bisland on the march. In the desperate assault on Port Hudson Col.
Thomas commanded the brigade and distinguished himself for gallantry,
being wounded in the engagement. With his regiment he now shared in
the siege operations and on June 14 led the column in the second grand
assault. After the surrender of Port Hudson his regiment was ordered
to Donaldson and thence to Thibodeaux, where it encamped until Sept.
1. It then moved to Algiers and took part in the fruitless Sabine Pass
expedition. The regiment remained in active service at Algiers and
Thibodeaux until June 6, 1864, and then after a number of scouting
expeditions embarked for Fortress Monroe. On its arrival it was at
once ordered to Washington to assist in resisting Early's attempt upon
the city. Col. Thomas was ordered to join the 6th corps with his
regiment and moved in pursuit of the enemy as far as Berryville, in
the Shenandoah valley. He then countermarched his men to the vicinity
of Washington, whence he was ordered back into Maryland during the
flurry caused by McCausland's raid into that state. In August his
regiment was assigned to the 2nd brigade, 1st division, 19th corps,
under Gen. Emory, and did gallant service at the battle of Winchester,
executing a splendid bayonet charge. It participated in the charge
which routed the enemy at Fisher's hill and then followed in pursuit.
It then encamped north of Cedar creek and participated in the fierce
fighting at that place on Oct. 19, being also engaged at Newtown in
November. On Feb. 1, 1865, Col. Thomas was commissioned
brigadier-general of volunteers and served in that capacity until Aug.
24, 1865, when he was honorably mustered out of the service. On July
25, 1892, he was awarded a medal of honor for distinguished conduct in
a desperate hand-to-hand encounter at Cedar creek, in which the
advance of the enemy was checked.
Source: The Union Army: A History of Military Affairs in the Loyal
States 1861-1865, Volume 8 Biographical, 1908
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