Military officer; born in
Southampton county, Va., July 31, 1816; graduated at
West Point in 1840, and entered the artillery.
He served in the
Seminole War; was with
General Taylor in the war with
Mexico; and again fought the Seminoles in
Florida in 1849-50.
From 1851 to 1854 he was instructor of artillery at
West Point, and was made major of cavalry in May, 1855.
From 1856 to 1860 he served in
Texas, and in a fight with the Indians near
Brazos River was wounded.
He was promoted colonel of the 5th Cavalry (
Col. Robert E. Lee's old regiment) in May, 1861; and, having served awhile in the vicinity of the upper Potomac, was made brigadiergeneral of volunteers in August.
From November, 1861, till March, 1862, he commanded a division of the Army of the Ohio, defeating the
Confederates in the battle of
Mill spring (q. v.) in January.
At
Corinth, Miss., he commanded the right wing of the Army of the Tennessee, and was second in command of the Army of the Ohio at
Perryville in October.
For nearly
[
68]
a year from November, 1862, he commanded the 14th Corps of the Army of the Cumberland, doing eminent service in the battles of
Stone River and Chickamaugua (
qq.
v.). In October, 1863, he
was placed in command of the Department and Army of the Cumberland, and was promoted brigadier-general, United States army.
He was in the battle of
Missionary Ridge (q. v.), and did signal service in the
Atlanta campaign, when he took post at
Nashville and defended
Tennessee against the invasion of
Hood.
For this service he was made a major-general, and received the thanks of Congress, and from the legislature of
Tennessee a gold medal.
In February, 1868, he was offered the brevet of lieutenant-general by
President Johnson, but he declined to receive it. He died in
San Francisco, Cal., March 28, 1870.
On Nov. 19, 1879, an exquisitely wrought equestrian statue of
General Thomas, in design and execution by
J. Q. A. Ward, was unveiled at the national capital, with very imposing ceremonies, such as had never been seen there before.
