George Henry Thomas
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General George Henry Thomas (July 31, 1816 - March 28, 1870), Northern general duringAmerican Civil War, was bornSouthampton county, Virginia.
Graduating from West Point1840, he served as an artillery subaltern inwar againstSeminole IndiansFlorida (1841),inMexican War atbattlesFort Brown, Resaca de la Palma, MontereyBuena Vista, receiving three promotionsdistinguished gallantryaction. From 18511854 he was an instructor at West Point. In 1855 he was appointedmajor of2nd Cavalry by Jefferson Davis, then secretarywar.
The Civil War
Atoutbreak ofCivil War, threeThomas' regimental superiors--Albert Sidney Johnston, Robert E. LeeWilliam Joseph Hardee--resigned. Many southern-born generals were torn between loyaltytheir stateloyaltytheir country. Thomas struggled withdecision but optedremain withUnited States.
He was promotedrapid successionbe lieutenant-colonelcolonel inregular army,brigadier-generalvolunteers. In commandan independent forceeastern Kentucky, onJanuary 18, 1862, he attackedroutedConfederate Generals CrittendenZollicoffer at Mill Springs, gainingfirst important Union victory inwar. It was oneonly two occasions inwarwhich an army was dispersed inbattle on an open field (the other was Nashville, alsoThomas victory).
He served under Don C. Buellwas offered, but refused,chief command inanxious days beforebattlePerryville. Under William Rosecrans he heldcenterthus savedUnion army atbattleMurfreesboro (Stone's River)wascharge ofmost important part ofmanoeuvring from DecherdChattanooga duringTullahoma campaign (22 June - 3 July 1863) andcrossing ofTennessee. AtBattleChickamauga on September 19, 1863, he gainedname"The RockChickamauga," by some accounts being all that savedterrible defeat forNorth from becominghopeless rout.
Thomas succeeded Rosecranscommand ofArmy ofCumberland shortly beforeBattleChattanooga (23-25 Nov. 1863),stunning Union victory due mainlyhis behind-the-scenes management. In William Tecumseh Sherman's advance through Georgia inspring1864,Army ofCumberland numbered over 60,000 men,Thomas's staff didlogisticsengineeringSherman's entire army group. AtbattlePeachtree Creek (20 Aug. 1864) Thomas' defense broke severely damaged Hood's armyits first attemptbreaksiegeAtlanta.
When John B. Hood broke away from Atlanta inautumn1864, menaced Sherman'slinecommunicationsendeavoredforce Shermanfollow him, Sherman abandoned his communicationsembarked on his infamous march tosea. Thomas stayed behindfight Hood. Thomas, withsmaller force, racedHoodreach Nashville, where he wasreceive reinforcements.
AtBattleFranklin on November 30, 1864,large partThomas's force, under commandJohn McAllister Schofield, held Hoodcheckenoughcoverconcentration at Nashville.
At Nashville, Thomas hadorganize his force, drawn from all parts ofWestincluding many young troopseven quartermaster's employes. He declinedattack until his army was ready andice coveringground had melted enoughhis menmove. The North, including General Ulysses S. Grant himself, grew impatient atdelay. General John A. Logan was sentan ordersupersede Thomas,soon afterwards Grant leftArmy ofPotomactake commandperson.
Before either arrived, Thomas made his attack on December 15, 1864, andBattleNashville wasmost crushing defeatany army on either side inwhole war. Hood's army was completely ruinednever again appeared onfield. For this brilliant victory Thomas was mademajor-general inregular armyreceivedthanksCongress.
Afterend ofCivil War, Thomas commanded military departmentsKentuckyTennessee until 1869, when he was orderedcommanddivision ofPacificheadquarters at San Francisco. He died thereapoplexy, while writing an answeran article criticizing his military career, on28thMarch 1870.
Thomas' Legacy
Thomas was beloved by his soldiers,whom he always hadfatherly concern. His achievements were solid, not brilliant. He never had any ambitions outside ofmilitary, remaining inarmy his entire life.
His cadets at West Point gave himnickname"Slow Trot Thomas,"this sobriquet was useddiminish his reputation. He moved slowly becausean injured back, but he was mentally anything but slow, only methodical. He was knownaccurate judgmentthorough knowledgehis professiononce he graspedproblem andtime was rightaction, he would strikevigorous, rapid blow.
He waschief commandonly two battles inCivil War,BattleMill Springs atbeginning andBattleNashville nearend. Both were victories. However, his contribution atbattlesMurfreesboro, Chickamauga, Chattanooga,Peachtree Creek was decisive. His main legacy layhis developmentmodern battlefield doctrinein his masterylogistics.
References
- Text adapted from an article in1911 edition offamous encyclopedia
