George Thomas

Facts, information and articles about George Thomas, a Civil War General during the American Civil War

George Thomas summary: George Thomas was born in South Hampton County in Virginia about 5 miles from North Carolina. His mother was of French descent and her name was Elizabeth Rochelle Thomas and his father, of Welsh descent, was John Thomas. Mr. Thomas was one of 9 children in the family and the youngest of all boys. His father died when George was only 13 and the family, which included at that point his mother and sisters, went from owning 685 acres and 24 slaves to hiding in the woods while the 1831 slave rebellion took place. George Thomas saw the rebellion different than a lot of people in the area. In fact, the lesson that he took away from it was that slavery was a vile institution and it had forced slaves to revolt in a violent manner.

George Thomas In The The Civil War

When the Civil War started a lot of the southern born officers went to the Confederacy but George remained in the Union. Thomas replaced Robert E. Lee as lieutenant colonel at the end of April of 1861 and became colonel on May 3rd when he replaced Albert Sidney Johnston in what was called the Regular Army. By August 17th he was brigadier general. Thomas was involved in service in Chattanooga, Stone’s River, Perryville, Atlanta and Nashville.

George Thomas After The War

When the Civil War ended Thomas led the department of the Cumberland in Tennessee and Kentucky. Thomas then protected freedmen from the abuses from whites in the area. Military commissions were set by him to enforce any labor contracts because the courts in the area had stopped operating or had biases against blacks. Thomas also protected places from violence coming from the Ku Klux Klan with the use of troops. Thomas had a stroke which resulted in his death in 1870 at the age of 53. He was laid to rest in Troy, New York at Oakwood Cemetery.

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