The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1864-12-31

iish. and ON his mothers Of Huguenos sx-
snction. both being descended from fami-
- Of wealth and respectability. lie re-
eoived good home education, and was in
6ending TO enter upon the study OF Law,
Whsn, In 1899. he received the appointment
Fl s cadetship ct the West Point Military
Academy. He graduated in June, 1SA0,
making twelve in class Of forty.two. Els
1ra4 commission was that of Second Lieu
Aonant in the Sd United States Artillery
aad in the fall of 1910, he joined his regl.
aont in Florida, whore he Was shortly az
tt engaged in the war with the indians
While here he was breyetted First Lieutsn-
s.t-.for Rsllantry and good conduct
"a was a}ferward stationed at New Or:
loans, Baltimore, Fort Moultrie and
CHARLESTON. From the last named place,
SAving received his commission a. First
Iieutonant, he was ordered with his COM
ny to report to General Zachary Taylor
q Corpus Christi, arriving there in JAY,
rs M.sso .SoS snf1sa sas ssi
8 the 2ist, 22d and 2sd Of September.
IA" In December he again figured in
- advance, and entered Victoria, Janue-
n. 1047. with Quitman brigade. Febru-
n. q, l647, he was brevetted Major ''fOr
eallant and meritoyioue conduct in the bat
= Of Buena Vista" In August ls4s. With
W
ln1o Texas, and was placed in charge Of the
oonmissary depot at Brazos Santiago. AZ
0oe enjoying s1x months leave Of absence,
Iieutenant Thomas was plsced in COM
and Of Company B, Sd Artillery, and or.
dored to Florida to take part in quel!ing AM
other uprising Of the Indians. III 1850 he
Was ordered 70 Boston, on garrison duty at
~, 1851. In March he was relieved. and
a1agned to duty Is instructor Of artillery
and cavalry at West Point. Here he re-
mAined until the summer of 1855, receiv: ng,
"a the meantime, his commission as Cap
tain. In 1854 he went to Fort Yuma, Low
Or California, in command Of two ooInpa-
mics of artillery. a,
Of the regular army, aud Captain Thomas
was transferred to another branch o. the
service, receiving commission as Junior
Major in the I'd Cavalry. Ee joined HE
regimen. q: Jefferson Barracks, Missouri,
In Septeu Der, 1855, and proceeded with IL
TO Texas, where he escorted the Texas Re-
serve Indians TO their Dew hcMe III the IN
dian Territory. Alter a brief experience
on the Indian frontier, he was ordered, IN
April, 1861, to Carlisle, 10 remount the 20
cavalry, which had been dismounted and
ordered out OF Texas by the treason OF
Twiggs. Six Of the companies were imme-
diately sent to Washington, and with the
remaining four, Major Thomas was assign
Cd to duty in the Department OF Penneyl-
vania. April q, Major Thomos was pro-
noted to Lieutenant Colonel. and May 3,
became Colonel of the 5th United States
Cavalry. In the same month he was as
signed to the command of . brigade in Gen.
erAl Patterson's army, in Northern Virgin
II, aud afterwards held the same position
under General Banks.
On the 18th OF Augcet he was promoted
- ~P D~s Ia eot re mi,
teers, and took command Of Camp Dick
Robinson, near Louisville Kentucky. AT
terward, IN command of the Let Division OF
the Army of the Cumberland, he took part
in the brilliant campaign under General
Buell., which resulted in the defeat of the
rebel army ~ Mill Spring, where Zo!licof-
fer, their commander, was killed. WheE
movement of General Grant up the Ten
nessee and Cumberland Rivers, General
Thomas with his division " as sent down the
Cumberland to Nashville, and thence
acr oss the country to the Tennessee; but
only a portion Of his com mand arrived IL
season tc take par: IN the battle o. Shiloh.
Following this he was placed by General
Halleck in command of the RICH. wing Of
the Army of the Tennessee, composed oi
the divisions oft. w. Sherman, 5. a. Har,-
but, NJ cKean and Davies. Corin:h was
soon after evaclated, and Buell fell back
toward Louisville, General Thomas being
designated as second IL command OF the
entire army.
From this time forward the history Of
General Thomas is known ~ every .Dielli-
gent man III the country.
TRUTH WELL. STATED.-Tte editor OF the
London Spectator has been one OF our lev
firm, truthful and consistent friends and
defenders in England. In the NovemGes
numbe OF that ably-conduc:ed paper we
find the nes: written articles upon our Pre-.
sidsntial election whicn have emanated
from the other side OF the ocean. TIE VIII
tor evidently understands the situation,
and in his treatment of the subject, he
deals with it judiciously and .uprehen-
sively. In his discussion OF the sigr.h-
canoe of the election and the results 10
which il will lead, he presents the issue il
the following remarkable language:
"Never before in modern history have
the two great political ideas Of mankind,
aristocracy and democracy, the rule OF The
many for the benefit of the few, and the
rule of the many or the few for the benefit
ible collision. IN this American war alone
has the struggle been Invested OF false ap-
peayances. 4 strong aris.ocracy, strong
alike in physical resources and in men abe
to use them, conscious and proud OF its
own objects, aware tina. it means to sup
press the many n order to give tie few
broader and freer life, and boldly proclaim.
ing that in this direction alone lies the road
to high civilization, hes set itself to b.eak
up . great democratic power. Southern
leaders at home assume no gloss. put for
ward no pretexts. are fa;tered by 10 re.
'straint Of internal circumstances or exter-
nal position. They have carried their sys.
tom already 20 its logical end, the bondage
Of all who work, the dependence OF al who
neither work nor own, the free and equal
sovereignty Of the few who are able TO pos.
Tess the one and pay the other class.
"The reticent, siateemanlike, selfish arts.
tocracy, tho slow, loud -tongued, unseliish
democracy, each left to itself, each guided
BY its own highest average, and nc more,
has been fighting out, foot to foot, and face &c
face, as the Athens and Sparta Of the New
World, the ancient political battle Of ia
kind. Had Gen. Mcclellan beer Ell b
that battle would have been lost, fol Me
North wonld have announced tina, il cared
not If II were won, cared only for the SIDE
issue, its own imperial power. As i; is
consciously and with fun knowledge, ai.
ter nearly four years Of battle, after n.
Offer cfpeccc s0ssk the end ansec&rcd it has