The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1870-04-07
Mai. Gen: Geo. n. Thomas


Regular Army, and Commander of the Divi-
sion Of the Pacific, died at his post in isan
Francisco, on the evening Of Monday, March
2sth. 1870, very suddenly and unexpectedly. Of
apoplexy. He was born of wealthy and
aristocratic parents, on the Slst day Of July,
1876, In 8 Southampton County, Virginia. He
was appolnted cadet at West Point, June,
1886, and was graduated near the head Of his
class in July, 1910.
His first assignment to duty was with the Sd
Artillery as I'd Lieut.nant; became o LIST Lieut.
enant in ls43, and a Captain in the same year,
in the same branch Of the service. Heserved
with marked distinction on the frontier, and
in the Mexican war, during the latter receiv-
ing several brevets for meritorious and gall
liant conduct. The slaveholders' rebellion
found him Lieutenant Colonel Of the ID Cav
airy stationed at Carlisle Barracks. Penn. In
May, 1851, he was assigned to the COM
mand Of q brigade in Patterson's army In
Virginia, and subsequently held the same
command in the same department under Gen.
Banks.
August 18th, 1861, he was made Brigadier
General of Volunteers; and was ordered to
Kentucky where he assumed command OF
Camp Dick Robinson and about six thousand
new levies.
On the 26th day of October, 1851, he defeated
Zollicoffer at "Wild Cat" in Kentucky, and
on the 18th day Of fJanuary following he met
the same Rebel General at Mill Spring. and
not only routed his army, but slew its COM
mander. April 25th, 1862, he was promoted a
Major General of Volunteers, and with the
reserve of Buelrs army formed part of Hal
leck's grand army which invested Corinth.
and captured that empty bubble after Beau
regard saw At, in his own good time, to evacu-
ate it. At "Stone River Thomas was second
in command. and when Bragg impetuously
hurled his whole army against Rosecrans'
rigAt and routed 1t, Thomas. with Rousseau's
Division unbroken, remained firm; held his
ground and aided in the selection Of q new
line whose strength enabled Rosecrans to
turn pack the enemies second attack on the
following day, and mainly contributed in
wrestling substantial victory from the jaws
Of apparent defeat.
At Chickamauga he held the centre like, q
lion at bay and when McCook and Crittenden
commanding the right and left wings, were
swept away like torrent, "Old Par" Tho
mas, with his immortal command augmented
by Gordon Changers division, resisted all the
furious assaults of the enemy, and punished,
with terrible slaughter, the every attempt OF
Bragg to force his position, while in the mean
time, the balance of the army, with its imbe-
cile commander, was fleeing. pell nell into
the haven of Chattanooga for refuge. Falling
back in the night three miles to a stronger
position, he awaited all the next day for the
enemy to deliver battle. which he failed to do.
Having alone saved the army Of the Cum
berland from destruction, he was very justly
selected as the successor Of Gen. Rosecrans.
when on the 10th of October. 1868, it was de-
termined to relieve the latter
On the 9th of the same month he was made
o Brigadier General in the Regular Army,
and subsequently Major General Of the
same, and at his death was ranked as Major
General in the service alone bytfalleck. He
commanded the Army of the-Cumberland,
consisting of the 4th, 14th and 20th corps, dur
ing Sherman's immortal Atlanta campaign,
and after the fall of the "Gate City" Of the
south, was sent back to the command of the
troops in the rear at Nashville, and after n
series of strategic movements, unpalaIie..ea
in their brilliancy in modern warfare, decoy-
ed that gallant, butrash and impetuous COM
mander, Hood, into his meshes at Nashville,
and in his own good time, pounced upon, and
utterly annihilated the rebel army in series
of brilliant assaults before Nashville, Decem.
Der 18th and 10th, 1854, which were perhaps
the most decisive of any fought during the
war.
Col. Bowman, in his Sherman and his
Campaigns +" says, in 1866. % 1t is characteristic
of Thomas, that in his twenty-years of service
up to that time, he had had but two short
leaves of absence, one In ls4s and one In 1850,
and has never been on favored duty Of any
kind. In his marked traits, Thomas Is the
antithesis of sherman, his habitual repose of
mind and temper, being perhaps, only less
strongly marked than Sherman's electric
restlessness." Secretary Belknap, In his re-
markably able and eloquent Grafton before the
Army Reunion at Chicago in 1858, says of our
hero "always faithful to duty, true to his
trust wherever found, whether controlling the
management of O complicated command, or
as when the fate of the Western army quiver-
ed In the balance, coolly stemming the tide Of
battle, he beat back the rebel host crushed
and conquered, stamping himself as the de.
termined soldier whom the pride Of State
could not allure, whose name, soldiers of the
army of the Cumberland! Is told to the youth
of the land as the synonym Of purest patrio-
tism, your own beloved Thomas, the Rock of
Chickamauga.'
Thomas was a Southern man in all his in.
stincts and traditions, and was confidently re-
lied upon by the Davis junta Of conspirators
to espouse their cause, but he came of q sturdy
race of Virginia patriots Of the type Of the
Father of his Country, whom he greatly re-
sembled in his person and In the lofty purity
Of his character, and answering devotion to
his country. and was proof against all the
Establishments and besetting temptations of
the enemy.
Aman of gigantic physical and mental sta
ture, of the most regal and imposing personal
presence in the army; q patriot unsullied by
selfishness and without guile in his heart; q
soldier above fear or reproach, and without a
superior, II an equal, in the art Of war among
all the great military men Of modern times
q man destitute Of the ordinary petty
vices of the service, and the idol of his men
who affectionately called him Pap Thorn
as. the memory of his fidelity under the
strongest temptation and his brilliant and
historic services for bis country in its hour
Of peril, will be held in grateful remem-
brance by the American people, SO long
as they remain worthy of the sacrifices OF
the citizen soldiery during the great re-
bellion.
Suffrage.
Both houses ofthe legislature have
submitted the proposition to the
next legislature to strike out the
word "male' from the constitution,
and which proposition, ifit meets