Daily national Republican. (Washington City [D.C.]) 1870-1872, 1870-04-07

Thomas Relying upon his own eHotta,
promise, steady In purpose, he gradually as |
soended the hill Of fame.
And although we may not see any Of those
value, we thali And him always rising up 10
the emergencies Of the moment,
ne waS eo,n July ~ lsig' h 70 soStthns@P1o oS
his mother Hugueuot, The boy, II
IA said, IL father to the man, and the ptoyerb
PSt o n TSs H s.ies sCrdsS
HIN were properly and probably used, ADD
VIC learn that At an early age he had acquired
= good education, and thus laid the founda.
ti6n Of hts after usefuiness. Being practical
and Industrious a. well as systematie, he i'm
mediately accepted the position OF deputy
But this was only temporary resting place
10 his history which waa OF short duration,
for In 1880, al tho age Of twenty, he received
MnitaTy kesdsmy at West Point. Here the
path OF life was opened TO him for which he
seems to have becn peculiarly ntted BY ma
EntsrIaS upon II with all the Isai Of his
youth, four years Afterwards he graduated as
dIateiy afier weat into the service IS bfcvot
second lieutenant Of the Third artillery.
For gallant conduct 10 the Seminole war,
prompt discharge OF the duties assigned him,
aud evidences OF talent and adaptation TO the
service, he was rapily promoted, yet ascending
step by step, having reached, on the 18th OF
May, tsl9, the position Of hrst Lieutenant OF
artillery But I cannot 10 one short address
attempt to give = complete outline OF hls his
tory, 1 will select a few OF the more promlnent
have learned his military career we have
feared the history Of his life, for he was aH =
soldier, the army was his home soldiers
we're his cnmpAnlonsl military matters his
study, and military duties his cutire oeeupa-
When the clouds OF war began TO settle
| down 90 our Southwestern bordeta In l8A5 and
| IsIS, he was ordered with hts company to
Texas 10 report TO Gen. Taylor. Aud from the
| din OF battle 90 the helda Of Resaea DO Ia Pal
come up with honorable mention, and his EaI,
liant deeds write themselves on tho pages Of
our national history. And again, at Bueni
doubt and ended with An evening OF Victory
the name OF George II. Thomas IL recorded
with marks OF praise, and he receives the SEQ
ond promotion duIlng that short campaign
When the storm Of rebellion, which hat
been gathering IN the South, burst forth q
| 1881 10 all it, fury against our national until
aud Integrity, General Thomas, although !
General Lee, hesitAted not In regard TO whicl
for national existence. lie loved his country
| more thAu his State or his associates, an
without delay threw hiS sword inio the he's. scale
energy. Though habitually quiet and delib
crate In his decisions, YET when once mad
hsS TSFs 5Sds to iSS S sSo Sn ms
From May until July, lsdl, he COMMANDED
the hFst brigade Of Msjo General Patterson
nuder denSrsI banks, until August 20 OF thi
same year, when, as brigadler general OF vol
untoeTs, he was Transferred to Kentucky. liz
had not remained there long before he wal
heard from. At MIL Spring, the 10Th OF Jan
uAry, 1904, he struck the nrst OF that series o
sturdy blows which nnally crushed the tebe
| power In the West. The cheerful note OF vic
| tory which he sent back to the East served Al
an AntldOte TO the disastcT OF Bull Run
TlmiG spiritG, which had dropped beoauss o.
a reverse, sgaiu arose at the news Of sueeess
A. has been said by the historian, "the bril-
: liant stroke AZ Min Spring checked the Jon
! fsderate ineuruions Into aortheastern Ken
= lucky, and there General Thomas nrst ehains,
y | Ayietory to the Union standard, and begAI
I that series OF solid aud substantial achieve
!; meat. with which n. name vas Hss9sistsd,
d will go insepaTably linked down to postsriti
would gladly Teclte to you an account {
~ h thsss9ofs auii ISIv tSS Gust
: ticod many points OF thus campaign in while
|. he comes prominently forward, Yet there !
I calling Its thriIIlnF Seenes 10 mind-the batti
Of ChiekamAuEa.
Here all the powers q hts nature wer
Z brought into action In their full strength
Here was one OF those ooeaaiOna whore W
see him rising like giant Just 10 proportion
/ to the Imminent danger and the energeneie
. Here we sec that selE-rollapes, clear CON
!, | prehenaion and prompt decision which ehal
.etsrizsd HIN presented 10 Al 'hsit PsIis'
around OhAttanooga, he atAnds As one OF N
= prominent figures Of the soonei might say
without diapArAgement to others, the MOI
prominent Amid the widest scenes Of ea
4. mage, the seVerest trials and mo ut critical m
!. msntn, cool, collected and decisive, he wo
N the same calm and deliberate countenance 4
~ when sitting by the evening campfire.
- During the severe conflicts OF the 10Th
M September, when Bragg attempted to thro
and Chattanooga, Thomas and his troops stoC
~ as a barrier In The way thst preyented the a
VI eomplIIh ment Of this design, All the effor
~ ~ And on the morning Of the 10Th, whsa be san
~ was Again attempted, with inereAsed eheti
~ and fury, ~ was Asain thwarSd'
I, In the wAyi' and though wave att
=, ~ wave dashed against him, he stood immo
n able as the foek amid the storms Of y
'. ocean. Add when the Ualon right had give
way before the innumerAble toree mass
~ against ", add was fAllins back on OhAtt
nooga, Thomas, gne9nssio11 Of NE reN re-;
I. guspsetinE that EOon he would have to co
- front the greater portion OF BrakE'a arm
, ~ Missionary Ridge, when he saw tho tide
y battle sweeping round him In all lts fury,
So withdrew thlther from hi, bteAstworks a
at INC ItoTm burst upon him, the flower Of /
rebel hoata, Guahed with the prospects Of '
w tory, was repeatedly hurled against him,
veteran band. Assault after a. iult wRs
" pulsed, until the SUI went down aBd clos
NJ the contest. lie Loaf no poaltlou no undOrto
N 10 hold, but remained victor wherever
VI Shall 1 stop and attempt to describe tn
~ Goul-atirring scene at MlaHiOnary's RidI
70 where, inspired by the spirit Of their lead,
nj his forces, sweeping the enemy before the
like chef before the windt I would, but !
% poWera Of description would present but
Y" tame picture to those who were eye witness
a When the army swung loose from Its mo
- lnEs at Atlanta, to sweep asross the plans
ut under command OF General Thomas TO hold
"a check the enemy In Tennessee. And here
nd sS%s sSs 81 N. lie TndSsily fsinS ssd
~ Nashville to prevent the enemy from eutt
,lp OF his Communications, concentrating ;
lsh forces and engineering his cavalry arm,
BE- delay and apparent insetIon was misuBd
ay' stood and his motives mialuterpTeted. T
.nS news Of Hoods rapid and pefsisteut AdVan
-. into Tennessee, and apparently no strong eft
ew on the part OF Thomas to cheek him, wAi
hS riddle for a time even at the headquarters
the army. Sensitive to every insinuAtl
10 Us nature must ever be, IL required ali
w wa equal 10 the task, and moving stead
my Sisnily The mo@sht at which TO strike the
e1. eisiye blow. When 1t arrived II came llk
ssd thundeTboit upon the ensmy,
Inc Hoods army, shattered and broken, \
recognized, t|
an This cleared away sReotuAlIy the eli
hi. which for = mOment had ebscuTed his IA
oss and b. star shons forth With inersS
Re- crowned our GGt sr@s 10 the East sad the ~
IL lion ended. He had entered the struggle
his the very commencement, and had doue
re. S sIS RlS, asiysTssIy Sonorsd AID estSsr
Ger title OF "FSihsr ThomSs,h or. in camp !
~ iisTly Known 10 the dAy 81 his death, at VII
NJ time he was In command OF the division