National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1879-11-20

| blood OF an heroic ancestry thus came TO him
| by maternal descent, and nobly did his life
| honor the connection. His parents were gem
uino members of the old first families of Vr-
ginia, and their position socially all that could
| be desired.
General Thomas received in boyhood fair
| education, and afterward commenced the study
OF law, at the same time performing tho duties
Of deputy clerk under his uncle, James CHI
| ele then county clerk. In 1896, through the
influence of fnmiy friends, he WAS appointed to
n cadctship at West Point, where lie grad
uutcd In 1Si0 twelfth in rank Of class num-
bering forty-two. lie was Immediately AS
signed to q second licutcnancy in tho Third
artillery, served In Florida for year, and
was brev0ttcd First Lieutenant for gallant con-
duet He was promoted First Lieutenant April
30, 1874. In 1916 tho promontory symptoms
| OF tho coming Mexican storm led to the con-
| contraction of troops with General Taylor at
| Corpus Christi and TO him Lieutenant
Thomas with his company reported in the
mouth Of July. Subsequently, when General
| Taylor moved from Corpus Christi to the Rio
| Grandc, Lieutenant Thomas company, in con
ncction with other detachncnts, was left in
garrison at Fort Brown opposite Msttamoras,
| and at tho battle of Resaca dc In Palma, where
| the routed forces of the Mcxicans sought es.
| cape by flight across the Rio Grandc near the
fort, Lieutenant Thomas poured in upon
them destructive fire, thus contributing
|
victory. Lieutenant Thomas played cons pcu-
Gus part in the battle Of Monterey, September
| 49, 1SiG, and for distinguished gallantry WAS
| brevctted Captain. His company having boen
| selected US q portion Of the division with
which General Taylor, in accordance with tho
orders of General Scott, proposed occupying
| the territory he had conquered, Lieutenant
Thomas had the honor of participating in that
| most extraordinary battlc at Beuna Vista where
the American forces, though outnumbered in
| the ratio OF six to one, obtained n glorious
victory. On this occasion Thomas conducted
himself in manner which won for him the
highest commentator of his chief, and ho re-
| ceived the brovct rank Of Major.
At the close of the Mexican war; Thomas
took charge for timo of the commissary
depot at Brazos Santiago, and then re-
| ceivcd Il six months firlough. In June, 1Si9,
he rcjoined his company at Fort Adams, New
| port, Il. l., aud Immediately proceeded thence
| to Florida, where he remained until tho close
of the year 1850. Iu March, 1851 he was as
| signed TO West Point as instructor of artillery
and cavalry, the duties of which position he
crcditably discharged for three years AL
| though brevetted Major, bis real rank WIS that
| of First Lieutenant until December "a, 1858,
when ho was promoted to II full captaincy.
| After three years spent rs instructor Mt West
| Point, Thomas served in Lower California and,
| subsequently, from May, 1856, to November,
1860, was OH duty in Texas, tho greater part
| OF tho limo in command of a regiment, having
| received the appointment of Major in 1850
| In the summer of 1860 lie engaged in an cx-
petition Of Importance, designed to explore
| the head waters of the Red and Canadian
rivers In this expedition lie had frequent
skirmshcs with Indians, and on ono occasion
was slightly wounded in tho face In Novcnl-
Der. 1860, he received a short leave of absence,
| and when he returned to duty, the clouds of
| war which had been for some time looming
up from tho Southern horizon were almost
ready to break. Major Thomas was u South
erncr, but one Of the noble few who loved the
| whole country better than a part and when
| In April 1861, the storm broke upon the land
| in the bombardment Of Sumter, he remained
| true to his country and convictions. Ho was
| ordered to Carlisle barracks, Pa, to organize
his regiment, which had been dismounted and
ordered out fTexus by the traitorous Twiggs
| In tho Same month, he was appointed Lieu
tenant.Coloncl, and the week after his APP
| pointment, was made Colonel of the Second
cavalry. In August, 1851, he was transferred
to the Fifth cavalry and assigned to the COM
| niand of a brigade, under General Patterson
in the Army of Northern Virginia. In tho
snmo month ho was made Bigadier- General of
Volunteers and ordered to Kentucky, where
he took command of Camp Dick Robinson, or
| ganized tho troops thcfe and established Cump
wildcat, thirty miles to the southeast with a
| view to hinderng the advance of
ZolicofIcr through Cumberland Gap. Zolli-
Golfer, ut the close of 1861, hold position on
the Cumberland near the head of navigation
| with forco of about 5000 men. He was sub.
| sequcntly Joined and superseded IN command
| by General George B. Crittonden, who fearing
| a general attack from tho Union forces In
| Kentucky, resolved to forestail it by a sudden
movement. General Thomas, who had lust
been organizing at Lebanon the First division
Of the Army Of the Cumberland, was ordered
by General Buell. to take command in the
quarter threatened by Crittenden, and moved
as far as Lebanon Cross Roads, where the
rebel General attempted to surprise him. The
attempt was abortive. Thomas had taken tho
| preCaution to send out strong pickets of in
fantry OH roads leading to tho enemy and on
the midnight Of January 1S they encoun-
tered tho advance Of Crittenden's army, and
retiring in good order reported to General
| Thomas, who made ready for the coming at
tack. 1t was on the morning of the 10Th that
| the rebels made their charge and the battle
ragged desperately for two hours, in which
tino SO close was the combat that muskets of
the opposing forces were often fired through
the same fence. The battle WAS decided by a
charge Of tho Ninth Ohio on the right flank
of the robels. supported by heavy fro in
front. General Zollicoffer was shot dead aud
his body left on the field. The rebels lost 1872
killed. This was the first action of any I'M
portance In which General Thomas command
cd, and his care aud good Beneralship made it
n brilliant victory.
Shortly after the battle of Logan's Cross
Roads, Brigader-General Grant, with his
forces, appeared upon tho Cumberland, aud
the fall of Forts Henry and Doneson fol-
lowed, after which General Thomas moved
through Kontuckyto occupy Nashville, Tenn.
General Thomas division was part
OF the reserve force in tho battle of
Shiloh, April and 8, 1862 and con.
sequently was not engaged at that
time. On the 25th of April, in that year, he
was confirmed MajOr-General of Volunteers,
and his division was transferred to the Army
Of the Tennessee, the right wing OF which,
made up of five divisions was placed under
his command Having taken part with that
army in the siege of Corinth, he was on the
10th day Of Juno transferred TO his old army
Chat Of the Ohio) aud in September was
placed in command at Nashville lie was sub
sequontly second in command under Buell.,
and held that position in tho expulsion of
Bragg's forces from Kentucky aud ia Novem.
ber 1862 when Rosecrans took took charge of
the Army of tho Cumberland, General Thomas
was given command of the centre,
consisting of five divisions. He dis,
tinguished himselfi in that series of contests on
Stone River between December 81 1862, and
January A, 1868, in consequence Of which
| Bragg and hisar fled from Murfreesboro; and