The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-12-17

| WORK II Nne nutnOr n sNu0tOuN nNOiunnce OF Ine
various controversies connected With his sub
iect's career referring 70 them only whore
they bear upon character and conduct By
this wise rsticence he has done more to
fx tho fame Of Gen. Thomas than he could
have effected By the most ardent partissnship
| T.
II IL we'll known that George Henry Thomas
| was a native OF Virginia He was born on July
81. 1916. in southam pton county. which Is in
| the southeastern part Of the State, bordering
on North Carolina, and at no great distance
from the Atlantic. His father. John Thomas.
| the descendant OF a Welsh immigrant. lived
in one Of the few settlements Of this secluded
| and thinly peopled region. The wife OF John
Thomas was named Elizabeth Rochelle. and 10
| said 10 have been descended feom one OF the
HuRuenot families which were driven out OF
| France by the revocation OF the Edct OF
| Nantes. John Thomas died at IS and his wife
| at 90. leaving three sons and three daughters,
| Of whom. with the exception Of George Henry,
| little IL known. The educational advan-
taees Of Southampton county were not
| great, but George Henry received some tuition
at . private institution known az the South
| ampton Academy and IN his min eteenth year.
became a student Of the Law. receiving at the
same time from his maternal uncle the APP
pointment Of deputy County Clerk In the fol-
lowing spring John Y. Mason. then a m ember
| OF Congress. offered Thomas a cadetship at
| West Point and In June. 1896 the young man
entered the Military Academy. Four years
| later he was graduated twelfth in a class OF
forty-lve. which included william 7. Sherman
| among its members His flrstl com m ission
| was that OF Second Lieutenant in the Third
| Artillery. but he soon afterward received
tho brevet rank Of First Lieutenant for
| his services In the war against the
| Florida Indians. In the Mexican war Thomas
| served under Gen. Taylor. and was success
| sively brevetted Captain and Major for his con-
| duct at Monterey and Buena Vista It was not
| however until the close OF 1853. whom he was
stationed at West Point as instructor OF artil-
lery and cavalry, that Thomas received his
promotion to Captaincy. 1t was during his
| residence at West Point that he married Miss
Frances Kellogg OF Troy N. Y During the
next two or three years. we find Thomas con-
Quoting a battalion OF artillery to Benicia
CAL. and thence to Fort Yuma, from which
point he was transferred from duty to duty
with q rapidity that required great activity on
his part. In the reorganization OF the cavalry
service which took place In May. 1855. he was
appointed Major OF tho Second Cavalry. his
superior officers being Albert Sidney John
ston Robert +. Lee Of Virginia. and William
]. Hardee Of Georgia. It was doubtless
because Jefferson Davis had observed
the conduct OF Thomas at Buena Vista
that he. whom Secretary OF War. gave him this
promotion. In August, 1850. while Major
Ihomas was engaged IN q skirmish with the
Indians on the Brazos River an arrow passed
through his chin and into his breast. Singu-
larry enough this was the only wound he ever
received. Not so much by reason OF this wound
as because he wanted rest and deserved IT, he
applied for leave for year. which being grant
ed, he left his command on Nov. l. 1850. On
his way homo Thomas met with an accident
Srtv .n,diar Ns.,I'nnshm. nun ha i ,ures
from a railway train and twisted his spine. He
eventually recovered, but for some six weeks
he was confined to his bed at Norfolk, and for
some time afterward considered him self an in
valid. At some undetermined date between his
leaving Norfolk and tho bombardment OF Fort
Sumter, he applied for tho position OF com
man dant OF cadets at the Virginia Military In
stitute, but was informed by the superintend-
ent that the vacancy had been filled. 1t is a
pity that Prof Coppee did not ascertain and
state the precise date at which this application
was made. II It was made at time when there
was good reason to believe that Virginia would
remain In the Union the fact would be q con-
elusive REPUTATION OF those malignsrs who have
construed the application as an evidence
OF Thomas's intention or willingness to de-
sert the Union cause. On the other hand, II.
at the time when the application was made, 1t
was plain to every sensible onlooker that Viz
ginia would secede. there was manifestly some
ground for tho suspicion with which for some
time afterward. Thomas was regarded By tho
authorities at Washington. We repeat that
the controversy relating to Thomas's predi-
lection could have been settled once for all
had the present biographer learned and told
US the exact date OF his attempt to obtain tho
position Of commandant OF cadets at the Viz
ginia Military Institute.
IL Is certain that on May 3. 1881. when his
leave OF absence had not more than half ex-
pired, Major Thomas was placed In command
OF the Second Cavalry as Colonel. and soon
afterward was ordered. with four companies.
to Join Gen. Patterson in the valley OF Virginia
1t will be remembered that Patterson was Sc
verely csnsured at the time for his failure to
prevent Joseph f. Johnston from joining
nAa ID nnn nsVW. kV.kL zAL a.. Il