Evening star., 1901-04-17
GENERAL THOMAS SWORD.
His ImpIacabIc Sisters Retained IL
Because of His Loyalty.

Because of His Loyalty.
| From the Richmond Times.
1t is not generally known to Nirginians
that the two sisters Of Gen. George II.
Thomas. the distinguished Union COM
| mander, are still living at the old family
! seat in Southampton county, Va, IN The
house in which he and they were born.
| Miss Judith, the elder of the sisters, is
now nearly ninety years old; her sister
Miss Anne, is probably ten years her jun
! ior. The plantation is worked by tenants,
/ and the rentals enable the ladies TO live in
! q comfortable manner. Each of the wo-
| men is a fire type of the Womanhood of
! Virginia. Those who have visited them in
the old home come away admiring the
sweet and stately courtesy of the ladies,
! but saddened by the pathos of their lives.
| To his sisters Gen. Thomas died on that
! April day when he decided to fight with
! the enemies Of his state. He was appointed
to West Point from Virginia. of course,
and his bravery and skill in the war with
| Mexico had won him a splendid sword. pre-
sented by the people of his county. In the
| spring of 1851. probably after Virginia had
seeded, he wrote his sisters of his deter
mination to remain in the service Of the
! United States. They, loyal to their state
and the + section. were Mortified at what
| they regarded as nothing but blacklist trea-
| SON. A sharp correspondence ensued.
| Finally Gen. Thomas asked his sisters to
return to him the sword which the county
| of Southampton had voted him for the gal
! lantry which he. as a young lieutenant had
| displayed in the war with Mexico. Being
! unmarried when the sword was presented
| to him, he had sent it home for keeping
| The reply which his sisters sent to him
| when he wrote for his sword is said by a
| kinsman familiar with its contents to have
| been one of the most scathing pieces of
sarcasm he had ever read. To the reader
| or today Its pathos must be its feature.
| Inc ladies' wrote acknowledging the re-
/ ceipt of Major Thomas letter requesting
! the sword Of their brother. The letter stat
| ed that they once had brother, but that
! he had proved himself a traitor and was
! then dead; that his sword was the only me-
| mento which they had of their once brave
and loyal brother, and they therefore
wished to keep it as token OF his bravery
and fidelity in life.
The sisters never received 4 reply to this
| letter. They never again communicated
with their brother. The neehbors used to
marvel at the news which came telling OF
! the daring and skill of Thomas, but they
soon learned to refrain from mentioning
anything Of General Thomas to his sisters.
! The manner in which they Kept up the fic-
! tion that their brother had died when he
| drew his sword against his state was pa
| thetic, but absolutely consistent. Some
! times when his name was mentioned they
| involuntarily manifested anger. Generally
! when some visitor who did not know the
! tragedy in the lives of the two women al
| luded to the career OF their brother and
| the fame he was acquiring as a soldier
| they would reply that there must be some
| mistake; that they had no brother: that
a brave brother had died when Virginia
| seeded from the Union, on the l1th day of
! April, 1861.
The persistency with which the sisters
| denied that their brother was still in life
| was most remarkable. They could not be
| trapped even into admitting that they had
| brother. Immediately after the war,
| while Virginia was a military district. some
| Union officers, stationed at Petersburg
| probably, learned that the sisters of Cen
| eral Thomas, living in Southampton, were
| in, 6eS jrIIta fir CT n a n
! the ravages of war. The officers, one OF
| whom at least had known Thomas at West
Point, had an army wagon loaded with
| household supplies and accompanied 1t to
| the home of the sisters. The ladies re-
ceived them with stately courtesy, but with
| icy coldness The officers, after a few
words by way of introduction, informed the
| ladies that their brother. General Thomas,
! was a very dear friend, and they had been
| at West Point with him and would be de-
| lighted to show them some Kindness as
token of their friendship.
The reply came without hesitation. The
| ladies assured the soldiers that they had
| no brother. The officers insisted. but to no
| avail. The ladies persisted TO the last that
| their brother was dead.
Nonplussed the officers finally told the
| ladies they understood they had suffered
greatly by the war and SO had made bold
| to bring them some supplies. Now, as
| matter of fact, the larder of the Thomas
household was almost absolutely bare, like
| the majority of Virginia pantries at the
| close of the war. But the ladies had no
| idea of accepting gifts from the enemy.
| They thanked their visitors, but assured
| them they stood in need of nothing. so
| the officers, who had visited the Misses
| Thomas with the comnendable intention Oh
relieving the needs of the family of their
| fellow soldier, had to return, baff1ed by
pride which could not be overcome by the
| sternest want.
A confederate soldier from Southampton.
who surrendered with Johnston in North
| Carolina, had the greatest difficulty In
reaching home. Somebody gave him trans
portation to a town in Tennessee. Upon
| reaching that point the soldier found him
self unable to proceed further except on
| foot as he had not cent and could mol
| get the permit for free transportation on
| the railroads. Just when he was on the
point of starting to tramp to his far-away
| Virginia home, he CHANGED to learn that
Gen. Thomas was stationed in the place.
| He had known Gen. Thomas before the
| war, and while he knew that he had re-
! fused to fight for his state, and had fought
| hard against her, the soldier relied upon
| the Virginian love of his people and his
home and determined to ask Gen. Thomas
| to help him to get back to their old South
ampton. He had some difficulty in gaining
| an audience with the commander, but when
| word was sent in to Gen. Thomas that the
man who wanted to see him was from
| Southampton it was but minute until the
ragged and tired confederate stood in the
| received the soldier most kindly and ex-
pressed great. pleasure at being able to
| supply him with transportation back to
Southampton. ,.4--4s-
When the soldier got home he made it a
point to call on the Misses Thomas to tell
them of having seen their brother and of
| his kindness. Naturally he thought they
| would be glad to hear from him. But the
reverse was true. Indeed. the scene was a
| stormy one for few minutes, the ladies
declaring that they had no brother and
that they never wanted the name of Gen.
/ Thomas mentioned in their presence.
| Gen. Thomas sword now reposes in the
collection Of one of the historical societies