The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-05-19
NSONN GEN. GEO. THOMAS
SISTERS DISoWN THE CROCK OF
CHICkAMAUGA" FOR HIS
FIGHTING
THINK He TOOK WRONG SIDE
For Thirty Years They Have. Stead
fastIy Denied Relationship
with This Great General
and Patriot.

In Southampton county, Va, there
live two old ladies, aged about ninety
and eighty years respectively, whose
Biographies, were they ever written IN
detail, would form one of the most pa
/ thetic chapters in the history of the
American Civil war. These old la3les
are Miss Judith and Miss Anne Thomas,
the nearest of the surviving blood reIa-
tives of Gen. George B. Thomas, the
"Rock of Chickamauga," one of the abb
est and most successful Of the Union
generals, whose memory is perpetaated
by a noble monument in Washington,
and whose name is included in the roll
of the really great men that appeared
at the time when the country was divid-
ed against itself. Yet for thirty years,
the Brooklyn Eagle says. these two wo-
men have steadfastly denied relationship
with this great general and patriot. The
reason is that he took I'D arms against
his state, Virginia AMI his own kindred
and friends when Virginia seeded. since
the day that he announced this decision
and made clear his determination to ad-
here to it he has been disowned by his
two sisters. At every 4-.entien of such
relationship the reply has been the sane:
1--WE have no brother. He died the day
that Virginia seeded"
In the winter of 1860 George H Thom-
as was major in "a regiment of the
regular army stationed in Texas Robert
E Lee was its colonel. Almost all its
officers were Virg mans. Thomas himself
was Virginian of the vi ginians, but
he seems never to have faltered in mis-
allegiance to the Union. When Virginia
seeded from the Union Lee and all the
other officers of the reg ment, with but
one exec pt'on, resigned ana threw in
their lot with the Confederacy. Thomas,
who happened to be in New York at the
time on leave of absC nee wrote to his
sisters in Virginia ira he felt it his
duty to stand BY the old flag, whatever
happened. To them hiA action was black
treason and treachery. They wrote and
asked him If he could mean that he
would take up arms against his old COM
rades and invade the soil OF his native
state. He answered, and finally the sis
ters sent him a final message, expressing
their conviction that he was worse than
a traitor Then he wrote and asked
them to forward to his address the sword
which hal been given him by his native
county after return from the Mexican
war.
The reply which was sent in -alswe,
To this letter is said 10 have b en-
most scath;rg piece of sarcasm. The
two women acknowledged in formal styl3
the receipt of letter from Mi.
Thomas They went ON to say that thev
had once had a brother but thai he h id
proved himself traitor and was now
DEAD; that his sword was the ONLY me-
mento which they had of ttefr4 once
brave and loyal brother, and that the
therefore wished to keep it as a token
of his bravery and fidelity in lif
This is the pathetic ficsin tina th<e
two sisters have ma ntainel pelsfstcntlv
and consistently ITO this very cay. ard
persons Who go to cal en- the Misses
Thomas come away from the cd manor
house full Of admiration for the sN eet
and stately courtesy OF the women, bu5
saddened by the pathcs of tfeir Ives
Immediately after the close of the war,