The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-07-31
Centenary of Gen. Thomas, "the Rock
 of Chickamauga"

Many veterans of the Grand Army of the Republic will celebrate today the centenary of one of the ablest leaders of the Union cause in the civil war, General George Henry Thomas. Although in that terrible internecine. strife Thomas fought be- heath the Stars and Stripes, he was by birth and associations a son of the Southland. Abler generals there may have been on both sides, but braver there were none than he who won, on the bloody battlefield near Chat tanooga, the proud title of "the Rock
 of Chickamauga."
 Born in Southampton county, Va.,
 just one hundred years ago today,
 Thomas graduated at West Point in 1840 and entered the artillery. He,
 twice fought the Seminoles in Florida, was with General Taylor in the Med-
 can war, and was wounded il a battle
 with the Texas Indians. When the civil war broke out Thom- as, like so many other southern-born officers, was forced to choose between the Union and the Confederates. He chose the former, and was denounced by his southern friends as a traitor and renegade, although South 2s we'll as North now recognizes and re-
 spects the stern sense of duty by which
 he was animated.
 It was in the battle of Chickamauga in September, 1863, that General Thomas became one of the heroes of the Union. 'I fought under Thomas at Chickamauga," is one of the proud est statements a veteran of the Grond l Army can make. On the first day of the conflict Thomas prevented the Confederates from carrying out their plan to interpose force between Roshecrans and Chattanooga. On the second day the Confederates made de- l termined to turn the National flank, but Thomas and. his veterans stood I like a wall in the way On the Union right they were more successful, and l that wing soon gave way, the men | flying in wild disorder toward Chatta- nooga, leaving thousands behind In killed, wounded and prisoners. In the wake of this tide wen the troops led 1 by Rosecrans, Crittenden and McCook, but Thomas, ignorant of the disaster, held his position against tremendous odds, until he was able to withdraw
 his troops in an orderly manner ana
 form a line on the slope of Missionary Ridge. There the Confederates at- | tackled in overwhelming force. but
 although hard pressed. Thomas held
 his lines
 | Longstreet then advanced with a greater army and the Confederates
 fairly swarmed around the foot o1 | the ridge held by Thomas with the remnants of seven divisions of the Ma tional army of the Cumberland. There seemed no hope for the Federals, but Thomas stood like rock, and his men repulsed one assault after an other until darkness intervened. Ills ammunition almost exhausted, Thorn as then retpeated in good order to | Rossville, having accomplished the
 seemingly impossible.
 Soon after this battle Thomas wa: made the commander of the Army o1 I the Cumberland, succeeding Rose, crans, and shared the honors of the victorious battle of Missionary Ridge 1 In 1864 he crushed the army of Hood and was rewarded with the rank o. major general in the regular army and was rendered a vote of thanks by Congress.
 I Gen. Thomas died in San Francisco I where he was in command of the Pa cific division in 1870, Shortly befor, his death he was offered the breve of lieutenant-general but declined 1t One of the finest equestrian statues in America was erected in his honol at Washington in 1879.