Thomas, GEORGE HENRY

Thomas, GEORGE HENRY, an American general, was born in Virginia in 1816, graduated at West Point and entered the artillery in 1840, gained a brevet for gallantry against the Indians in Florida in 1841, and two others at Monterey and Buena Vista in 1846-47, and in 1855-60 served in Texas as a major of cavalry. In 1861 he was appointed brigadier-general of volunteers, and sent to Kentucky to turn backwoodsmen into soldiers; and with them in January 1862 he won the battle of Mill Springs. He was raised to major-general in April, and in October received the command of five divisions, forming the centre of Rosecrans' army, with which he saved the battle of Stone River (see MURFREESBOROUGH); and at Chickamauga (q.v.) again it was the centre that stood firm, and rendered the victory a barren one for the Confederates. In October 1863 Thomas was given the command of the Army of the Cumberland, and in November led it to the capture of Mission Ridge. In 1864 he commanded the centre in Sherman's advance on Atlanta, and then was sent to oppose Hood in Tennessee; and there in December, with troops that he had had to reorganise, he won the battle of Nashville, and destroyed the last considerable Confederate army in the south-west. For this he was appointed major-general in the United States army, and received the thanks of congress. He afterwards was in command of the military division of the Pacific, and died at San Francisco, 28th March 1870. Thomas was of a nature kindly, gentle, and singularly modest, of unserving loyalty, and of sterling integrity; a soldier trained in nearly every arm of the service, he won and held without an effort the confidence of all who served under him. There is a Life by Van Horne (1882), and another by Copee ('Great Commanders' series).