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General George Henry Thomas ( July 31, 1816 - March 28, 1870), Northern general during the American Civil War, was born in Southampton County, Virginia.
Graduating from West Point in 1840, he served as an artillery subaltern in the war against the Seminole Indians in Florida (1841), and in the Mexican War at the battles of Fort Brown, Resaca de la Palma, Monterey and Buena Vista, receiving three promotions for distinguished gallantry in action. From 1851 to 1854 he was an instructor at West Point. In 1855 he was appointed a major of the 2nd Cavalry by Jefferson Davis, then secretary of war.
At the outbreak of the Civil War, three of Thomas' regimental superiors-- Albert Sidney Johnston, Robert E. Lee and William J. Hardee--resigned. Many southern-born generals were torn between loyalty to their state and loyalty to their country. Thomas struggled with the decision but opted to remain with the United States.
He was promoted in rapid succession to be lieutenant-colonel and colonel in the regular army, and brigadier-general of volunteers. In command of an independent force in eastern Kentucky, on the January 18, 1862, he attacked and routed the Confederate Generals Crittenden and Zollicoffer at Mill Springs, gaining the first important Union victory in the war. It was one of only two occasions in the war in which an army was dispersed in a battle on an open field (the other was Nashville, also a Thomas victory).
He served under Don Carlos Buell and was offered, but refused, the chief command in the anxious days before the Battle of Perryville. Under William RosecransWilliam Starke Rosecrans ( September 6, 1819 March 11, 1898), nicknamed Old Rosy served as an American military officer. He gained fame for his role as a Union general during the American Civil War. Born at Kingston, Ohio, Rosecrans graduated from West Po he held the center and thus saved the Union army at the Battle of Murfreesboro (Stone's River) and was in charge of the most important part of the manoeuvring from Decherd to Chattanooga during the Tullahoma campaign (22 June - 3 July 1863) and the crossing of the Tennessee. At the Battle of ChickamaugaThe Battle of Chickamauga was a Union offensive in the American Civil War in Catoosa County and Walker County, Georgia from September 18, 1863 to September 20, 1863. It claimed an estimated 34,624 casualties (16,170 for the Union; 18,454 for the Confedera on September 19September 19 is the 262nd day of the year (263rd in leap years). There are 103 days remaining. Events 1356 In Battle of Poitiers English defeat French 1692 Giles Corey is pressed to death after refusing to plead in the Salem witch trials. 1777 First Battl, 1863, he gained the name of "The Rock of Chickamauga," by some accounts being all that saved a terrible defeat for the North from becoming a hopeless rout.
Thomas succeeded Rosecrans in command of the Army of the CumberlandUnion army in the west during the American Civil War, commanded at various times by Generals Robert Anderson, Don Carlos Buell, William S. Rosecrans, and George Thomas. The army won victories at the battles of Murfreesboro, Chattanooga, Franklin and Nashv shortly before the Battle of Chattanooga IIIThe third battle at Chattanooga, aka the Battle of Chattanooga III took place in the last days of September through October 1863 in the Chattanooga-Ringgold Campaign of the American Civil War, Gen. Braxton Bragg’s Army of Tennessee laid siege to the Union (23-25 Nov. 1863), a stunning Union victory due mainly to his behind-the-scenes management. In William Tecumseh ShermanWilliam Tecumseh Sherman ( February 8, 1820 February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, writer, and General for the Union forces in the American Civil War, best known for his capture of Atlanta, Georgia, and his March to the Sea (from Atlanta's advance through Georgia in the spring of 1864, the Army of the Cumberland numbered over 60,000 men, and Thomas's staff did the logistics and engineering for Sherman's entire army group. At the battle of Peachtree Creek (20 Aug. 1864) Thomas' defense severely damaged Hood's army in its first attempt to break the siege of Atlanta.
When John B. Hood broke away from Atlanta in the autumn of 1864, menaced Sherman's long line of communications and endeavored to force Sherman to follow him, Sherman abandoned his communications and embarked on his infamous march to the sea. Thomas stayed behind to fight Hood. Thomas, with a smaller force, raced with Hood to reach Nashville, where he was to receive reinforcements.
At the Battle of Franklin on November 30, 1864, a large part of Thomas's force, under command of John McAllister Schofield, held Hood in check long enough to cover the concentration at Nashville.
At Nashville, Thomas had to organize his force, drawn from all parts of the West and including many young troops and even quartermaster's employes. He declined to attack until his army was ready and the ice covering the ground had melted enough for his men to move. The North, including General Ulysses S. Grant himself, grew impatient at the delay. General John A. Logan was sent with an order to supersede Thomas, and soon afterwards Grant left the Army of the Potomac to take command in person.
Before either arrived, Thomas made his attack on December 15, 1864, and the Battle of Nashville was the most crushing defeat of any army on either side in the whole war. Hood's army was completely ruined and never again appeared on the field. For this brilliant victory Thomas was made a major-general in the regular army and received the thanks of Congress.