Virginia's greatest Civil War general: the forgotten George H Thomas of the United States
I'm a history buff of the Civil War, so naturally when I visit D.C., one of the things on my list is to visit the statue of one of the Civil War's greatest commanders, General George Henry Thomas.
General Thomas did not lose, but he also did not market himself. Unlike Julius Caesar or Ulysses Grant, he did not write a book about his conquests. Thomas unfortunately thought to do so was cheapening himself and his accomplishments. Unlike Grant, this soldier and commander wanted to stay out of the mess of politics at the top echelons where military meets Washington to advocate what was needed. Someone had to do it, someone like his colleague Grant, but this soldier's soldier felt those skills were not his strengths.
He followed his heart despite his tribe telling him not to. Even though he was a slave owner before the war, he evolved. He fought for emancipation during the war. And as a result of leading black soldiers, who were former slaves, he changed yet again. He became a strong advocate of civil rights after the war.
It came at a hefty price. As a result of his support of the United States against the Confederacy, Thomas lost his Southern family and ties. They never spoke with him again.
One of the principal commanders in the Western Theater, Thomas had the rare background of having led three combat arms—infantry, cavalry, and artillery. That broad experience served him well during the Civil War. When he was in command, this once West Point star and educator was like an unmovable rock, who did not lose. Confederate generals just could not outwit the thorough general, despite following his playbook. Best buddies since college, General Sherman loved him. Yes, Grant and Sherman criticized Thomas for being slow and deliberate. But he was their go-to guy, their backbone, especially when in trouble, such as at the most critical junction of the war. Sherman and Grant would turn to Thomas. His stellar strategizing and operational control would end up annihilating his opponents in Franklin and Nashville, Tennessee in a complete rout on a scale that had not been seen before in the Civil War. His victory would be the end of all large-scale battles west of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Despite his faded star in the 20th Century, Virginia's George Henry Thomas is arguably among the top three generals of the Civil War. Had native Virginian Thomas fought against fellow Virginian Robert E. Lee, I suspect Thomas would have emerged the victor. After becoming U.S. President, Ulysses Grant called Thomas, "one of the greatest heroes of our war.” Thomas also appeared on the $5 U.S. note around the end of the century.
There is a reason why he has faded away. Confederates hated and shunned him while Northerners were erroneously suspicious of this southerner's loyalty to the United States. Had his roots been from Ohio or New York, I suspect he would have been better venerated. After the war, as Southerners spun the Confederacy in a positive light, Thomas pointed out the nonsense of the lost cause myth. He said in 1868:
"[T]he greatest efforts made by the defeated insurgents since the close of the war have been to promulgate the idea that the cause of liberty, justice, humanity, equality, and all the calendar of the virtues of freedom, suffered violence and wrong when the effort for southern independence failed. This is, of course, intended as a species of political cant, whereby the crime of treason might be covered with a counterfeit varnish of patriotism, so that the precipitators of the rebellion might go down in history hand in hand with the defenders of the government, thus wiping out with their own hands their own stains; a species of self-forgiveness amazing in its effrontery, when it is considered that life and property—justly forfeited by the laws of the country, of war, and of nations, through the magnanimity of the government and people—was not exacted from them."
A statue of U.S. General George Henry Thomas on Thomas Circle at the center of Washington, D.C. helps us remember one of our greatest generals.
Virginia's greatest Civil War general: the forgotten George H Thomas of the United States
I'm a history buff of the Civil War, so naturally when I visit D.C., one of the things on my list is to visit the statue of one of the Civil War's greatest commanders, General George Henry Thomas.
General Thomas did not lose, but he also did not market himself. Unlike Julius Caesar or Ulysses Grant, he did not write a book about his conquests. Thomas unfortunately thought to do so was cheapening himself and his accomplishments. Unlike Grant, this soldier and commander wanted to stay out of the mess of politics at the top echelons where military meets Washington to advocate what was needed. Someone had to do it, someone like his colleague Grant, but this soldier's soldier felt those skills were not his strengths.
He followed his heart despite his tribe telling him not to. Even though he was a slave owner before the war, he evolved. He fought for emancipation during the war. And as a result of leading black soldiers, who were former slaves, he changed yet again. He became a strong advocate of civil rights after the war.
It came at a hefty price. As a result of his support of the United States against the Confederacy, Thomas lost his Southern family and ties. They never spoke with him again.
One of the principal commanders in the Western Theater, Thomas had the rare background of having led three combat arms—infantry, cavalry, and artillery. That broad experience served him well during the Civil War. When he was in command, this once West Point star and educator was like an unmovable rock, who did not lose. Confederate generals just could not outwit the thorough general, despite following his playbook. Best buddies since college, General Sherman loved him. Yes, Grant and Sherman criticized Thomas for being slow and deliberate. But he was their go-to guy, their backbone, especially when in trouble, such as at the most critical junction of the war. Sherman and Grant would turn to Thomas. His stellar strategizing and operational control would end up annihilating his opponents in Franklin and Nashville, Tennessee in a complete rout on a scale that had not been seen before in the Civil War. His victory would be the end of all large-scale battles west of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Despite his faded star in the 20th Century, Virginia's George Henry Thomas is arguably among the top three generals of the Civil War. Had native Virginian Thomas fought against fellow Virginian Robert E. Lee, I suspect Thomas would have emerged the victor. After becoming U.S. President, Ulysses Grant called Thomas, "one of the greatest heroes of our war.” Thomas also appeared on the $5 U.S. note around the end of the century.
There is a reason why he has faded away. Confederates hated and shunned him while Northerners were erroneously suspicious of this southerner's loyalty to the United States. Had his roots been from Ohio or New York, I suspect he would have been better venerated. After the war, as Southerners spun the Confederacy in a positive light, Thomas pointed out the nonsense of the lost cause myth. He said in 1868:
"[T]he greatest efforts made by the defeated insurgents since the close of the war have been to promulgate the idea that the cause of liberty, justice, humanity, equality, and all the calendar of the virtues of freedom, suffered violence and wrong when the effort for southern independence failed. This is, of course, intended as a species of political cant, whereby the crime of treason might be covered with a counterfeit varnish of patriotism, so that the precipitators of the rebellion might go down in history hand in hand with the defenders of the government, thus wiping out with their own hands their own stains; a species of self-forgiveness amazing in its effrontery, when it is considered that life and property—justly forfeited by the laws of the country, of war, and of nations, through the magnanimity of the government and people—was not exacted from them."
A statue of U.S. General George Henry Thomas on Thomas Circle at the center of Washington, D.C. helps us remember one of our greatest generals.