George Thomas

I attended Christopher Einolf's talk on General George Thomas. Einolf wrote a book, George Thomas: Virginian for the Union, as was there giving an author's talk. Einfolf basically said that Thomas as a youth was taught to do what he always thought was honorable. As an aristocratic Virginian, he had a paternalistic attitude towards slaves. Einolf briefly went over Thomas's West Point experience where he was an excellent student (but not good enough to be selected as an engineer when he graduated) who graduated 12 out of 46. Commissioned in the artillery, he served against the Seminoles for several years before being appointed to teach at West Point. He served in the West where he became familiar with several Indian tribes. At war's outbreak, Thomas was an officer in the 2nd US Cavalry in Texas. Said regiment was surrendered to Texas and Thomas led the loyal soldiers north for refitting.

Einolf spoke a bit on how Thomas declined engaging in politics for his own interest and how it hurt him somewhat as it delayed his being given an independent command. Thomas became one of the four top Union generals after the war but isn't well remembered today. Einolf explains that Thomas never penned his memoirs and instructed that his papers be destroyed after his death. Those who knew him respected his request for privacy and refrained from releasing too much personal details.

What Einolf feels Thomas should be remembered for is for being a protagonist of civil rights. As you recall, Thomas was a southern aristocrat who had a paternalistic attitude towards blacks. He didn't want colored troops and when he had them, he used them as laborers. At Nashville, the officers of the colored troops offered to join the attack with intent of distracting the Confederates from the main Union thrust. Thomas agreed. As he toured the battlefield, he noticed dead blacks and whites. As he got closer to the Confederate defenses, he noticed there were more blacks than whites. When he got to the Confederate defensive works, he saw piles of dead black soldiers. To see so many proved to Thomas that the colored troops were capable of manly acts of bravery and the equal of the white soldier. He felt that if they could behave so well on the battlefield, that they could be capable of other manly behavior and should enjoy the full rights of citizenship including the right to vote.

After the war, Thomas championed civil rights but sickness claimed him early and he passed away in 1870.

BTW, I had Einolf autograph my copy of the book. The VHS practically sold out all their copies of his book that they had out that day.