Bryan M. Thomas
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Bryan Morel Thomas | |
|---|---|
| May 8, 1836 – July 16, 1905 | |
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| Place of birth | Milledgeville, Georgia |
| Place of death | Dalton, Georgia |
| Allegiance | United States of America, Confederate States of America |
| Years of service | 1858–61 (U.S.A), 1861–65 (C.S.A) |
| Rank | Brigadier General |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War - Battle of Shiloh - Battle of Stone's River |
Bryan Morel Thomas (May 8, 1836 – July 16, 1905) was a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.
Thomas was born in Milledgeville, Georgia, and attended Oglethorpe University. He later attended the United States Military Academy and graduated 22nd in the Class of 1858. He was brevetted as a second lieutenant in July of that year in the 8th U.S. Infantry. He performed garrison duty in New York, then was stationed in the Utah Territory. On January 19, 1859, he became second lieutenant of the 5th U.S. Infantry and was stationed at Fort Union in the New Mexico Territory.
With Georgia's secession in 1861, Thomas resigned his commission in the U.S. Army and enlisted in the Confederate army on April 3, 1861, receiving a commission as a first lieutenant. As a member of Maj. Gen. Jones M. Withers' staff, Thomas fought at the Battle of Shiloh. In 1862, he was promoted to major, commanding the 18th Alabama Infantry. He served during the Kentucky Campaign in the autumn of 1862. He took a brief sick leave, then returned in time for the Battle of Stone's River at the end of the year.
In 1864, Thomas commanded a battalion of independent companies of cavalry, then was promoted to colonel of the 12th Mississippi Cavalry later that year. On August 4, 1864, he was promoted to brigadier general and served in the defense of Mobile, and was captured while trying to hold Fort Blakely in April 1865. In 1865, he married Mary Jones Withers (daughter of Major General Withers, his first commander) and raised a daughter Harriet.
After the Civil War, Thomas worked as a farmer in Georgia, was a deputy U.S. Marshal and founded a private academy in 1884. After settling in the area of Dalton, Georgia, he became superintendent of the city's school system. Thomas died in Dalton, where he is buried.
The Bryan M. Thomas Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy was named in his honor.
[edit] References
- Jones, Charles Edgeworth, Georgia in the War: 1861-1865. Augusta, Georgia: C.E. Jones, 1909.
