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Thomas (GEORGE HENRY an American)

GEORGE HENRY, an American military officer; born in Southampton co., Va., July 31, 1816; was grad- THOMAS Home uated at the United States Military Academy in 1840, took part in the Florida War in 1840-1842, and the war with Mexico in 1846-1848; participated in the Seminole campaign in 1849-1850; and served on frontier duty in California and Texas in 1850-1860. At the outbreak of the Civil War he was made a colonel of Cavalry and took part in the operations in the Shenandoah valley in the summer of 1861, and later as commander of a division in the Army of the Ohio was actively engaged in the operations in Tennessee and Mississippi.

Afterward, under General Rosecrans, as commander of a corps of the Army of the Cumberland, he engaged in the battles of Murfreesboro and Chickamauga, and in 1863, as commander of the Army of the Cumberland, he bore an important part in the battle of Missionary Ridge and in the Atlanta campaign under Sherman.

In October, 1864, he was sent to Nashville to oppose the Confederates under Hood, whom he finally defeated before Nashville, Dec. 15, 1864. For his services in these operations he was promoted Major-General; received the thanks of Congress, and was presented with a gold medal by the State of Tennessee. After the war he commanded the Department of the Tennessee; was chief of the 3d Military District, comprising Georgia, Florida, and Alabama, and in 1868 was placed in command of the 4th Military Division, comprising the territory of the Pacific and Alaska , and continued in this capacity till his death, in San Francisco, Cal., March 28, 1870. of Missionary Ridge and in an