Major General George Henry Thomas
(1816-1870)
United States Army

Accession number:
1901.01

Maker:
Brigadier General Samuel Woodson Price
(1828-1918)

Historical period:
ca. 1901

Miltary branch:

Wars and Conflicts:
,

Type:

Dimensions:
H x W: 30 in. / 25 in.

Acquisition date:
1901

Credit line:
Gift of Colonel W.L. Brown, New York

Location:
,

Provenance:

From 13 May 1901: The Army and Navy Club, gift of Colonel W.L. Brown

Label:

Born in Virginia, George Henry Thomas chose to remain loyal to the Union during the Civil War, a decision that cost him ties with much of his family but defined his legacy as one of the North’s most steadfast commanders.

In 1863, at the Battle of Chickamauga, Thomas earned the nickname “Rock of Chickamauga” for a steadfast defense that prevented the Union Army from total collapse. He went on to command decisive Union victories at Chattanooga and Nashville, securing his reputation as one of the war’s most reliable generals. After the conflict, Thomas chose to remain with the Western Army rather than return East. Respected by peers on both sides, he was a West Point roommate of William Tecumseh Sherman and later served on the Academy faculty with Robert E. Lee. His legacy lives on in Fort Thomas, Kentucky, and Thomas Circle in Washington, D.C.