George Henry Thomas (1816 – 1870) was born in Newsome’s Depot, Virginia.  His father died when George was 12.  His uncle took over his education and pointed him towards law.  However, at the age of 15, George and his family had to flee their home due to the Southampton Insurrection otherwise known as the Nat Turner revolt.  George was said to have sided with Nat Turner, saying he would have fought for freedom too.  

When George was 19, a friend of his uncle’s offered George an appointment to West Point.  George gave up on law and graduated from West Point, ranking number 12 in his class.  He began his lifetime career as an officer in the U.S. Army.  Thomas received his first promotion as a First Lieutenant because of his participation in the Seminole War.  He fought in the Mexican-American War.  He fought in a number of battles and was a distinguished soldier in all of them.  Promotions in the army during this time were in short supply.  Only so many positions were open at different ranks.  Even though Thomas was known as a distinguished soldier, he was quiet and non-assuming making promotions come slowly.

When the Civil War erupted, Thomas sided with the Union even though he was from the Southern State of Virginia.  His allegiance to the Union turned his sisters against him as well as other family members and friends.  

Thomas’s most familiar battle occurred at the Battle of Chickamauga.  He stood his ground in that battle and won the nickname “Rock of Chickamauga.”  He won many battles, some decisive.  He was promoted through the ranks to that of Major General.  He failed to get the recognition allotted to his contemporaries, such as Ulysses S. Grant and William T. Sherman.  Grant passed him in rank, enjoyed the esteem of the populace and eventually won the presidency.  Thomas was sent to California to serve in the military there.  He died in San Francisco in 1870.

One of his nicknames was “Slow Trot Thomas” given him because he was slow and deliberate and not willing to promote himself above others he felt were just as worthy or even more so.  He did not write about his memoirs.  He was confident that history would tell the whole truth.