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George H. Thomas, 1816-1870
This engraving of George H. Thomas celebrates the Union general's numerous military successes. Although born in Virginia, Thomas, who graduated from West Point, remained loyal to the Union. Despite what he perceived as a lack of recognition from politicians in Washington, Thomas proved to be a gifted leader who enabled his troops to prevail in key victories. Among the most famous are those celebrated in this print: the battles at Chickamauga, Georgia, on September 19–20, 1863, and Nashville, Tennessee, on December 15–16, 1864. For these achievements, he would earn the nicknames the "Rock of Chickamauga" and the "Sledge of Nashville." In addition to his military prowess, Thomas also had a strong interest in botany and collected plant specimens for the Smithsonian Institution while stationed at Fort Yuma, in the desert Southwest, in the mid-1850s.
John Chester Buttre, after George N Barnard, 1865 |