One of the Civil War’s most successful generals is heralded by military historians but never achieved the lasting fame of Grant, Lee, Jackson or Sherman. George Thomas’s Southern birth, the ambition of fellow officers, and his action in the less-publicized Western Theater combined to keep him from attaining recognition. This comprehensive biography focuses on the military career that covered such battlegrounds as Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge and Nashville, as well as the political maneuvers that kept Thomas out of the spotlight.

Robert P. Broadwater has written more than 35 books of military history and more than 100 magazine articles dealing with the American Civil War and the Revolutionary War. He lives in Bellwood, Pennsylvania.

Robert P. Broadwater
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 272
Bibliographic Info: 50 photos, maps, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2009
pISBN: 978-0-7864-3856-3
eISBN: 978-0-7864-5344-3
Imprint: McFarland

Introduction      1

1. Early Life and Military Training      5

2. A Martial Career Begun      12

3. First Glory in Mexico      18

4. Service Throughout the South      32

5. The Outbreak of Civil War      46

6. To the West and Mill Springs      58

7. Early Battles in the West      71

8. Savior at Stones River      87

9. The Tullahoma Campaign      103

10. The Rock of Chickamauga      115

11. Chattanooga and Missionary Ridge      139

12. With Sherman Through Georgia      158

13. From Kennesaw to the Gate City      175

14. Back to Tennessee      190

15. The Sledge of Nashville and the End of the War      205

16. The Final Years      222

Conclusion      233

Appendix I. General Officers Serving Under Thomas      237

Appendix II. Units Serving Under Thomas      238

Appendix III. George H. Thomas Chronology      241

Chapter Notes      243

Bibliography      251

Index      259

“a solid biography”—Civil War News.