George Henry Thomas

Richard B. Harwell Award

Although often counted among the Union's top five generals, George Henry Thomas has still not received his due. A Virginian who sided with the North in the Civil War, he was a more complicated commander than traditional views have allowed. Brian Wills now provides a new and more complete look at the life of a man known to history as "The Rock of Chickamauga," to his troops as "Old Pap," and to General William T. Sherman as a soldier who was "as true as steel."

While biographers have long been hampered by Thomas's lack of personal papers, Wills has drawn on previously untapped sources-notably the correspondence of Thomas's contemporaries-to offer new insights into what made him tick. Focusing on Thomas's personality and motivations, Wills contributes revealing discussions of his style and approach to command and successfully captures his troubled interactions with other Union commanders, providing a particularly more evenhanded evaluation of his relationship with Grant. He also gives a more substantial account of battlefield action than can be found in other biographies, capturing the ebb and flow of key encounters—Chickamauga and Missionary Ridge, Chattanooga and Atlanta, Stones River and Mill Springs, Peachtree Creek and Nashville—to help readers better understand Thomas's contributions to their outcomes.

Throughout Wills presents a well-rounded individual whose complex views embraced the worlds of professional military service and scientific inquisitiveness, a man known for attention to detail and compassion to subordinates. We also meet a sharp-tempered person whose disdain for politics hurt his prospects for advancement as much as it reflected positively on his character, and Wills offers new insight into why Thomas might not have progressed as quickly up the ladder of command as he might have liked.

More deeply researched than other biographies, Wills's work situates Thomas squarely in his own time to provide readers with a more thorough and balanced life story of this enigmatic Union general. It is a definitive military history that gives us a new and needed picture of the Rock of Chickamauga—a man whose devotion to duty and ideals made him as true as steel.

“"Reading Willsdefinitive biography of the blue Virginian makes it clear why Thomas is now ranked among the pantheon of Civil War generals."Civil War Round Table of the District of Columbia "George Henry Thomas is not as famous today as other Union army generals such as William T. Sherman, Ulysses S. Grant . . . but with this solid and accessible book, Wills makes a strong case that the so-called Rock of Chickamauga should be. A smooth style and quick pace will make this book attractive to readers interested in Civil War history, while the meticulous research will appeal to academics."Library Journal "Willss splendid biography of Major General George H. Thomas is comprehensively researched on a scale that few biographers can match. A Virginian by birth and heritage, At the outbreak of the Civil War, though from a slave-owning family, Thomas elected to honor his oath to serve the US. He proved himself a superb commander and clearly is among the top Union generals, ranking with Ulysses S. Grant and William T. Sherman. Thomass attention to detail and his comprehensive preparation for operations at times gave the impression that he was slow to act. He saved a Union army at Chickamauga in 1863 and destroyed a Confederate army at Nashville in December 1864. Recommended."Choice”

At long last, here is the definitive biography of George Henry Thomas. . . . An exciting, stirring, splendid achievement." - Emory M. Thomas, author of Robert E. Lee

"A superbly crafted 'inside' story of an outstanding American and a true hero in overcoming his life's many political adversities." - Wiley Sword, author of The Confederacy’s Last Hurrah

"This is Wills at his best. . . . A major contribution to our understanding of Northern victory in the western theater." - Larry J. Daniel, author of The Days of Glory

"Will stand as the basic source on the 'Rock of Chickamauga' for years to come." - James I. Robertson, Jr., author of Stonewall Jackson

Brian Steel Wills is the Director of the Center for the Study of the Civil War Era at Kennesaw State University, where he is professor of history. He is the author of The Confederacy's Greatest Cavalryman: Nathan Bedford Forrest (also from Kansas) and The War Hits Home: The Civil War in Southeastern Virginia.

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