Thomas Maley Harris (1817–1906) was an American

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

and officer. He served as a

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

general during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. Born and raised in Harrisville, Virginia (now part of

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

), Harris originally set out to be a teacher, but changed career paths to study medicine. He received his medical degree from Louisville Medical College in 1843 and returned to Virginia to practice medicine until 1861, when he closed his practice when the Civil War began. ThomasMHarris

During the war, Harris commanded the

10th West Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment The 10th West Virginia Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 10th West Virginia Infantry Regiment was organized at Camp Pickens, Canaan, Glenville, Clarkesville, Sut ...

in the

Shenandoah Valley The Shenandoah Valley () is a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. The valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the eastern front of the Ridge- ...

, then a brigade and division during Philip Sheridan's Valley Campaigns of 1864.General Thomas Maley Harris
/ref> He was brevetted to brigadier general for service at the

Battle of Cedar Creek The Battle of Cedar Creek, or Battle of Belle Grove, was fought on October 19, 1864, during the American Civil War. The fighting took place in the Shenandoah Valley of Northern Virginia, near Cedar Creek, Middletown, and the Valley Pike. Du ...

on October 19, 1864.Eicher p.283 He was transferred to the

Army of the James The Army of the James was a Union Army that was composed of units from the Department of Virginia and North Carolina and served along the James River (Virginia), James River during the final operations of the American Civil War in Virginia. Histor ...

and took command of a division of reinforcements from the Department of West Virginia attached to the XXIV Corps. He received a full promotion to brigadier general in March 1865 and a brevet promotion to major general for service at the battle of Fort Gregg on April 2, 1865. His troops were among those directly responsible for cutting off Robert E. Lee's line of retreat at Appomattox Courthouse. Following the Confederate surrender at Appomattox, Harris served on the military commission which tried the Lincoln Conspirators. Following the trial general Harris authored two books about the trial evidences and proceedings: ''Assassination of Lincoln: A History of the Great Conspiracy, Trial of the Conspirators by a Military Commission, and a Review of the Trial of John H. Surratt'', 1892; and later: ''Rome's Responsibility for the Assassination of Abraham Lincoln'', 1897. After the war, Harris served in the

West Virginia House of Delegates The West Virginia House of Delegates is the lower house of the West Virginia Legislature. Only three states—Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia—refer to their lower house as the House of Delegates. Organization Regular sessions begin with ...

in 1867. He was a member of the Whig Party and then joined the Republican Party when the Civil War started in 1861. Harris also served as mayor of Harrisville, West Virginia. He served as an adjunct general in the state militia, from 1867 to 1869, and as the U.S. pension agent for

Wheeling, West Virginia Wheeling is a city in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Located almost entirely in Ohio County, of which it is the county seat, it lies along the Ohio River in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and also contains a tiny portion extending ...

from 1871 to 1876. He resumed his medical practice until his retirement in 1885.West Virginia Encyclopedia-Thomas Maley Harris
/ref>

References

External sources

* Eicher, John H., and Eicher, David J., ''Civil War High Commands'', Stanford University Press, 2001, . {{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Thomas Maley 1817 births 1906 deaths Union Army generals Physicians from West Virginia People associated with the assassination of Abraham Lincoln People from Harrisville, West Virginia People of West Virginia in the American Civil War Military personnel from West Virginia Virginia Whigs West Virginia Republicans Mayors of places in West Virginia Members of the West Virginia House of Delegates Writers from West Virginia