Charles Thomas (April 13, 1797 – February 1, 1878) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

officer. The quartermaster served in the army for some 47 years, notably as Acting Quartermaster General of the U.S. Army during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

Biography

Charles Thomas was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

on April 13, 1797. In 1819 he was commissioned as a Third Lieutenant in the

United States Army Ordnance Department The United States Army Ordnance Corps, formerly the United States Army Ordnance Department, is a sustainment branch of the United States Army, headquartered at Fort Gregg-Adams, Virginia. The broad mission of the Ordnance Corps is to supply A ...

. He switched branches several times, briefly serving in the artillery before joining the 7th U.S. Infantry Regiment in 1822. In 1826 he became the unit's Assistant Quartermaster. He continued to serve in the regiment until 1838 when he was promoted to Major in the Quartermaster Department.Eicher, page 526. He participated in the

Mexican-American War Mexican Americans are Americans of full or partial Mexican descent. In 2022, Mexican Americans comprised 11.2% of the US population and 58.9% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexican Americans were born in the United State ...

as quartermaster of the Center Division under command of Brigadier General

John E. Wool John Ellis Wool (February 20, 1784 – November 10, 1869) was a US officer in the United States Army during three consecutive American-involved wars: the War of 1812 (1812–1815), the Mexican–American War (1846–1848), and with allegiance to ...

. For his services in the war he was brevetted Lieutenant Colonel. The substantial promotion followed in 1850 and he was finally promoted to Colonel and Assistant Quartermaster-General in 1856. When the

began Thomas headed the department's Inventory & Accounts Office from 1861 to 1863.Eicher, page 60. Beside his administrative post he also commanded the

Philadelphia Quartermaster Depot The Philadelphia Quartermaster Depot, now known as the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, was founded as the Schuylkill Arsenal in 1799. History The Schuylkill Arsenal was built in 1800 to function as a quartermaster and provide the Militar ...

, went to England as a purchasing agent from October 1861 to May 1862 and served as Assistant Quartermaster-General with the

Middle Department The Middle Department was an administrative military district created by the United States War Department early in the American Civil War to administer the troops in the Middle Atlantic states. The department was created on March 22, 1862 by the ...

for a year. When Quartermaster-General

Montgomery C. Meigs Montgomery Cunningham Meigs (; May 3, 1816 – January 2, 1892) was a career United States Army officer and military and civil engineer, who served as Quartermaster General of the U.S. Army during and after the American Civil War. Although a Sou ...

began his inspection tours in the field in August 1863, while officially retaining his position, Thomas was chosen to serve as Acting Quartermaster-General in his stead. He served as such back in

Washington D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

until January 1864. A year later President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

nominated him to be brevetted Brigadier General for his services in the current war, which was approved backdated to July 5, 1864. Another year later he received the brevet to Major General, dated March 13, 1865. In the meantime Thomas continued in his quartermaster duties until he retired in July 1866. Thomas stayed in Washington, D.C., where he died at his residence on February 1, 1878. His funeral was four days later, his pallbearers being Generals Meigs, Samuel P. Heintzelman,

David Hunter David Hunter (July 21, 1802 – February 2, 1886) was an American military officer. He served as a Union general during the American Civil War. He achieved notability for his unauthorized 1862 order (immediately rescinded) emancipating slaves ...

, Edward D. Townsend, George C. Thomas, Pelouze, MacFeely and Colonel Montgomery. He was buried on the

Congressional Cemetery The Congressional Cemetery, officially Washington Parish Burial Ground, is a historic and active cemetery located at 1801 E Street in Washington, D.C., in the Hill East neighborhood on the west bank of the Anacostia River. It is the only American ...

. His son Charles William Thomas (1833–1882) was a quartermaster in the U.S. Army as well, graduating from the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

in 1855. During the civil war he served as Chief Quartermaster of various corps and departments. He reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and eventually resigned in 1872, afterwards becoming a clerk in the

Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal lands and natural resources. It also administers programs relatin ...

.Cullum, page 627.

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Charles 1797 births 1878 deaths American military personnel of the Mexican–American War People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War Quartermasters General of the United States Army Union army colonels United States Army colonels

Biography

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References

External links