When Thomas Cicero Poe was born on January 1, 1844, in Chattooga County, Georgia, his father, Alfred was 22 and his mother, Savility, was 18. Later the family would move to the Cane Creek area of Walker County, Georgia. Thomas was the second of 3 sons born to Alfred and Savility. The oldest son was Samuel Theron and the youngest was John Poe. Alfred died shortly after the outbreak of the Civil War in May of 1861. At the time of her husband's death, Savility was pregnant with her final child Alfredetta, who was born in September of 1861. According to his mother, Thomas had been a sickly child all of his life. But this didn't stop him from enlisting in the Confederate Army early in the war. Private Thomas Cicero Poe enlisted in Captain J. C. Wardlaw's Company "C" of the 4th Battalion of Georgia Volunteers at Dalton, Georgia on the 19th day of September 1861 to serve for the war. At the time of his enlistment Thomas was seventeen years of age, and described as five feet eleven inches high, with a fair complexion, blue eyes, and light colored hair. He listed his occupation as farmer. Almost immediately after enlisting, Thomas was taken sick and went home on sick leave. He rejoined his company at Camp Skidaway on or about the 26th of October 1861, went on duty a few times till about the 15th of November when he was taken with the measles and lost his voice. He went home on sick furlough on the 25th of December and never returned to duty with the 4th Battalion. However on August 4, 1863, Thomas joined the 6th Battalion Calvary, Georgia State Guards, and enlisted for 6 months for service in the Northwest corner of Georgia. He was listed as present on August 29th, 1863 in Lafayette, Georgia. According to Savility, Thomas was returning home on leave when he was attacked by a group of Tories and shot. Family legend has it that he was shot and hung and that his mother Savility and one of her daughters, got in a wagon and drove to the place where he was murdered. Cutting him down from the tree, his mother and his sister buried him. Thomas was only 19 years old when he died.