Civil War Union Brigadier General, Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient. Became a successful manufacturer and State legislator before the Civil War. In February 1862 he was commissioned Colonel and commander of the 8th Vermont Volunteer Infantry. His unit was assigned to General Benjamin Butler's forces in Louisiana, where he took part in operations around the Opelousas railroad. Advanced to brigade command, he led a brigade in the assault and capture on Port Hudson, Mississippi in the Summer of 1863 (being wounded in one of the assaults). After participating in General Nathaniel Bank's disastrous operations at Sabine Pass, his unit was sent east to bolster the Washington, DC defenses, and took part in the repulse of General Jubal Early's July 1864 attack on Washington, DC. Sent to the Shenandoah Valley, he led a brigade in the XIX Corps, and was awarded the CMOH for his bravery at the Battle of Cedar Creek, Virginia on October 19, 1864. In January 1865 he was mustered out of service at the expiration of his term, but was promoted to Brigadier General, US Volunteers in April 1865 (his commission being backdated to February). From 1867 to 1868 he served as Lieutenant Governor of Vermont. His Medal of Honor citation reads "Distinguished conduct in a desperate hand-to-hand encounter, in which the advance of the enemy was checked". It was awarded on July 25, 1892.
Civil War Union Brigadier General, Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient. Became a successful manufacturer and State legislator before the Civil War. In February 1862 he was commissioned Colonel and commander of the 8th Vermont Volunteer Infantry. His unit was assigned to General Benjamin Butler's forces in Louisiana, where he took part in operations around the Opelousas railroad. Advanced to brigade command, he led a brigade in the assault and capture on Port Hudson, Mississippi in the Summer of 1863 (being wounded in one of the assaults). After participating in General Nathaniel Bank's disastrous operations at Sabine Pass, his unit was sent east to bolster the Washington, DC defenses, and took part in the repulse of General Jubal Early's July 1864 attack on Washington, DC. Sent to the Shenandoah Valley, he led a brigade in the XIX Corps, and was awarded the CMOH for his bravery at the Battle of Cedar Creek, Virginia on October 19, 1864. In January 1865 he was mustered out of service at the expiration of his term, but was promoted to Brigadier General, US Volunteers in April 1865 (his commission being backdated to February). From 1867 to 1868 he served as Lieutenant Governor of Vermont. His Medal of Honor citation reads "Distinguished conduct in a desperate hand-to-hand encounter, in which the advance of the enemy was checked". It was awarded on July 25, 1892.
Bio by: RPD2
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See more Thomas memorials in:
Records on Ancestry
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Stephen Thomas
North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000
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Stephen Thomas
U.S., Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-1865
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Stephen Thomas
U.S., Newspapers.com™ Obituary Index, 1800s-current
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Stephen Thomas
Vermont, U.S., Vital Records, 1720-1908
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Stephen Thomas
1900 United States Federal Census
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