Thomas M. Walker is a native of Butler County, PA, born on the 04 Feb 1834, at a time when his mother was on her way to join her husband at Harrisburg, where he was attending certain public duties. Although a student at Princeton (NJ) College, his tastes were more active than scholarly, and in 1854 he left school and spent several years thereafter engaged in railroad construction in MO and IL. His next venture was in the Canadian oil fields, but the outbreak of the Civil War brought him home to Erie County to assist in the raising of the 111th Pennsylvania Infantry. Of this he was elected major, during the progress of the war receiving successive promotions as lieutenant colonel, colonel and brevet brigadier general, and remaining with the regiment until his honorable muster-out at Washington DC. At Lookout Mountain, with his color bearer, he went up the ladder in the hottest fire of that terrific conflict, and for the gallantry of his regiment the state of PA has placed a memorial tablet in their honor on the historic spot. On Sherman's march to the sea the 111th was the first regiment to enter both Atlanta and Savannah and Gen Walker led the command on both historic occasions. After the battle of Cedar Mountain he was reported dead for over a week, but he was really busily engaged in Washington DC in substituting for the old Belgian rifles, with which his regiment was armed, the more modern Springfield. While thus employed his father was beseeching Secretary Stanton to permit him to go through the lines and make a careful search for his son's body; and father and son accidentally ran into each other's arms in the old Kirkwood Hotel, at the national capital. It was a joyful meeting on both sides, and doubly so on the part of the father, who had hoped only for the sad comfort of finding his son's body on the battle field. For general gallantry in action Gen Walker was presented with a handsome sword by the ladies of Erie, and soon after the war the government breveted him brigadier general.
For a time after his return to Erie Gen Walker was engaged in the wholesale grocery business. In 1870 he was elected sheriff and in 1876 appointed postmaster, serving until his resignation in 1879. In the following year he went to ND to engage in farming. Until 1906 he cultivated on an average of five thousand acres, but later decreased the area of his operations to about eleven hundred. He supervised the large ranch and farm, usually spending the season from spring to the Christmas holidays in ND, returning to Erie for the winter months. Gen Walker was a Mason, in 1855 joining Missouri Lodge, No. 1, St. Louis, MO. He was also identified with the societies of the Army of the Potomac, Army of the Tennessee and the Army of the Cumberland, and, naturally with the Grand Army of the Republic and the Pennsylvania Commandery of the Loyal Legion.

Commissioned an officer in Co S, PA 111th Infantry Regiment on 23 Dec 1861.
Promoted to Full Lt Colonel on 07 Nov 1862.
Promoted to Full Colonel on 23 Apr 1865.
Promoted to Brevet Brig-General on 05 Jul 1865.
Mustered out on 19 Jul 1865 at Washington, DC.