Lorenzo Thomas
Thomasc. 1860–1870
Adjutant General of the U.S. Army
In office March 7, 1861 – February 22, 1869
President	Abraham Lincoln Andrew Johnson
Preceded by	Samuel Cooper
Succeeded by	Edward D. Townsend
Personal details
Born	(1804-10-26)October 26, 1804 New Castle, Delaware, U.S.
Died	March 2, 1875(1875-03-02) (aged 70) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Resting place	Oak Hill Cemetery
Education	United States Military Academy
Military service
Allegiance	United States  • Union
Branch/service	United States Army  • Union Army
Years of service	1823–1869
Rank	Brigadier General BrevetMajor General
Battles/wars	Seminole Wars Mexican-American War Battle of Monterrey American Civil War

Lorenzo Thomas (October 26, 1804 – March 2, 1875) was an American officer in theUnited States Army who wasAdjutant General of the Army at the beginning of theAmerican Civil War. After the war, he was appointed temporarySecretary of War byU.S. PresidentAndrew Johnson, precipitatingJohnson's impeachment.

Thomas was born inNew Castle, Delaware. He graduated from theUnited States Military Academy in 1823, and was commissioned asecond lieutenant in the4th U.S. Infantry. He fought in theSeminole War in Florida and, during theMexican–American War, he was the chief of staff to GeneralWilliam O. Butler. He received abrevet promotion tolieutenant colonel forMonterrey, which was made permanent in 1852. From 1853 to 1861, he served as chief of staff to the commanding general of the U.S. Army,Winfield Scott.

Just before the start of the Civil War, Thomas was promoted tocolonel and adjutant general of the U.S. Army on March 7, 1861. On August 10, 1861,PresidentAbraham Lincoln appointed Thomas abrigadier general in theRegular Army, to rank from August 3, 1861, the date Lincoln sent the nomination to theU.S. Senate for confirmation.^[1] The Senate confirmed the appointment on August 5, 1861.^[1]Camp Thomas, a Regular Army training base inColumbus, Ohio, was named in his honor in July 1861. He held the position of adjutant general until he retired in 1869, except for a special assignment to recruit African-American troops in the Military Division of the Mississippi from 1863 to 1865.

Thomas did not get along well withSecretary of WarEdwin M. Stanton and this assignment outside of Washington, D.C., was considered a form of banishment. Many historians have claimed Thomas was banished in disgrace after conspiring to defame Union GeneralWilliam T. Sherman as insane.^[2] Thomas was replaced by Brig. Gen.Edward D. Townsend as Adjutant General, who would serve until 1880.^[3]

On April 6, 1863, General Thomas was sent by the War Department toHelena, Arkansas to recruitfreedmen into the U.S. Army. He created the first black troop in Arkansas, fighting for Union side as part ofBureau of Colored Troops, which was created by the War Department on May 22, 1863.^[4][5]

On March 8, 1866,U.S. PresidentAndrew Johnson nominated Thomas to the grade ofbrevetmajor general in the Regular Army, and the Senate confirmed the appointment on July 14, 1866.^[6]

On February 21, 1868, President Johnson attempted to replace Stanton by appointing Thomas as Secretary of Warad interim. Thomas, still stinging from his bad treatment by Stanton, boasted of his ability and determination to oust him from office by force, if necessary. Some historians believe that it was this attitude in his testimony atJohnson's impeachment trial in the Senate that was partially responsible for Johnson's acquittal. Thomas retired from the Army on February 22, 1869, ten days before Johnson left office. He died in Washington, D.C.^{[citation needed]} He is buried inOak Hill Cemetery,Georgetown.^[7]

Fort Thomas, a military post established inArizona Territory in 1876, was named for Thomas.^[8]

• List of American Civil War generals (Union)

• Boritt, Gabor S., andStephen W. Sears.Lincoln's Generals. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994.ISBN 978-0-19-508505-1.
• Eicher, John H., andDavid J. Eicher.Civil War High Commands. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2001.ISBN 0-8047-3641-3.
• Warner, Ezra J.Generals in Blue: Lives of the Union Commanders. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1964.ISBN 0-8071-0822-7.

• Eggleston, Michael A.President Lincoln's Recruiter: General Lorenzo Thomas and the United States Colored Troops in the Civil War. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., 2013.ISBN 978-0-7864-7217-8

Wikimedia Commons has media related toLorenzo Thomas.

• Claims document detailing $52,899 in property losses Thomas suffered during the Civil War. Thomas was eventually awarded $6,500 from the government.
• [1]. New York Times short piece addressing Thomas' service in the Mississippi Valley recruiting African-American soldiers.

• 1804 births
• 1875 deaths
• 19th-century American politicians
• Adjutants general of the United States Army
• American military personnel of the Mexican–American War
• Testifying witnesses of the impeachment trial of Andrew Johnson
• People from New Castle, Delaware
• People of Delaware in the American Civil War
• Rejected or withdrawn nominees to the United States Executive Cabinet
• Union army generals
• United States Military Academy alumni
• Burials at Oak Hill Cemetery (Washington, D.C.)

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