George Thomas

"Most Southerners in the U.S. Army resigned their commissions to join the Confederacy in 1861. But at least one son of a distinguished, slaveholding Virginia family remained loyal to the Union. George H. Thomas fought for the North and secured key victories at Chickamauga and Nashville. Equally important, the heroism of black soldiers in battle forever altered his view of African Americans. Thomas's wartime experiences transformed him from a slaveholder to a defender of civil rights." "Remembered as the "Rock of Chickamauga," Thomas was so effective, he became one of the most prominent Union…