Thomas Bibliography
| Author | Title | City | Publisher | Year | Comment |
Bobrick, Benson |
Master of War |
New York | Simon & Schuster | 2009 | The tide may be slowly turning.
I had predicted to some Civil War friends that perhaps by the Civil War
bicentennial (2061), when renewed interest in the war might tempt a "name
biographer" to take up the cause of General Thomas, that the true story of the
war may come out. It may be happening 50 years sooner than I thought. Highly recommended. See review by publisher. I agree with most of it. Go to Book Review. |
| Einolf, Christopher J. | George Thomas Virginian for the Union | Norman | University of Oklahoma Press | 2007 | A very good book on
George Thomas. Highly recommended.
Go to Book Review. See press release |
| McKinney, Francis F. | Education in Violence, The Life of George H. Thomas and The History of The Army of the Cumberland | Detroit | Wayne State University Press | 1961 | Best biography of George Thomas. Highly
recommended. Reprint available from Morningside (book #1290CC) & A. Lincoln Book Shop The title comes from author's view that Thomas was especially open to learning the art of leading a large army. He trained himself well in not only the combat arms like the cavalry and artillery, but in all the disciplines like logistics and topography. |
| Cleaves, Freeman | The Rock of Chickamauga, The Life of General George H. Thomas | Norman | University of Oklahoma Press | 1948 | Very good. Paperback reprint widely
available. Recommended. |
| Buell, Thomas B. | The Warrior Generals, Combat Leadership in the Civil War | New York | Crown Publishers | 1997 | Noted naval historian leaves the sea and looks at the Civil War with fresh eyes and concludes that George Thomas was the best general of the war - North or South. Recommended. |
| Castel, Albert | Decision in the West, The Atlanta Campaign of 1864 | Lawrence | University Press of Kansas | 1992 | Another excellent example of a modern historian
looking at the war without the undo influence of the Grant/Sherman memoirs and determining
for himself that Thomas was the best general of the key participants (Sherman, Thomas,
Johnston, Hood). Recommended. |
| Coppée, Henry | General Thomas | New York | D. Appleton and Company | 1893 | Fair effort but too much 'political
correctness' in excusing Grant's treatment of Gen. Thomas. Not recommended. Out of print |
| Johnson, Richard W. | Memoir of Maj. Gen. George H. Thomas | Philadelphia | J. B. Lippincott | 1881 | Written by a former General under Thomas. First bio
of Thomas ever published. Minimum battle history. Provides
details of funeral and Thomas statue. Not recommended. Out of print |
| O’Connor, Richard | Thomas: Rock of Chickamauga | New York | Prentice - Hall | 1948 | A well written balanced account of the life of
Thomas that captures his human qualities better than the other biographies.
Recommended. Out of print |
| Palumbo, Frank A. | George Henry Thomas, The Dependable General | Dayton | Morningside Books | 1983 | No new research but it has extensive documentation from the Official Records and many photos of Thomas memorabilia/ relics from the author’s and other collections. |
| Piatt, Donn | Memories of the Men Who Saved the Union | New York and Chicago | Belford, Clarke & Co | 1887 | Essays on five Civil War figures who Piatt
credits as key to winning the war (Thomas is the only soldier on the list). Apparently Piatt did not think much of the generalship of U.S. Grant. But not to worry about Grant. He had plenty of 'boot licking' biographers in the 1880's who were quite willing to whitewash his unprofessional treatment of Thomas. Out of print |
| Piatt, Donn | General George H. Thomas, A Critical Biography | Cincinnati | Robert Clarke & Co | 1893 | A book with an interesting "What
if Thomas had been placed in top command..." viewpoint. Piatt is
very critical of both Grant and Sherman and
shows where their decisions unnecessarily cost too many
Union lives. He contrasts their approach with Thomas' approach of
conserving his men using superior battle tactics rather than relying
on superior manpower and the ability to suffer attrition better than the
South. Recommended. Out of print |
| Thomas, Wilbur | General George H. Thomas, The Indomitable Warrior | New York | Exposition Press | 1964 | Passionate advocate for George Thomas' place in
American military history. Recommended. Out of print |
| Van Horne, Thomas B. | The Life of Major General George H. Thomas | New York | Charles Scribner’s Sons | 1882 | Van Horne tries to counter the
misinformation spread by backers of the Grant & Sherman legend, but gets
carried away and turns Thomas into a martyred saint. It causes Van Horne to lose credibility
with later historians. He should have stopped after proving Thomas to be a
great soldier. Out of print |
| Van Horne, Thomas B. | History of the Army of the Cumberland | Cincinnati | Robert Clarke & Co | 1875 | Written by a friend of Thomas who had access to his documents. Intentionally understated as requested by Thomas and thus rather dry but very definitive. High quality reprint of this classic work in two volumes is available from Broadfoot Publishing, Wilmington, NC. Recommended. |
| Cist, Henry M. | The Army of the Cumberland | New York | Charles Scribner's Sons | 1882 | Excellent short study on the Army of the
Cumberland. Part of Scribners 'Campaigns of the Civil War' series. Recommended. Out of print |
| Horn, Stanley F. | The Decisive Battle of Nashville | Baton Rouge | Louisiana State University Press | 1956 | Although respect is given only begrudgingly to General Thomas by this 'Lost Cause' author, this book develops and supports the theory that Nashville was the decisive battle of the Civil War. |
| Baumgartner and Strayer | Echoes of Battle - The Struggle for Chattanooga | Huntington, W. VA | Blue Acorn Press | 1996 | Unique blend of 465 photographs and hundreds of first hand accounts of the Tullahoma, Chickamauga, and Chattanooga campaigns. A work showing outstanding research with credit provided for all sources including photographs. Extensive bibliography. Recommended. |
For a good article about General Thomas in the March 2007 issue of Smithsonian Magazine go to "Catching up with Old Slowtrot"
For more bibliography go to next page: US Army Military History Institute - G. H. Thomas
Books On the WEB:
1. Van Horne, "The History of the Army of the Cumberland":
http://www.archive.org/details/historyofarmyofc01vanh
http://www.archive.org/details/historyofarmyofc02vanhrich
2. Cist, "The Army of the Cumberland":
http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/3686
3. Piatt, "Memories of the Men Who Saved the Union"
http://www.archive.org/details/memmenwhosaved00piatrich
4. Johnson, "Memoir of Maj. Gen. George H. Thomas":
http://www.archive.org/details/memmajgengeorge00johnrich
5. Coppée, "General Thomas":
http://www.archive.org/details/generalthomas00copprich
6. Piatt, "General George H. Thomas, A critical biography
http://www.archive.org/details/generalgeorgehth00piatiala
7. Turchin, "Chickamauga", Of special note starting at p.153 is a critique of General Steedman , General Granger, and indirectly of General Thomas for leaving the 21st and 89th Ohio and 22nd Michigan Regiments behind during the withdrawal.
8. Van Horne, "The Life of Major General George H. Thomas"
A new novel in which the true story of General Thomas is interleaved into the plot in an interesting manner.
"Journeys" by
Rudy Thomas 
Civil War Book Stores :
Morningside Books http://www.morningsidebooks.com
Broadfoot Publishing Co. http://broadfootpublishing.com/
Abraham Lincoln Book Shop http://www.Alincolnbookshop.com
Blue Acorn Press http://www.blueacornpress.com
Out of print books may be procured by used/rare book dealers and sometimes on the internet at: