Lorenzo Thomas
Lorenzo Thomas was born on October 26, 1804, in New Castle, Delaware. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1823, and he received a commission as a 2nd lieutenant in the 4th United States Infantry. He was promoted to 1st lieutenant in March 1829 and then to captain in September 1836.
 
He married Elizabeth Colesberry on December 4, 1832, and they had at least six children: Henry, born around 1833; Lorenzo, born around 1837; Mary, born around 1840; Evan, born around 1843; Randolph, born around 1849; and Elizabeth, born around 1851. He took part in the Mexican American War, and he fought with distinction at Monterey. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in July 1852. He served as General Winfield Scott’s chief of staff from March 1853 until March 1861. He was promoted to colonel in March 1861 and then to brigadier general in August 1861.
 
He served as adjutant general of the United States Army during the 1860s. In April 1863, he was tasked with recruiting a Black regiment in Arkansas. He remained in the army after the war, and he retired on February 22, 1869. By 1870, he owned $5,000 of personal property. He died of “debility” and “congestion of the lungs” in Washington, D.C., on March 2, 1875.
 
Image: Lorenzo Thomas (courtesy Wikicommons)
294
DATABASE CONTENT
(294)Thomas, Lorenzo1804-10-261875-03-02
  • Conflict Side: Union
  • Role: Soldier
  • Rank in: Colonel
  • Rank out: Brigadier General
  • Rank highest: Brigadier General
  • Gender: Male
  • Race: White

Documents - Records: 7

  • (3170) [recipient] ~ Lemuel Wales to Lorenzo Thomas, 20 September 1861
  • (170) [recipient] ~ Robert M. Morris et al. to Lorenzo Thomas, 24 March 1864
  • (169) [recipient] ~ Robert M. Morris et al. to Lorenzo Thomas, 24 March 1864
  • (175) [recipient] ~ George W. Yates to Lorenzo Thomas, 3 June 1864
  • (14691) [recipient] ~ Isaiah F. Hoyt to Lorenzo Thomas, 2 July 1864
  • (932) [recipient] ~ Thomas Powell to Lorenzo Thomas, 21 November 1865
  • (14703) [recipient] ~ Francis J. Parker to Lorenzo Thomas, 8 January 1866

Places - Records: 3

  • (476) [birth] ~ New Castle, New Castle County, Delaware
  • (75) [death, residence in 1870] ~ Washington, DC
  • (867) [residence in 1860] ~ Georgetown, DC

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SOURCES

1850, 1860, and 1870 United States Federal Censuses, available from Ancestry.com; Delaware Marriage Records, 1744-1912, available from Ancestry.com; Washington, District of Columbia, Death Certificates, 1874-1931, available from Ancestry.com; “Lorenzo Thomas” Wikipedia profile, available from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorenzo_Thomas