Thomas H. Riddle was born around 1844 in South Carolina to Silas and Nancy Riddle. His father was a farmer who owned $275 of personal property by 1860. He grew up and attended school in Laurens District, South Carolina.
He enlisted in the Confederate army, and he mustered in as a sergeant on Company C of the 60th North Carolina Infantry. The regiment took part in the Battle of Murfreesboro, the Battle of Chickamauga, and the Atlanta campaign. He was promoted to 2nd lieutenant on May 15, 1863. He died near Dalton, Georgia, on February 25, 1864. His commanding officer declared him a “gallant officer and good soldier.”