Major General Henry Goddard Thomas (April 5, 1837 – January 23, 1897) was an Union

Union (American Civil War)

During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...

 general in the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

. A native of Portland, Maine

Portland, Maine

Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...

, Thomas graduated from Amherst College

Amherst College

Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...

 in 1858 and was admitted to the bar shortly thereafter. He enlisted as a private in the 5th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment

5th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment

The 5th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The regiment, organized in May 1861, was mustered in at Portland, Maine on 24 June 1861 for three years' service...

. As part of the 5th, Thomas was present at the First Battle of Bull Run

First Battle of Bull Run

First Battle of Bull Run, also known as First Manassas , was fought on July 21, 1861, in Prince William County, Virginia, near the City of Manassas...

 and the Peninsula Campaign

Peninsula Campaign

The Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March through July 1862, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater. The operation, commanded by Maj. Gen. George B...

 among other battles. In February 1863, Thomas was appointed colonel of the 2nd Regiment Infantry U.S. Colored Troops. In December 1863, Thomas was appointed colonel of the 19th Regiment Infantry U.S. Colored Troops. In March 1865, he was appointed major general of volunteers for his service during the war. He died in January 1897 in Oklahoma

Oklahoma

Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...

 and is interred at Evergreen Cemetery

Evergreen Cemetery (Portland, Maine)

Evergreen Cemetery is a garden style cemetery in Portland, Maine, United States. With of land, it is the second largest cemetery in the state. It was established in 1855 and became the city's main cemetery after the Western Cemetery. As of March 2011, only of the were used for cemetery-related...

in Portland, Maine.