Talk June 25 on undefeated Civil War General G. Thomas

CENTER HARBOR — The Center Harbor Historical Society is proud to host a presentation by David Decker, a local authority on the Civil War. The presentation is scheduled for June 25 at 7 p.m. at the Schoolhouse Museum on Dane Road in Center Harbor, N.H. Decker will deliver a presentation on the life and career of General George Thomas, with special emphasis on his unbroken string of victories throughout the Civil War.

Thomas is well known as the best commander on defense in the war. On two occasions he saved the Union Army from destruction: at Stone's River and at Chickamauga. After this second battle, the newspapers dubbed him "The Rock of Chickamauga" and President Lincoln called his effort the most heroic act in the history of the world. Thomas was equally effective on the offense, as was shown in the Tullahoma Campaign and the Atlanta Campaign. His crowning achievement occurred at the battle of Nashville where he completely destroyed John Bell Hood's army (originally 57,000 men) but reduced to 3,000 men at Tupelo, Mississippi, having been chased there by Thomas for 250 miles over three weeks. The result of this battle was the end of the war in the west in December, 1864 four months before Lee surrendered to Grant and five months before Johnson surrendered to Sherman.

At the conclusion of the war and five years later at his death, at least ten of his closest colleagues -- fellow generals -- proclaimed him to be the best general of the war, or of the 19th century, or since George Washington. Thomas was the only man who never lost a battle during the entire Civil War.