Thomas Kilby Smith facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Thomas Kilby Smith
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| Born | September 23, 1820 Boston, Massachusetts |
| Died | December 14, 1887 (aged 67) New York City, New York |
| Place of burial |
Saint Dominic Church Cemetery, Torresdale, Pennsylvania
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| Allegiance | United States of America Union |
| Service/ |
United States Army Union Army |
| Years of service | 1861–1865 |
| Rank |  Brigadier General Bvt. Major General |
| Commands held | 54th Ohio Infantry 2nd Division, XVII Corps |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
| Other work | Diplomat, journalist |
| Signature | .png){kind=small} |
Thomas Kilby Smith (born September 23, 1820 – died December 14, 1887) was an American lawyer, soldier, and diplomat. He came from Ohio and became a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. After the war, he continued to serve in the United States Army.
Smith led a brigade (a large group of soldiers) and then a division (an even larger group) in the Army of the Tennessee. He fought in many important battles in the Western Theater of the war. Later, because of his health, he took on less active roles.
Contents
Early Life and Career
Thomas Kilby Smith was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on September 23, 1820. He was the oldest son of Captain George Smith and Eliza Bicker Walter. His family had a long history of being involved in government and professional life in New England.
When he was young, his parents moved to Cincinnati, Ohio. There, he went to a military school. He also studied law with a famous judge named Salmon P. Chase. In 1853, the President of the United States, Franklin Pierce, gave him a job. Smith became a special agent for the Post Office Department in Washington, D.C. Later, he worked as a United States Marshal for southern Ohio. He was also a deputy clerk for Hamilton County, Ohio.
Civil War Service
Smith joined the Union Army on September 9, 1861. He started as a lieutenant colonel. Later that year, he became a colonel and led the new 54th Ohio Infantry regiment. He helped organize this group of soldiers near Cincinnati in 1861. In February 1862, Smith and his men went to Paducah, Kentucky. There, they joined the division led by Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman.
Smith was very brave in the Battle of Shiloh on April 6 and 7, 1862. On the second day of the battle, he took command of Stuart's Brigade in Sherman's Division. He led a brigade in the XV and then the XVII Army Corps. He took part in all the major campaigns of the Army of the Tennessee. For some months, he also worked on the staff of General Ulysses S. Grant.
On August 11, 1863, Smith was made a brigadier general. On March 7, 1864, he was put in charge of a separate division of the XVII Army Corps. He did an excellent job during the Red River Expedition. He helped protect Admiral David D. Porter's fleet after the main army faced difficulties. During this campaign, he ordered the destruction of some items at Louisiana State University. However, the main building was saved because Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman, who had been the school's first leader, asked for it to be spared.
Smith's health became poor, and he had to leave field duty on January 17, 1865. After the fall of Mobile, Alabama, he took command of the area of Southern Alabama and Florida. Later, he commanded the Post and District of Maine. He was given the honorary rank of major general for his brave and outstanding service.
After the War
After the Civil War, Thomas Kilby Smith moved to Torresdale, Philadelphia. In 1866, President Andrew Johnson appointed him as the United States Consul in Panama. A consul is a government official who helps citizens of their own country who are living or traveling abroad. While in Panama, he took inventory of the personal items of Julius H. Kroehl. Kroehl was known for building the first successful deep-diving submarine. He died in Panama, likely from "the bends," a condition caused by rising too quickly from deep water.
At the time of his death, Smith was working as a journalist in New York City.
On May 2, 1848, he married Elizabeth Budd. She was a kind and religious woman. Because of her and a respected archbishop named John Baptist Purcell, Smith became Catholic some years before he died. He had five sons and three daughters.
Smith is buried in the Saint Dominic Church Cemetery in Torresdale, Philadelphia.
In 1911, a bronze statue of Smith was placed in Vicksburg National Military Park. A sculptor named Louis Milione created it. Smith's sons paid for the statue and gave it to the park.
54th Ohio Infantry Monument
There is a monument for the 54th Ohio Infantry at the Vicksburg National Military Park. It is on Union Avenue, about 150 yards south of Grant Avenue. There is also a marker that shows where they attacked on May 19, 1863. This marker is on a ridge on the south side of Graveyard Road. It is 400 feet east of the Stockade Redan.
This unit was part of a brigade led by Col. Thomas Kilby Smith. Later, Brig. Gen. Joseph Andrew Jackson Lightburn took command on May 24, 1863. This brigade was part of Maj. Gen. Francis P. Blair's 2nd Division, which was part of Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman's XV Army Corps. At the time, the 54th Ohio Infantry was led by Lt. Col. Cyrus W. Fisher.
Images for kids
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Signature of Thomas Kilby Smith
See also
In Spanish: Thomas Kilby Smith para niños
