Thomas A. Morris
| Thomas Armstrong Morris | |
|---|---|
| Born |
December 26, 1811 Nicholas County, Kentucky |
| Died | April 1, 1904 (aged 92) Indianapolis, Indiana |
| Place of burial | Crown Hill National Cemetery, Indianapolis, Indiana |
| Allegiance | United States of America Union |
| Service/branch |
United States Army Union Army |
| Years of service | 1834–1836, 1861 |
| Rank |
 Brigadier General
|
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
Thomas Armstrong Morris (December 26, 1811 – April 1, 1904) was an American railroad executive and civil engineer from Indiana and a soldier, serving as a brigadier general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. During the Western Virginia Campaign in 1861, he played an important role in clearing the Confederate army from western Virginia, a move that helped foster pro-Union sentiment and contributed to the creation of the separate state of West Virginia. Morris was also instrumental in the planning and construction of the postbellum Indiana State House.
Thomas Morris was born in Nicholas County, Kentucky. He was one of three sons of Rachel and Morris Morris, an Indianapolis pioneer who moved to central Indiana from Kentucky and later became the Indiana State Auditor.
Young Morris was educated in the local schools and was apprenticed at the age of twelve in the print room of Indianapolis's first newspaper. Three years later, he resumed his studies. In June 1830, he accepted an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. He graduated fourth in the Class of 1834 and became an officer in the 1st U.S. Artillery stationed at Fort Monroe in Virginia and then at Fort King in Florida. He served in several engineering capacities, including in Indiana where he helped extend the National Road into Illinois. He resigned from the army to accept the role as the state's Resident Engineer and supervised the construction of the Central Canal, the Madison and Indianapolis Railroad, and the Terre Haute and Richmond Railroad. He later served as the president of the Bee Line and then the Indianapolis and Cincinnati Railroad. Morris also became a colonel in the Indiana state militia.
...
Wikipedia