Charles Mynn Thruston (February 22, 1798 – February 18, 1873) was a career U.S. Army officer who retired to Maryland where he became a farmer and politician, then returned to service as a

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. He served as the

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

of Cumberland, Maryland, from 1861 to 1862.

Early and family life

Thruston was born in

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...

, the son of

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

Buckner Thruston Buckner Thruston (February 9, 1763 – August 30, 1845) was an American lawyer, slaveowner and politician who served as United States Senator from Kentucky as well as in the Virginia House of Delegates and became a United States circuit judge of ...

. He was named for his grandfather, Col. Charles Mynn Thruston, who served in the American Revolutionary War and in the Virginia General Assembly. He had at least four brothers and two sisters. In 1820, he married Juliana Hughes (1798-1881) of Baltimore, and they had at least six sons and two daughters. Their eldest son, William Sydney Thruston (1828-1864), fought for the Union Army as a captain of the 18th U.S. Infantry during the Civil War, but drowned after falling from a boat into the C&O Canal in June 1864.

Military career

In 1814, 16-year-old Thruston graduated from the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

, and served during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

as an engineer on Governors Island, New York City. After the war, Thruston was promoted to the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in the

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

branch. He later fought in the Seminole Wars of the 1830s. In 1836, Thruston resigned from the Army and became a farmer in Maryland. Nonetheless, he or a relative owned one 15-year-old Black female slave in Louisville in 1850. In 1860, Thruston owned a 50-year-old enslaved man in Cumberland, Maryland, and his son George's wife Elizabeth owned four slaves (including a boy).1850 U.S. Federal Census Slave Schedule for Cumberland, Allegany County, Maryland p.1 of 1 When the Civil War broke out, Thruston was mayor of Cumberland, Maryland, which was a critical railroad hub, as well as start of the National Road and on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (C&O Canal). On September 7, 1861, Thruston accepted a commission as Brigadier General of U.S. Volunteers, with military authority to protect the

B&O Railroad The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the first common carrier railroad and the oldest railroad in the United States, with its first section opening in 1830. Merchants from Baltimore, which had benefited to some extent from the construction of ...

from

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between ...

raiders such as

McNeill's Rangers McNeill's Rangers was an independent Confederate military force commissioned under the Partisan Ranger Act (1862) by the Confederate Congress during the American Civil War. The 210 man unit (equivalent to a small or under-strength battalion) was ...

. Being 63 years old at the time, he was one of the oldest generals to serve during the Civil War. However, Thruston had little success at stopping the Confederate raids from destroying railroad track. In April 1862, he resigned his commission and allowed a younger commander to assume the responsibility of protecting the B&O Railroad from the enemy cavalrymen.

Death and legacy

Thruston died in Cumberland, Maryland in 1873, survived by his widow, who in 1881 would be buried beside him in Rose Hill Cemetery on Cumberland's West Side.

References

External links

City of Cumberland
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thruston, Charles Mynn 1798 births 1873 deaths Mayors of Cumberland, Maryland United States Military Academy alumni Union Army generals Civil War near Cumberland, Maryland People of Maryland in the American Civil War 19th-century American politicians Burials at Rose Hill Cemetery (Cumberland, Maryland) Military personnel from Cumberland, Maryland

Early and family life

Military career

Death and legacy

See also

References

External links