Thomas Alexander Harris (1826 – April 9, 1895) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

officer at the end of the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

and a

Missouri State Guard The Missouri State Guard (MSG) was a military force established by the Missouri General Assembly on May 11, 1861. While not a formation of the Confederate States Army, the Missouri State Guard fought alongside Confederate troops and, at variou ...

(Confederate) brigadier general during the early months of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

(Civil War). He then became a prominent

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

politician, serving in the

First Confederate Congress The 1st Confederate States Congress, consisting of the Confederate States Senate and the Confederate States House of Representatives, convened between February 18, 1862, and February 17, 1864. This assembly took place during the first two years ...

from 1861 to 1864. Among other occupations, he was a Missouri State Representative before the Civil War and a Kentucky State Representative in 1885–1886.

Early life

Thomas A. Harris was born in

Warren County, Virginia Warren County is a U.S. county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The 2020 United States census places Warren County within the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area with a population of 40,727. Th ...

, in 1826. His family moved to

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

when Harris was a young boy. An orphan, he fought in the

1838 Mormon War The 1838 Mormon War, also known as the Missouri Mormon War, refers to a series of conflicts and civil unrest between Mormons (Latter Day Saints) and other residents of northwestern Missouri from August 6 to November 1, 1838, culminating in th ...

at the age of 12. Harris attended the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

in 1843–1845 but did not graduate.

Career

Harris was commissioned a second lieutenant in the 12th U.S. Infantry Regiment in 1848 but peace was declared to end the Mexican–American War on the day he reported for duty. He participated in two

filibuster A filibuster is a political procedure in which one or more members of a legislative body prolong debate on proposed legislation so as to delay or entirely prevent a decision. It is sometimes referred to as "talking a bill to death" or "talking ...

ing expeditions in the early 1850s. He then returned to

Hannibal, Missouri Hannibal is a city along the Mississippi River in Marion County, Missouri, Marion and Ralls County, Missouri, Ralls counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 17,108, ...

, where he became attorney for a railroad, city attorney and a newspaper editor. He was elected to the

Missouri House of Representatives The Missouri House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 163 members, representing districts with an average size of 37,000 residents. House members are elected for two-year terms during general elections ...

in 1860 and became chairman of the military committee. As a brigadier general in the pro-Confederate

, he fought at the First Battle of Lexington, Missouri. Between late 1861 and 1864, he represented Missouri in the

. He then smuggled equipment for the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the Military forces of the Confederate States, military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) duri ...

from Europe through the

Union blockade The Union blockade in the American Civil War was a naval strategy by the United States to prevent the Confederate States of America, Confederacy from trading. The blockade was proclaimed by President Abraham Lincoln in April 1861, and required ...

of the Confederacy. After the Civil War, Harris worked for the Life Insurance Association of America in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

, and opened an office in

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

in 1870. Then he worked for a

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

, newspaper. After this, he moved to

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

, where his friendship with the governor gained him an appointment as assistant secretary of state. Harris won a seat in the

Kentucky House of Representatives The Kentucky House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kentucky General Assembly. It is composed of 100 Representatives elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. Not more than two counties can be joined to form a ...

from Oldham County in 1885–1886.

Personal life

Thomas Alexander Harris died on April 9, 1895, in

Pewee Valley, Kentucky Pewee Valley is a list of Kentucky cities, home rule-class city in Oldham County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 1,588 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History The site of present-day Pewee Valley was first settled ...

, near

Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

. He is buried in

Cave Hill Cemetery Cave Hill Cemetery is a Victorian era National Cemetery and arboretum located at Louisville, Kentucky. Its main entrance is on Baxter Avenue and there is a secondary one on Grinstead Drive. It is the largest cemetery by area and number of buri ...

in Louisville.Eicher, John H., and

David J. Eicher David John Eicher (born August 7, 1961) is an American editor, writer, and popularizer of astronomy and space. He has been editor-in-chief of ''Astronomy'' magazine since 2002. He is author, coauthor, or editor of 23 books on science and American ...

. ''Civil War High Commands''. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2001. . pp. 282–283.

Notes

References

* Allardice, Bruce S. ''Confederate Colonels: A Biographical Register''. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 2008. . * Eicher, John H., and

. ''Civil War High Commands''. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2001. .

External links

The Political Graveyard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Thomas Alexander 1826 births 1895 deaths United States Army officers Confederate militia generals Members of the Confederate House of Representatives from Missouri People of Missouri in the American Civil War Members of the Missouri House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the Kentucky House of Representatives Burials at Cave Hill Cemetery People from Warren County, Virginia People from Pewee Valley, Kentucky 19th-century members of the Kentucky General Assembly 19th-century members of the Missouri General Assembly