Thomas C. Lanier was a wealthy planter and an officer in the Confederate States Army

Confederate States Army

The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...

 during the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

.

Lanier was born and raised in Pickens County, Alabama

Pickens County, Alabama

Pickens County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of 2010, the population was 19,746. Its county seat is Carrollton, and it is a prohibition, or dry county.-History:...

. He built a flourishing business, Sipsey Mill. He joined the newly formed Bethesda Presbyterian Church in 1838, along with his wife Sarah D. Lanier.

When the Civil War started, Lanier was elected as captain of the Lane Guards, which became Company B of the 2nd Alabama Infantry. The regiment was organized in Lanier's native Pickens County on February 19, 1861, and his company enrolled in state service on March 18, 1861. Its members were transferred to the Confederate command at Fort Morgan, March 26. Lanier eventually became Colonel

Colonel (United States)

In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...

 of the 42nd Alabama. He was twice wounded and fought in many major campaigns.

Following the war, Colonel Lanier wrote these words:

"We ... were whipped out and had to surrender. I am for peace now, henceforth and forever, and hope to never be in or near another war. Let those ... who wave the bloody shirt take their guns and go forth and fight; and I hope they will make a kilkenny fight and no one left to tell the tale." -- as reported by Robert Hugh Kirksey, the former probate judge of Pickens County, Alabama.

Lanier moved to Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

 following the war and founded Lanier, Florida

Lanier, Florida

Lanier, Florida was platted in 1886 by Colonel Thomas C. Lanier. The 1895 census shows a population of 87 persons along with a post office, express office and a railroad depot...

. He was Master of the Masonic Lodge

Masonic Lodge

This article is about the Masonic term for a membership group. For buildings named Masonic Lodge, see Masonic Lodge A Masonic Lodge, often termed a Private Lodge or Constituent Lodge, is the basic organisation of Freemasonry...

 of Leesburg, Florida

Leesburg, Florida

Leesburg is a city in Lake County, Florida, United States. The population was 15,956 at the 2000 census. As of 2005, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 19,086.. Leesburg is located in central Florida, between Lake Harris and Lake Griffin, at the head of the Oklawaha River system....

in 1870.