Thomas F. Toon
Encyclopedia
Thomas Fentress Toon was a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army
during the American Civil War
.
, to Anthony F. Toon and Mary McMillian Kelly. He attended Wake Forest College
but left school as a senior when the Civil War began.
and suffered seven wounds in the process. Following his performances at the Battle of Seven Pines
, in the Seven Days Battles
, at the Battle of South Mountain
the Battle of Fredericksburg
he was elected colonel
of the 20th North Carolina on February 26, 1863, when the senior officers in the regiment waived their rights to the command. He led the regiment at the Battle of Chancellorsville
, at Gettysburg
, and at the Battle of Mine Run
in 1863. Toon famously wrote of his brigade's slaughter at Gettysburg under the leadership of Alfred Iverson, Jr.
, "...initiated at Seven Pines, sacrificed at Gettysburg, surrendered at Appomattox."
During the bloody Overland Campaign
of 1864, Toon continued to display solid leadership. When his brigade commander, Brigadier General Robert D. Johnston, was wounded at the Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse in May, he succeeded to command of the brigade. Following promotion to brigadier general, Toon led the brigade during Lieutenant General Jubal A. Early's July raid on Washington. In August Johnston returned, and Toon reverted to his former rank of Colonel and command of the 20th North Carolina. He led his regiments in the Valley Campaigns of 1864
and during the Siege of Petersburg
. On March 25, 1865, he was severely wounded during the Confederate attack during the Battle of Fort Stedman
ending his active duty in the field remainder of the War.
in 1900, serving for one year until his death in Raleigh, North Carolina
, on February 19, 1902. He is buried at Historic Oakwood Cemetery
in Raleigh.
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...
.
Early life
Tomas Fentress Toon was born June 10, 1840, in Columbus County, North CarolinaColumbus County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 54,749 people, 21,308 households, and 15,043 families residing in the county. The population density was 58/sq mi . As of 2004, there were 24,668 housing units at an average density of 26/sq mi...
, to Anthony F. Toon and Mary McMillian Kelly. He attended Wake Forest College
Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University is a private, coeducational university in the U.S. state of North Carolina, founded in 1834. The university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina, the state capital. The Reynolda Campus, the university's main campus, is...
but left school as a senior when the Civil War began.
Civil War
Toon enlisted in a company that became a part of the 20th North Carolina Infantry Regiment. He returned to Wake Forest in June and graduated. Toon was elected his company's first lieutenant and then its captain in July. From 1862 to March 1865, he fought in all the major engagements of the Army of Northern VirginiaArmy of Northern Virginia
The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War, as well as the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most often arrayed against the Union Army of the Potomac...
and suffered seven wounds in the process. Following his performances at the Battle of Seven Pines
Battle of Seven Pines
The Battle of Seven Pines, also known as the Battle of Fair Oaks or Fair Oaks Station, took place on May 31 and June 1, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of an offensive up the Virginia Peninsula by Union Maj. Gen....
, in the Seven Days Battles
Seven Days Battles
The Seven Days Battles was a series of six major battles over the seven days from June 25 to July 1, 1862, near Richmond, Virginia during the American Civil War. Confederate General Robert E. Lee drove the invading Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan, away from...
, at the Battle of South Mountain
Battle of South Mountain
The Battle of South Mountain was fought September 14, 1862, as part of the Maryland Campaign of the American Civil War. Three pitched battles were fought for possession of three South Mountain passes: Crampton's, Turner's, and Fox's Gaps. Maj. Gen. George B...
the Battle of Fredericksburg
Battle of Fredericksburg
The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, between General Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside...
he was elected 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 20th North Carolina on February 26, 1863, when the senior officers in the regiment waived their rights to the command. He led the regiment at the Battle of Chancellorsville
Battle of Chancellorsville
The Battle of Chancellorsville was a major battle of the American Civil War, and the principal engagement of the Chancellorsville Campaign. It was fought from April 30 to May 6, 1863, in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, near the village of Chancellorsville. Two related battles were fought nearby on...
, at Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
, and at the Battle of Mine Run
Battle of Mine Run
The Battle of Mine Run, also known as Payne's Farm, or New Hope Church, or the Mine Run Campaign , was conducted in Orange County, Virginia, in the American Civil War....
in 1863. Toon famously wrote of his brigade's slaughter at Gettysburg under the leadership of Alfred Iverson, Jr.
Alfred Iverson, Jr.
Alfred Iverson, Jr. was a lawyer, an officer in the Mexican-American War, a U.S. Army cavalry officer, and a Confederate general in the American Civil War. He served in the 1862–63 campaigns of the Army of Northern Virginia as a regimental and later brigade commander...
, "...initiated at Seven Pines, sacrificed at Gettysburg, surrendered at Appomattox."
During the bloody Overland Campaign
Overland Campaign
The Overland Campaign, also known as Grant's Overland Campaign and the Wilderness Campaign, was a series of battles fought in Virginia during May and June 1864, in the American Civil War. Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, general-in-chief of all Union armies, directed the actions of the Army of the...
of 1864, Toon continued to display solid leadership. When his brigade commander, Brigadier General Robert D. Johnston, was wounded at the Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse in May, he succeeded to command of the brigade. Following promotion to brigadier general, Toon led the brigade during Lieutenant General Jubal A. Early's July raid on Washington. In August Johnston returned, and Toon reverted to his former rank of Colonel and command of the 20th North Carolina. He led his regiments in the Valley Campaigns of 1864
Valley Campaigns of 1864
The Valley Campaigns of 1864 were American Civil War operations and battles that took place in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia from May to October 1864. Military historians divide this period into three separate campaigns, but it is useful to consider the three together and how they...
and during the Siege of Petersburg
Siege of Petersburg
The Richmond–Petersburg Campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War...
. On March 25, 1865, he was severely wounded during the Confederate attack during the Battle of Fort Stedman
Battle of Fort Stedman
The Battle of Fort Stedman was fought on March 25, 1865, during the final days of the American Civil War. The Union Army fortification in the siege lines around Petersburg, Virginia, was attacked in a pre-dawn Confederate assault by troops led by Maj. Gen. John B. Gordon. The attack was the last...
ending his active duty in the field remainder of the War.
Post-War career
After the War, Toon returned to North Carolina where he lived for the remainder of his life. He was elected superintendent of public instruction for North CarolinaNorth Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction
The North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction is the elected head of the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and oversees the public school systems of the state. The Superintendent is currently an elected member of the North Carolina Council of State, chosen in a partisan...
in 1900, serving for one year until his death in Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
, on February 19, 1902. He is buried at Historic Oakwood Cemetery
Historic Oakwood Cemetery
Historic Oakwood Cemetery was founded in 1869 in Raleigh, North Carolina near the North Carolina State Capitol in Historic Oakwood. Historic Oakwood Cemetery contains two special areas within its , the Confederate Cemetery, located on the original two and one-half acres , and the Hebrew Cemetery,...
in Raleigh.