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UN-OFFICIAL Change of Information

Charles L. Thomas
USA/Indian Campaigns

(Changing Award Status FROM:  Posthumous TO:  Living Awardee)

The following information was provided by the great-grandson of Charles L. Thomas in an e-mail to our website setting forth the following:

Doug, I can help set the record straight on date of death.  You are not the first one to tell me that he (Mr. Thomas) died prior to the MOH award. My mother was born in 1919 and she has memories of him when she was a young child.  C.L. Thomas was born Feb. 12, 1843 and lived to be eighty years old, almost to the day.  Date of death was February 24, 1923.  I have photocopies of two obituary notices from local papers and a copy of his Memorial Record (My sister has the originals).  All three confirm the date of death to be Feb 24, 1923.  He was buried on Feb 26, 1923 at the Dwight, Kansas Cemetery following a service at the Dwight Presbyterian Church.  The Memorial Record I have lists the name of the officiating Clergyman, pall bearers and song selections. C.L. Thomas was awarded the MOH on August 18, 1894, at the age of 51.  He not only lived to receive the MOH award, he was alive on June 5th, 1916 when his name was recorded on the "Army and Navy Medal of Honor Roll".  As a result of that Act of Congress he received a special pension until his death in 1923.  Additionally, on Feb. 18, 1921, he was commissioned Brevet-Major Ohio National Guard and his name was entered on a special state roll of honor. He lived a long and distinguished life and was fortunate to personally accept all three honors. I am still working on typing the newspaper interview he did in 1904, but will send it along along soon.  Perhaps the best proof that he was alive to receive the award is found at the end of his interview where he says, "...as I had crossed Powder River 15 miles below, the distance traveled was about 201 miles in 36 hours.  Congress gave me a Medal of Honor for that ride and it is on record in the war department." I hope this helps correct the record.  If there is anything more I can do to help let me know. Ron Tillotson (Mr. Tillotson is the great-grandson of Charles Thomas)

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