Private Thomas L. Lewis
5th Regiment, Tennessee Infantry
Union Army
Thomas L. Lewis was born in Eastern Tennessee on September 24, 1844. The location is in Loudon County that was later formed in 1871. He chose to side with the Union in the Civil War much like Andrew Johnson who became the President of the United States after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. The 5th Regiment of the Tennessee Infantry was formed in early 1862. Private Thomas L. Lewis was in Company B, 2nd Battalion. The regiment participated in the Cumberland Gap Campaign, and they occupied the key place for crossing the Appalachian Mountains from June 18, 1862 until September 17, 1862. Private Thomas L. Lewis was transferred to the Invalid Corps before the 5th Regiment fought in the Battles of Chattanooga, Atlanta, Franklin, and Nashville. Oral family history indicates that Thomas Lewis had to periodically hide from the Klu Klux Klan after the Civil War because of his service in the Union Army. He died on February 22, 1896 near Lebanon, Missouri.
Major Ron Lowrance
United States Army
Great-great-grandson