Charles Mynn Thruston

Who was Charles Mynn Thruston?

Charles Mynn Thruston was a soldier, farmer, politician, and a brigadier general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He served as the mayor of Cumberland, Maryland, from 1861 to 1862.

Thruston was born in Lexington, Kentucky, the son of Kentucky U.S. Senator Buckner Thruston. At age 16, he graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1814 and served during the War of 1812 as an engineer on Governors Island, New York City. After the war, Thruston was promoted to the rank of captain in the artillery branch. He later fought in the Seminole Wars of the 1830s. In 1836, Thruston resigned from the Army and became a farmer in Maryland.

When the Civil War broke out, he was serving as Mayor of Cumberland, Maryland, which was a critical railroad hub.

On September 7, 1861, Thruston was appointed Brigadier General of U.S. Volunteers, giving him military authority to protect the B&O Railroad from Confederate raiders such as McNeill's Rangers.

Thruston was largely unsuccessful at stopping the Confederate raids from randomly destroying railroad tracks.