Thomas Clemens was born on November 12, 1842, in the parish of Roscomroe, County Offaly (then known as King’s County), Ireland. Following the Great Famine, he emigrated to the United States with his family, arriving through the port of New York in May 1855 at the age of 12. The family subsequently relocated to Portland, Maine, and is here where Thomas spent his teenage years.
In May 1862, as the American Civil War was escalating, Thomas entered the military enlisting directly into the regular United States Army and was assigned as a private to Battery M of the 3rd U.S. Regular Artillery. Thomas spent the majority of the Civil War attached to major operations across several combat theaters. The 3rd Artillery, were present for the Maryland and Virginia campaigns of late 1862, including the battles of Antietam and Fredericksburg. In 1863, his unit transferred west, where they participated in the Siege of Vicksburg along the Mississippi River and later were present for the Knoxville campaign in Tennessee.
United States Army Enlistments 1798-1914 Image | findmypast.ie– Thomas Clemens
Later in the war, Thomas transitioned into volunteer service with Company I of the 11th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry, seeing action on the Virginia front lines. On October 22, 1864, while stationed in Washington, D.C., his initial term expired, and he immediately re-enlisted back into his original artillery unit where he would serve out the remainder of the war. Following the Confederate surrender in 1865, the 3rd Artillery Regiment were assigned to garrison duty at Fort Preble in Portland, Maine. Thomas served at the coastal fort until his final honorable discharge on October 22, 1867.
Following his discharge Thomas chose to remain in Portland Maine, working as a laborer, marrying his wife Elizabeth, and starting a family. On March 4, 1871, he appeared before the Cumberland County Superior Court in Maine to be officially naturalized as a U.S. Citizen. He successfully used an act of Congress clause that allowed honorably discharged wartime veterans to fast-track their citizenship.
In the early 1870s, Thomas relocated his family to Putnam and Pomfret, Connecticut, joining several other members of the wider Clemens family who had settled in the area following their emigration from Roscomroe,, Ireland. Thomas spent the rest of his life working in the regions textile mill industry, and a much later newspaper report we discovered, concerning his eldest son, refers to Thomas being widely and routinely referred to by the nickname “General” Thomas Clemens in a light-hearted recognition of his Army service.
Mr Thomas Clemens was a Pomfret man, well known here twenty years ago. He was the oldest son of “General” Thomas Clemens, who, a Civil War Veteran, had lived here for the greater part of his life.”
Newspapers – May 1932.
His military background influenced that eldest son, Thomas Clemens Jr.., who also enlisted into the U.S. Army during the late 1880s. The younger Thomas served on the western frontier during the American Indian Wars before returning to Windham County, Connecticut, to work as a cotton mill weaver
Thomas Clemens Snr died in Pomfret, Connecticut, on December 1, 1921, at the age of 79 and he is buried in the family plot at St. Mary Cemetery in Putnam. He rests beneath a more modern private family headstone. Many other members of the Clemens family are buried in the same cemetery and it is noticeable how several of their markers explicitly preserve their Irish and Offaly roots with many reading: “Born in Kings Co. Parish Roscomroe Ireland.”.
Thomas Clemens (1841-1921) – Find a Grave Memorial
At present Thomas’s grave lacks any official military marker or plaque. While the exact historical reason for this omission remains unknown. It is one of the goals of this research project to gather the necessary documentation to apply to the Department of Veterans Affairs, with the hope of one day securing an official military plaque and formally recognize the US Civil War service of Thomas Clemens from Roscomroe, County Offaly, Ireland.
For More On This Solider: Thomas Clemens – Americasoffalyheroes
17th September 2026
Sources:
Thomas Clemens (1841-1921) – Find a Grave Memorial
Ancestry.com – U.S., Naturalization Record Indexes, 1791-1992
Clemens, Thomas – US, Civil War Pensions Index, 1861-1900 – Fold3
United States Army Enlistments 1798-1914 Image | findmypast.ie
