Changes

==Early life==

==Early life==

He was born in Clarksburg, a mountain town in one of Virginia’s western counties, the son of a lawyer who got himself involved in a series of bad investments and dying of typhoid when Thomas was two, leaving his family deep in debt. Five years later his mother died, and Thomas, brother Warren, and sister Laura, would spent the remainder of their childhoods among several different relatives (TL 6, pg. 22).

He was born in Clarksburg, a mountain town in one of Virginia’s western counties, the son of a lawyer who got himself involved in a series of bad investments and dying of typhoid in 1826 when Thomas was two, leaving his family deep in debt. After their mother died five years later, Thomas, his brother Warren, and sister Laura, spent the remainder of their childhoods between several different relatives (TL 6, pg. 22).

It was during his childhood that Thomas would develop a quirky personality.  He complained of a stomach malady for which no doctor could find a cause.  Later, while at West Point, he sat bolt upright in his seat, allowing his spine to never touch the back of his chair; the reason being he needed to keep his internal organs in alignment, thus aiding digestion.  He convinced himself that the use of pepper in his food made his left leg itch, and he was often seen sucking on lemons.  When in battle his men, seeing his left arm raised, assumed he was praying to his Maker; Thomas had a different explanation: his left arm was heavier than his right, and by lifting it “the blood might run back into his body and lighten it” (TL 6, pp. 23-24).

It was during his childhood that Thomas developed a "quirky" personality.  He complained of a stomach malady for which no doctor could find a cause.  Later, while at West Point, he sat bolt upright in his seat, never allowing his spine to touch the back of his chair; the reason supposedly being that he needed to keep his internal organs in alignment, thus aiding digestion.  He convinced himself that the use of pepper in his food made his left leg itch, and he was often seen sucking on lemons.  When in battle his men, seeing his left arm raised, often assumed he was praying to his Maker; Thomas had a different explanation: his left arm was heavier than his right, and by lifting it “the blood might run back into his body and lighten it” (TL 6, pp. 23-24).

Despite not having much of a formal education while growing up (he had the equivalent of a fourth grade education), he did receive an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1842.  Although his start was slow, he made up for it by intense study, often reading his books by the dim light of the coal fire long after his classmates were asleep; he would claw his way up the class standings, and graduate 17th in a class of 59 by the time he graduated in 1846 (TL 6, pg. 25).

Despite having little in the way of a formal education while growing up (he had the equivalent of a fourth grade education), he received an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1842.  Although his start was slow, he made up for it by intense study, often reading his books by the dim light of the coal fire long after his classmates were asleep; he was able to significantly improve his class standing, and was 17th in his class of 59 by the time he graduated in 1846 (TL 6, pg. 25).

==Early military career==

==Early military career==