It was sculpted by John Quincy Adams Ward, best known for his work on the statue of George Washington in Wall Street, Manhattan.

Attendees at the dedication in 1879 included President Rutherford B. Hayes, Generals Irvin McDowell, Philip Sheridan, and William Tecumseh Sherman, senators and thousands of soldiers.

The sculpture is one of eighteen Civil War monuments in Washington, D.C., which were collectively listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

George Henry Thomas, a Virginian, was a Union general in the Civil War and a principal commander in the Western Theater.

[3] The Society of the Army of the Cumberland, composed of veterans, chose to erect a monument to Thomas utilizing bronze cannons captured from Confederate forces.

The Society was so impressed with Ward's work, they later selected him to design the James A. Garfield Monument and the Equestrian statue of Philip Sheridan as well, though the contract for the latter was eventually cancelled.

[3][11] Harper's Weekly described the event as the grandest ceremony ever held in the city[4] The ceremony featured a two-mile 2 mi (3.2 km) military procession, led by General Thomas Turpin Crittenden, of around 500 Army of the Cumberland veterans, 1,000 army troops, 1,000 marines and sailors, state troops from Maryland, New York, and Pennsylvania, and generals Irvin McDowell, Philip Sheridan, and William Tecumseh Sherman.

The procession began east of the U.S. Capitol and marched past President Rutherford B. Hayes at the White House on its way toward the memorial site.

[13] Following a reconstruction of Thomas Circle completed in 2006, new sidewalks and landscaping allowed visitors easier access to the monument and surrounding park.

Thomas is wearing a double-breasted military coat and plain riding boots, while his sword hangs from his left side.

[6] Its "dilated nostrils, erect ears, tense muscles, and waving, bushy tail" demonstrate the horse's excitement.

After it was pointed out that Thomas only rode stallions, additions were made to the sculpture, though the slender head and neck are still reminiscent of a mare.