Thomas C. Lanier was a wealthy planter and an officer in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.
He joined the newly formed Bethesda Presbyterian Church in 1838, along with his wife Sarah D. Lanier.
When the Civil War started, Lanier was elected as captain of the Lane Guards, which became Company B of the 2nd Alabama Infantry.
The regiment was organized in Lanier's native Pickens County on February 19, 1861, and his company enrolled in state service on March 18, 1861.
Following the war, Colonel Lanier wrote these words: We ... were whipped out and had to surrender.