Thomas Herbert Shriver was born on February 19, 1846, in Union Mills, Maryland, to Mary M. J.

[1] Shriver enlisted in the Confederate States Army on June 28, 1863, at the age of seventeen, as General Stuart's cavalry passed by.

In the last year, Shriver was detailed as a student of the Virginia Military Institute and became a member of the cadet corps and participated in the Battle of New Market.

[1] Shriver worked in a variety of occupations, including clerical positions, traveling salesman, farmer, miller and banker.

[1][6] Shriver was given the title "general" due to his service on the staffs of Governors Henry Lloyd and Elihu Emory Jackson.

[2] His grandson Sargent Shriver helped to establish the Peace Corps and was the Democratic nominee for Vice President in 1972.