Gravestone of Vivia Thomas in Fort Gibson National Cemetery’s Circle of Honor. It is this place of honor that spurs curiosity about Vivia’s story

When we think of legends, our minds travel back in time to a fifth-century King Arthur’s court or an ancient, submerged Atlantis. But not all legends are as old as time—some can be found in more recent years. One such story is that of Vivia Thomas, a woman whose quest for revenge led her to enlist in the U.S. Army.

As the story goes, Vivia Thomas was daughter to a wealthy Bostonian family, in which she was raised with the best education in the highest society. At one of Boston’s elegant post-Civil War parties, Vivia met a dashing Union Army officer and fell for him hard. The two began courting, and one day the happy announcement was made that they were going to be married. But with just a few days to go until the wedding, the officer was nowhere to be found. Vivia discovered a lengthy note from her fiance, explaining that he didn’t think married life was for him. With apologies and excuses, he explained that his heart pulled him to the western frontier and adventure, where he knew it would be unfair of him to ask her to follow. Thus, he felt he had to break up the engagement and move on.

Vivia was brokenhearted and bitter to have been so humiliated in front of her family and Boston’s elite. But instead of fretting at home, she decided to go west in search of her once-lover. After sneaking away unnoticed, she cut off her hair and dressed as a man to keep herself safe on her long journey across the country. She was able to learn that the young man was stationed at Fort Gibson in Indian Territory, and since her disguise had been working so well, she decided (and was able) to enlist as an officer there. She was known as “Thomas.”

“Thomas” performed all the duties she was asked while secretly keeping an eye on her former fiance from a distance. One night she decided to follow him and saw him embrace and kiss a young Indian woman. Up until then, Vivia wasn’t sure whether she wanted revenge or a loving reunion. But seeing him with this other woman—more than once, as she would discover after following him several more times—turned her anger into a raging hatred. How could he do this to her?

One chilly night, Vivia followed the officer once again to his date with the Indian woman and then settled in to wait until he returned to Fort Gibson for the evening. She was thinking of confronting him with the injustice of his actions, but the longer she waited, the more bitter she became. By the time he came riding around the corner on his horse, she was so angry that she simply shot him in the chest. He fell from his mount, dead. Immediately Vivia regretted what she had done. Leaving his body lying in the road, she made her way back to the fort and cried herself to sleep. When the body was found the next morning, it was assumed that the officer’s death was the result of an Indian ambush—case closed.

Vivia continued to sneak out every night, but now spent the hours visiting Fort Gibson’s cemetery and weeping with guilt over her former love’s grave. A few weeks later she couldn’t take the guilt and confessed to a minister of the fort, knowing he was duty-bound to keep her secret. Just a few nights later she went to the cemetery as she always did, and stayed for hours despite sub-zero temperatures. The next morning “Thomas” was found lying across the grave, frozen to death.

When the commander and other officers found out the truth about “Thomas” and the murder, they decided she was extremely brave for crossing the country on her own and joining the infantry. Plus, it turned out that they weren’t really a fan of her ex-fiance either. So for her courage and determination, they gave her a place of honor in the fort’s cemetery, and the story of Vivia Thomas became legend.

Though her story is legend, the places, and the person, are real. Search Fold3 for more about the Indian Territory or Fort Gibson, and read more about the story here, here, and here.

The Legend of Vivia Thomas