Last Tribute of Respect - by Mort Künstler

In Remembrance of Lieutenant General Tom Phillips

I wanted to take a moment to share a few words in memory of Tom. Lieutenant General Tom Phillips was a member of 17 years, having joined the ACWGC and CSA in February 2006. Tom's initial command was the 2nd Battalion, II (Light Fighters ) Corps Artillery, Army of Alabama (AoA). Within one year he'd be a Major General and the Commander of the II Corps Artillery. Having played 298 games in his first year alone, it would be a good foreshadowing of the amazing amount he'd play in the years to come. He further served in the 4th Brigade, 3rd Division, I (Tigers of the South) Corps and then as Division Commander for the 1st Division, III (Banshee) Corps before transferring to the Army of Georgia (AoG) in August 2007, where as General Cam McOmish noted Tom first started his many years of service with Cam. Tom's brigade assignment in the AoG was with the 4th (The Brus Artillery Bn),  III (Rough & Ready) Corps. In June 2009 he was appointed the III Corps' Chief of Staff. He was then appointed command of the 1st Division, II (Veteran’s) Corps in January 2011 and later that year in September he'd become the Corps Commander. In November he'd also be appointed the AoG Medical Officer as well as the commander of the 2nd (The Brus) Division, II Corps. January 2013 saw Tom serving as the Chief Adjutant of the Army of the Mississippi (AotM), then by November given command of the 2nd Division, I Corps.

From March 2013 to May 2013 Tom would serve with me on the Western Theater Command Staff as Western Theater Adjutant General. From May to October 2013 he served as the Western Theater Chief of Staff working with me on administrative duties at the Theater level. I was always impressed by the energy and willingness to always lend a hand that Tom displayed over the years. This rang true as well in the CCC, where we've posthumously awarded him the Order of Lafayette.

In January 2014 Tom was back with the AoA in command of the I (The Brus) Corps. After the CSA Army Reorganization in 2014 he was the Army of the West's (AotW) II Corps Commander. In 2016 he was back in brigade command in the Army of Tennessee (AoT) with the 5th (The Brus) Cavalry Brigade, 1st (Wheeler’s) Cavalry Division, Forrest's Cavalry Corps where he remained for a number of years. In August 2020 Lieutenant General Tom Phillips assumed his final command as Corps Commander of Forrest's Cavalry Corps until February 2022. He would serve at brigade command until his passing.

If you asked folks who knew Tom over the years or served in command with him, many would say the gold star in his bannered command service record was as Dean of Cadets of the Vicksburg Military Institute (VMI). As General Nick Kunz mentioned in his post, creating the position specifically for Tom in March 2006, a month after he graduated from VMI. Nick has also mentioned 'he would always include a warm welcome whenever I sent out our official welcome email and then always sending a congratulatory email upon graduation including one earlier this March'. No matter the club, he often stepped in to play new officers when they could not find opponents.

Tom was a member of five clubs, ours, the former iNWC, the CCC, NWC & the Blitz. He joined all of them in either 2006 or 2007 and was an active member here & our sister clubs right up until his passing. In the CCC for 17 years, Maréchal de France Le Prince du Philips, OOL was an officer in the Roi des Français' service, commanding the Régiment Royal-Roussillon, Brigade Royal-Roussillon, Troupes Royales, Troupes de Terre du Canada in the l'Armée de Terre Royale as well as later commanding the Brigade Royal-Roussillon & the Troupes de Terre du Canada in addition to his Régiment. A Leutnant in the former iNWC, he commanded the 2. Infanterie-Bataillon, 12. Infanterie-Regiment (Brandenburgisches), 1. Infanterie-Brigade, I. Armee-Korps, Königlich Preußische Armee. Initially joining the NWC in 2007, Sekondleutenant Tom Phillips joined the Preußische Armee and was assigned to the Brandenburgisches Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 5 (Prinz Wilhelm), 1. Kavallerie-Brigade, Reserve-Kavallerie-I. Armee-Korps, I. Armee-Korps. In 2010 Tom would return to the NWC. Lieutenant General Thomas David Phillips, 1st Graf von Lüneburg commanded the Fuß Artillerie Batterie Rettberg, Hannoversche Artillerie Brigade, Hannoversche Division (Hanoverian Division), II (Anglo-German) Corps in the Anglo-Allied Army (AAA) for the remaining 13 years he was a member there.

Tom lived in Russell, Kansas at the time of his passing. He grew up in Royal Oak, MI and also lived in Richmond, VA as Nick noted, as well as in Rochester, MN. He was a skilled carpenter & cabinetmaker by trade, employed while in Russell at Lynn's Custom Woodworking for over 10 years and more recently worked at a gluten plant. He was big into gaming, but also enjoyed history overall, sports & geography! His emails, especially when playing a game would often include images or maps related to the battle or time period of the game. I always looked forward to what he would find when playing games with him.

As many already noted, Tom was a warm, outgoing officer & well liked by all who played games or interacted with him in the different clubs. He was always willing to play a game, enter a tournament and most importantly he was always active on the forums congratulating, encouraging and celebrating the accomplishments of others. I did my best to tally up Tom's 17 years of gaming in the various clubs he was in and he played an astounding 1,707 games & had 13,425 points in all five clubs combined!  It goes without saying he devoted so much time and passion to our hobby, as evidenced by General Blake Strickler's initial post in which Tom's sister mentioned how grateful he was to have received the Confederate Legend Medal.

Tom played games with many members of the various clubs including guys like Brett Kolcun (28 games) & Giorgio Beacco (42 games). To officers like Tom Ciampa (64 games) & Dale Lastowicka (69 games) that he played in several clubs. He played 234 games with the late Cela Noftz. They played constantly for years in all clubs and I know Tom took it rather hard when Cela passed. Official Records for Tom's service with the CSA & Club can be viewed here, as part of the Memorial Page: https://wargame.ch/wc/acw/sub/AoT/Service_Records/Tom_Phillips_OBD.html

He was truly an avid gamer and his loss will be felt by all the clubs he was in.

Blake has posted about Tom's obituary: https://www.wargame.ch/board/acwgc/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=23317 A copy of what his family sent has also been placed with his service record on the Memorial Page: https://wargame.ch/wc/acw/sub/AoT/Service_Records/Tom_Phillips_Obit.pdf

You'll Be Missed Tom!

Your Friends at the American Civil War Game Club (ACWGC)

- As has been done with John Dragan & Steve Kitchen a gift In Memory of Tom has been made for a brick to be placed next November in the circle at Gettysburg.

Remembrance Posts for Tom have also been made in the other two clubs:

NWC - https://www.wargame.ch/board/nwc/viewto ... =5&t=17131

CCC - https://www.wargame.ch/board/cc/viewtop ... =6&t=10251