Thomas Moore Scott, a native of Georgia, was farming in Louisiana near Homer in Claiborne Parish at the time of secession. He was, until that time, a civilian, married to Mary Elizabeth Bisell from about 1855 with a son and a daughter.

The Claiborne Rangers were organized with Thomas Moore Scott elected as Captain. They departed from Homer on July 1, 1861 and traveled to Monroe, then to Vicksburg, then to Jackson and finally to Camp Moore to begin training for service.

At Camp Moore, the Claiborne Rangers joined the Confederates on August 13, 1861, becoming a part of the 12th Louisiana Infantry with Thomas Moore Scott being elected its Colonel.

He remained Colonel of the 12th until May 10, 1864 when he was promoted to Brigadier General.

He was wounded in the Battle of Franklin on November 30, 1864. That may have been the end of his military career.

After the war, he returned to farming. He died after a drunken stupor on April 21, 1876 in New Orleans. His wife had died some 10 years before.

He was buried in Greenwood Cemetery in New Orleans. His grave site is not maintained today and any sign of a memorial or marker is long gone.