War of 1812 and Post-war
During the War of 1812 Thomas was commissioned as a captain in the infantry under Zebulon Pike. He saw action at Fort George and Stony Creek and was wounded at Fort Erie. Biddle was wounded again at the Battle of Lundy's Lane, where he distinguished himself by capturing the only British cannon seized in the clash. It would later be preserved and displayed in Washington, D.C. In 1814 Biddle was brevetted to the rank of Major and became an aide for George Izard. After some years, in August, 1820 he was transferred to St. Louis, Missouri where he served as U.S. Army paymaster.
On September 1, 1823 Thomas Biddle married Ann Mullanphy, daughter of Missouri's first millionaire, John Mullanphy. Now serving as the director of the St. Louis branch of the Bank of the United States, the Biddles were financially well-off and at the peak of young St. Louis society, often hosting lavish dinner parties for business and political luminaries. It was their involvement in local politics that would have deadly consequences, however.
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