The eldest son of former Maryland House of Delegates speaker Richard Thomas Senior and the nephew of Maryland governor James Thomas, Richard Thomas Junior. was born and raised in "Mattapany," the Thomas family plantation south of the Patuxent River.
Thomas survived his plebe year with 189 demerits, but resigned in October 1851. He then traveled the world, serving in the Second Italian War of Independence. He served either in the Sardinian or in the French Army, no written proof for which one available.
Though his new proficiency of the French language (coupled with a lack of Italian) and a deep interest in Zouaves strongly favour the later.
lieutenant was then that he added "Zarvona" to his name. Family legend establishing a French love who died and whose name he took.
He returned to America in early 1861. In April 1861 Zarvona formulated his idea to support the Confederacy by either becoming an engineer officer or by going to the sea.
A month later he formed a command of Zouaves that eventually would become Company H of the 47th Virginia Infantry Regiment.
Simultaneously he started to plan the takeover of a ship. A plan that, with support of the government of Virginia, started on June 28. A disguised Thomas and a crew of accomplices seized the Bostoner passenger steamer Saint Nicholas, planning to use it to raid the sloop of war United States Ship Pawnee.
