TERRY, JAMES M. (1845~1927) James M. Terry, Confederate veteran, was born in Arkansas in 1845. By 1861, he was living in Hernando, DeSoto County, Mississippi.
He enlisted in the Confederate Army at Hernando on August 24, 1861. Three days later, he was mustered into Captain W. J. A. Boon's Company as a private, which was also called the Desoto Grays and the 1st Regiment of the Mississippi Volunteers, in Inka, or Iuka, Tishomingo County, Mississippi.
By the end of 1861, the DeSoto Grays became Company D of the 1st (Johnston's) Mississippi Infantry and were sent to Kentucky. In February, 1862, the regiment took part in the Battle of Fort Donelson. Considered to have been a catastrophe for the South, Confederate forces lost over 15,000 men, while the rest surrendered unconditionally. Terry was among those who surrendered on February 16, 1862. In June, the men were taken to Camp Morton, Indiana and were exchanged near Vicksburg, Mississippi on September 11, of that same year.
Following his release, Terry re-enlisted for another two years service on September 24, 1862 at Jackson, Mississippi. He was transferred to Company D of the 10th Arkansas Infantry. His dates of service with the 10th are not know, but it is likely that he was with the regiment when they surrendered at Port Hudson, Louisiana, on July 9, 1863. The officers were taken into federal custody while the men were allowed to return to their homes. The 10th Infantry returned to Arkansas, where they were reorganized as the 10th, or Witt's Cavalry Regiment.
Terry's whereabouts and activities during this time are unknown. If he returned to Arkansas with the other soldiers, he probably joined Witt's Cavalry and continued to fight. By May 28, 1865, the unit was defeated in Kansas and asked the federal troops for terms for surrender.
After the War, Terry moved to Texas and settled in Kemp, Kaufman County, Texas where he was a farmer. On September 11, 1924, he moved to Austin to live in the Confederate Men's Home. He remained there until his death on August 17, 1927. He was buried in the Texas State Cemetery the next day.
Information taken from: Compiled Military Service Record; National Park Service website, http://www.itd.nps.gov/cwss; and Confederate Home Roster. |
Follow Us