James L. Autry

James Lockhart Autry (January 8, 1830 – December 31, 1862) was an American politician who served as the Speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives between 1858 and 1859. Autry later served in the Confederate Army, where he was killed during the United States Civil War.

Early life James Lockhart Autry was born on January 8, 1830, in Davidson County, Tennessee. Autry's father died at the Battle of the Alamo in 1836. Autry attended school in Holly Springs, Mississippi, with James Ronald Chalmers among his schoolmates.

Political career Autry became a lawyer in 1852. Autry served in the Mississippi House of Representatives between 1854 and 1859. Between 1858 and 1859, Autry served as the Speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives. On June 22, 1859, Autry gave a speech to the literary societies of Semple Broaddus College, a Baptist college that was once located in DeSoto County, Mississippi.

Military service and death Autry joined the Confederate States Army and initially served in the Home Guards of Marshall County as a third lieutenant. Autry's defiant reply was widely publicized, and the city of Vicksburg held out for another year until its final capture in July, 1863. Autry subsequently rejoined the 27th Regiment in the late summer of 1862. During the Battle of Stones River, also known as the Battle of Murfreesboro, on December 31, 1862, Autry was cheering his men forward, when he was struck in the head with a Minié ball. Autry died almost immediately. At the time of his death, Jefferson Davis had just signed a letter promoting Autry to general. The letter was on the way to Autry.

Personal life Autry married Jeannie C. Valliant in 1858, and had a single child, James Lockhart Autry II, in 1859.