Thomas Hamilton McCray (1828 – Oct. 19, 1891) was an American inventor, a businessman and a

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

officer during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

Biography

Thomas McCray was born in 1828 near

Jonesborough, Tennessee Jonesborough (historically also Jonesboro) is a town in, and the county seat of, Washington County, Tennessee, in the Southeastern United States. Its population was 5,860 as of 2020. It is "Tennessee's oldest town". Jonesborough is part of the J ...

, to Henry and Martha (Moore) McCray. He farmed in

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

and moved to

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

, where he operated a mill. Around 1856 he moved to

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

and operated a mill near Tellico. Just before the Civil War, he returned to Arkansas, settling in Wittsburg, Cross County. In June 1861 he joined the

5th Arkansas Infantry Regiment The 5th Arkansas Infantry, also called the Fighting Fifth (1861–1865) was a Confederate Army infantry regiment organized in Arkansas to serve for the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. It served throughout the war in t ...

. He was commissioned a lieutenant and adjutant of that unit. In late 1861 he was detached from his regiment and returned to Arkansas to raise troops. He was elected major, then colonel, of the newly raised 31st Arkansas Infantry.Bass, Ronald R. "History of the Thirty-first Arkansas Confederate Infantry", Arkansas Research, Inc, Conway, He led a brigade of Texas and Arkansas infantry in the 1862

Kentucky Campaign The Confederate Heartland Offensive (August 14 – October 10, 1862), also known as the Kentucky Campaign, was an American Civil War campaign conducted by the Confederate States Army in Tennessee and Kentucky where Generals Braxton Bragg and ...

. As part of Churchill's division, his brigade distinguishing itself at the August 30, 1862 Battle of Richmond, Kentucky. General Thomas J. Churchill singled out McCray for his "gallantry and coolness" in that action. Dissatisfied at not being promoted to Brigadier General, and realizing that his regiment had shrunk to less than 150 men and would soon be consolidated with another regiment, McCray requested transfer to the

Trans-Mississippi Department The Trans-Mississippi Department was a geographical subdivision of the Confederate States Army comprising Arkansas, Missouri, Texas, western Louisiana, Arizona Territory and the Indian Territory; i.e. all of the Confederacy west of the Mississ ...

. There he helped raising several regiments of Arkansas cavalry. During Price's 1864 Missouri Raid he led a cavalry brigade in Fagan's division. This brigade, consisting of the newly organized and ill-equipped 45th, 46th and 47th regiments of Arkansas cavalry/mounted infantry, performed poorly. Many of the men deserted, and the brigade dissolved after the raid. McCray retained a more or less nominal district command in northeast Arkansas, "powerless for good or for evil," till war's end. McCray is referred to as a Confederate general in numerous sources, among them Heitman's Historical Dictionary of the U.S. Army. Eicher's "Civil War High Commands" labels him a general, but suggest that the rank was in Arkansas state forces, not Confederate. He lists himself as "colonel" on his end-of-war parole, but it is possible that in 1864 he received an unofficial promotion to brigadier.

Post war

Like many other Confederates, he then left for Mexico. He then returned to Arkansas, and briefly lived in Wittsburg. After that he became a traveling salesman for the

McCormick McCormick may refer to: Business * McCormick & Company, an American food company specializing in spices and flavorings * McCormick & Schmick's, an American restaurant chain specializing in seafood * McCormick Harvesting Machine Company, a manufact ...

Reaper Company, based in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. Something of an inventor, McCray patented several improvements for cotton and hay presses. He died in Chicago October 19, 1891, of uremia, and was buried in the Cook County "paupers" Cemetery in

Dunning, Chicago Dunning is one of 77 officially designated community areas of the city of Chicago, Illinois. Dunning also is a neighborhood located on the Northwest Side of the city. The neighborhood is home to Wilbur Wright College, Mount Olive Cemetery, Zio ...

.Cook County Death Certificate, 1891, no. 10729.

Notes

References

* Allardice, Bruce S., ''More Generals in Grey'', Louisiana State University Press, 1995, . * Bass, Ronald R., "History of the 31st Arkansas Confederate Infantry," Conway, AR: Arkansas Research, 1997. * Eicher, John H., and

David J. Eicher David John Eicher (born August 7, 1961) is an American editor, writer, and popularizer of astronomy and space. He has been editor-in-chief of ''Astronomy'' magazine since 2002. He is author, coauthor, or editor of 23 books on science and American ...

, ''Civil War High Commands.'' Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. .

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McCray, Thomas H. People from Jonesborough, Tennessee People of Arkansas in the American Civil War Confederate States Army officers 1828 births 1891 deaths