Mark Perrin Lowrey (December 30, 1828 – February 27, 1885) was a

Southern Baptist The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), alternatively the Great Commission Baptists (GCB), is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist organization, the largest Protestantism in the United States, Pr ...

preacher otherwise known as the "Preacher General". He is known for being a

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

brigadier general during the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, for his works in the Mississippi Southern Baptist Convention, and for founding

Blue Mountain College Blue Mountain Christian University (BMCU), formerly Blue Mountain College, is a private Baptist college in Blue Mountain, Mississippi. Founded as a women's college in 1873, the college's board of trustees voted unanimously for the college to ...

Early life and career

Mark Perrin Lowrey was born in 1828, in

McNairy County, Tennessee McNairy County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,866. The county seat and largest city is Selmer. McNairy County is located along Tennessee's border with the state of Mississippi ...

, to Adam and Marguerite (Doss) Lowrey.Wakelyn, p. 291. His parents had immigrated to America from

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

and

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, and Lowrey received no formal education.Warner, p. 195. His father died from yellow fever in Natchez Mississippi, when Lowrey was young.Rosewell G. Lowrey's "Lowrey (Mark Perrin) Autobiographical Essay Summary"
In 1843, he moved with his family to

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

, where he became a bricklayer. During the

Mexican War Mexican War may refer to: *Mexican War of Independence (1810–21) *Mexican–American War (1846–48) *Second French intervention in Mexico (1861–67) *Mexican Revolution (1910–20) *Cristero War (1926–1929) See also *List of wars involving Me ...

, Lowrey enlisted as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

in the 2nd Mississippi Volunteers in 1847.Eicher, p. 355. Neither he nor his regiment ever saw action in the conflict, and Lowrey was mustered out in July 1848.Wakelyn, p. 291; Eicher, p. 355. After the war with Mexico ended, Lowrey married Sarah R. Holmes in 1849. In 1853, he was ordained to the Gospel Ministry at Farmington Baptist Church in Farmington, Mississippi. That same year, he became a

preacher, serving primarily around the village of

Kossuth, Mississippi Kossuth is a village in Alcorn County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 209 at the 2010 census. History Kossuth, located about southwest of Corinth, was founded in the 1840s as "New Hope". In 1852, the town changed its name to Koss ...

. After preaching for eight years, the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

broke out and his congregation urged him to join the

Confederacy A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

.Mark Perrin Lowrey Biography
/ref> Lowrey also served as a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

in the Mississippi State Militia in 1861.

Civil War service

Lowrey began his war service in Mississippi's armed forces as the

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

of the 4th Regiment, Army of 10,000. This unit was disbanded in early 1862, and on April 3, 1862, he joined the Confederate army as commander of the 32nd Mississippi Infantry. He fought in, and was praised at, the

Battle of Shiloh The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the American Civil War fought on April 6–7, 1862. The fighting took place in southwestern Tennessee, which was part of the war's Western Theater of the ...

Battle of Perryville The Battle of Perryville, also known as the Battle of Chaplin Hills, was fought on October 8, 1862, in the Chaplin Hills west of Perryville, Kentucky, as the culmination of the Confederate Heartland Offensive (Kentucky Campaign) during the Ame ...

, the

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 ...

, and the

Battle of Chickamauga The Battle of Chickamauga, fought on September 18–20, 1863, between the United States Army and Confederate States Army, Confederate forces in the American Civil War, marked the end of a U.S. Army offensive, the Chickamauga Campaign, in southe ...

. At the

in October 1862, Lowrey was shot in the left arm but stayed on the battlefield. During the retreat which began the next day, he had great difficulty keeping up with the army. He then obtained leave and traveled to his brother's house for safety. After six weeks of recuperation, Lowrey joined back with his forces and fought at the Battle of Murfreesboro on January 1, 1863.Jack D. Welsh's "Medical Histories of Confederate Generals" (1999) pg. 145. M P Lowrey CSA ACW

On October 4, 1863 at the age of 35 Mark Lowrey was promoted to a Brigadier General. It was because of his evangelistic ties and preaching that he came to be known as the "Preacher General". In December 1864, during the Franklin-Nashville Campaign, an officer saw the flash of an enemy gun and yelled to Lowrey, who quickly lowered himself and the bullet stuck and killed a man behind him. Years of bad health and other reasons caused Lowrey to resign his commission as a brigadier general on March 14, 1865, almost one month before the Confederate forces surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse. Maj. Gen.

Patrick Cleburne Major general, Major-General Patrick Ronayne Cleburne ( ; March 16, 1828November 30, 1864) was a senior Officer (armed forces), officer in the Confederate States Army who commanded infantry in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, West ...

, Lowrey's divisional commander during the Franklin-Nashville Campaign, pronounced Lowrey "the bravest man in the Confederate Army."

Postbellum career and death

After the war, Lowrey moved back to

and focused on his studies.Annah Walker Robinson Watson's "Of Sceptred Race" (1910) pg. 151-53. Then, in 1873, he founded the Blue Mountain Female Institute, which later became known as the

. Lowrey would also serve as president of the Mississippi Baptist convention from 1868 to 1877. Lowrey then persuaded a friend, Colonel William C. Falkner, to run his railroad near the college. Since he was a major shareholder of Falkner's Railroad, the plan was soon carried out.Elmo Howell's "Mississippi Home-Places: Notes on Literature and History" (1988) pg. 29. The school became quite a success and 3 generations of Lowreys became presidents of the school: General Lowrey himself, two of his sons, and a grandson. Following several years of teaching at the

, Lowrey became very sick and, in 1882, his doctors alerted him that his heart was very weak. Then, on February 27, 1885, while buying a train ticket at Middleton, Tennessee, he turned, gasped, and fell to the floor dead.

Possible family wealth

Lowrey lore states that sometime after Mark and Sarah were married an English grandfather of Lowrey's mother, Margaret (Doss) Lowrey, died, leaving a six million dollar fortune to his descendants. Before the arrangements could be made for the family to get the money, the

began and the descendants became preoccupied with other matters. At the war's end, Lowrey once again tried to claim his share of the English estate left behind by his ancestor, but it was discovered that the papers pertaining to the money and estate were lost or destroyed.

Notes

References

* 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. . * Howell, Elmo ''"Mississippi Home-Places: Notes on Literature and History"'' (1988) pg. 29. * Lowery, Rosewell G. ''"Lowrey (Mark Perrin) Autobiographical Essay Summary"'' (1867) * Sifakis, Stewart. ''Who Was Who in the Civil War.'' New York: Facts On File, 1988. . * Watson, Annah Walker Robinson''"Of Sceptred Race"'' (1910) pg. 151-53. * Wakelyn, Jon L., ''Biographical Dictionary of the Confederacy'', Greenwood Press, 1977, . * Warner, Ezra J. ''Generals in Gray: Lives of the Confederate Commanders.'' Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1959. .er, Ezra J., ''Generals in Gray: The Lives of the Confederate Commanders'', Louisiana State University Press, 1959, . * Welsh, Jack D. ''"Medical Histories of Confederate Generals"'' (1999) pg. 145. {{DEFAULTSORT:Lowrey, Mark Perrin 1828 births 1885 deaths Confederate States Army brigadier generals People of Tennessee in the American Civil War People from McNairy County, Tennessee American military personnel of the Mexican–American War People from Alcorn County, Mississippi