BIOGRAPHICAL
SKETCH
OF
COLONEL
H. P. MABRY.
__________
Colonel
H. P. Mabry was born in the
Hill,
Carroll county, Georgia,
whose Christian name he bears,
originally came from
soldier in the war of 1812, and in
the campaigns against
the Creek Indians. The father died while yet
the son was
but a youth. Young Mabry was deeply impressed
with the
necessity for an education; and as his
patrimony was
inconsiderable, he encountered
many privations and
hardships in the prosecution of his
cherished object. After
attending this
"country-school" for a few months, young
Mabry
was prepared to enter college-prepared
intellectually, but by no means
financially. To obviate this
difficulty, he entered a
store as salesman at a salary of five
dollars per month, and in addition
to this, he soon found
night employment in the
post-office. By the most rigid
economy, he was enabled, after two
years incessant labor,
to enter the
Here,
by his studious habits and gentlemanly deportment,
he won the confidence of the college faculty,
and the
respect of his fellow-students. But
his means were not
sufficient to bear him
through the entire course, and he
was compelled to lay aside his cherished
books, and go
forth into the world to earn
sufficient means to defray his
collegiate expenses. Thus
did the indomitable boy earn an
education by his own industry and
perseverance. This
indomitable will, and fixedness
of purpose, thus early
displayed, continued, in after years,
to be the most marked
characteristics of the man. Not
many years after the
completion of his
education, he removed to
united in marriage to Miss Abbie Haywood-a most
estimable lady, worthy to be the wife
of a hero-the
daughter of W. H. Haywood, Esq., a
planter living near
Soon
after his marriage, Colonel Mabry commenced
the study of law, was admitted to the bar, and
at once
entered upon a lucrative practice.
He was elected to a seat
in the Legislature, in 1856, and again in
1859, and was reelected
to the same position, and held a seat in the
House
of Representatives, in 1861. Upon the
secession of
Colonel
Mabry returned home, and organized a military
company, at the head of which he
marched against Fort
approach, and retired. Captain Mabry
occupied the place
until May 28, when he was
relieved, and, with his
company, reported to Colonel Greer
for duty, and his
company was assigned the position of
Company G, in the
Third
Texas Cavalry, the first regiment that left the State of
regiment, the foregoing narrative
deals. He was absolutely
fearless, and cool to indifference in
the midst of danger,
and his indomitable will seemed able to
grapple with fate
itself in the formulation of
destiny. He ought to have been
a Lieutenant-General, and placed in command
of
P.
Mabry a foeman worthy of his steel. General Robert
Toombs,
of
that
proven merit did not receive reward
by promotion at the
hands of Mr. Davis, as justice and
the efficiency of the
service required. As better
illustrating the respect and
esteem in which Colonel Mabry was
held by those best
qualified to judge his merits, the
following
communications to the Secretary
of War are introduced:
"HEAD-QUARTERS,
SNYDER'S MILLS,
"
"HON.
JAMES A. SEDDON:
"Sir-I
have the honor to recommend for promotion to
the rank of Brigadier-General, P. A. C. S.,
Colonel H. P.
Mabry,
Third Regiment, Texas Cavalry; having been near
him in the field since July, 1861; having had
him under my
command, in my brigade, for many
months; having seen
him tested in camp, on the march, and on
various hard fought
fields, I can, unhesitatingly, and
do, cheerfully, recommend
him for a higher rank, as a meed to merit and distinguished
service. He was severely wounded in
and still more severely at the battle of Iuka,
on the 19th of
September
last, when he and his gallant regiment most
heroically bore what I
considered the brunt of the fight.
As
a man of correct principles, of soldier-like deportment,
of good finished education, of unquestioned
coolness,
bravery, and sagacity, of systematic
and determined
character, and as a disciplinarian, I
can fully recommend
him as highly fitted to take command of a
brigade, and
I
feel sure that his success would be satisfactory to the
War Department, the President, and the country.
"I
remain, sir, very respectfully your obedient servant,
"LOUIS
HEBERT,
Brigadier-General,
P. A. C. S."
"HEAD-QUARTERS
"
"HON.
JAMES A. SEDDON:
"Sir-Having
learned that the interest of the service
demands the appointment of another
Brigadier-General in
Major-General
Lee's Cavalry corps, the undersigned
officers of the Texas Brigade
cheerfully recommend to
your favorable consideration, the
peculiar claims of
Colonel
Mabry, Third
faithfully engaged, in the
service of his country, since July,
1861;
twice severely wounded, and by gallantry and rigid
discipline, has won the
universal approbation of his
superior officers. For force of
character, resolution,
prudence, indomitable courage,
energy, and ability, he has
no superior in the cavalry of the Department.
"L.
S. ROSS, Brigadier-General.
"E.
R. HAWKINS,
"Colonel First Texas Legion.
"D.
W. JONES,
"Colonel Ninth Texas Cavalry.
"P.
F. ROSS,
"Lieut.-Colonel Sixth
"JILES
S. BOGGESS,
"Lieut.-Colonel Third
"HEAD-QUARTERS
ARMSTRONG'S DIVISION,
"NEAR
"GENERAL
S. COOPER,
"Adjutant
and Inspector-General,
"General-I
have the honor to recommend Colonel H.
P.
Mabry, Third Texas Cavalry, for promotion, to be placed
in command of a brigade now in my division.
Although
Colonel
Mabry has never served under my immediate
command, I can recommend him, as he
commanded a
regiment (Third Texas Cavalry,
dismounted), in General
Hebert's
Infantry Brigade, in which I commanded the
Third
disciplinarian (especially
needed in the cavalry), and one
of the most competent, in every respect, that
can be
selected. His regiment, which is the
best qualification, is
one of the best disciplined, and most
efficient, in the
service.
"I
have the honor to be, with respect, your obedient
servant,
"FRANK
C. ARMSTRONG,
Brigadier-General."
"HEAD-QUARTERS
LEE'S CAVALRY
DEPARTMENT,
"
"GENERAL
S. COOPER,
"Adjutant
and Inspector-General,
"General-I
have the honor to recommend that Colonel
H.
P. Mabry, Third Texas Cavalry, be appointed Brigadier
General,
and assigned to the command of the brigade
recently commanded by
Brigadier-General Adams.
Colonel
Mabry entered the service when the war first
broke out, and has continued
therein ever since, except
when temporarily absent on
account of two wounds
received in battle. I consider him
the best disciplinarian in
my command. He has distinguished himself in
most of the
engagements of the West, and
has often been
complimented for his
gallantry and good conduct. I desire
Colonel
Mabry as a permanent commander of the brigade
to which he is now temporarily assigned.
"I
am, General, yours respectfully,
"S. D. LEE, Major-General."
"GENERAL
S. COOPER,
"Adjutant
and Inspector-General,
"General-I
have the honor to enclose a return of the
brigade commanded by Colonel H. P.
Mabry. It is the
brigade recently commanded by
Brigadier-General Wirt
Adams,
who now commands a division consisting of the
brigades of Generals Gholson and John
Scott, in East
now in
charge of the country from
consider Colonel Mabry one of the
best officers I have met
in the army, and much desire his promotion.
Should it not
be deemed proper to appoint him in this
Department, and
to his present brigade, I trust he may be
promoted and
assigned elsewhere.
"Yours,
respectfully,
"S. D. LEE, Major-General."
H. P. Mabry was assigned to General Nathan Bedford
of
Confederacy where he had insufficient men and material.
When Forrest had a Corps in late 1864 during Hood’s ill
fated campaign in
on several occasions and only the wars end kept him from
Major General.
After his brigade was broken up in February 1865 Mabry
was reassigned to duty west of the
his parole at
contemporary source indicates that Mabry was commissioned
brigadier general in 1865. He later served in the Constitutional
Convention of 1866qv and was elected to preside over the
Eighth Judicial District. Federal military authorities replaced
him a year later, however. Mabry continued to practice law in
Cemetery at
"MABRY, HINCHE PARHAM." The
Handbook of