Gray Washington Harrison Story

(from Jane Benton, his great granddaughter)

Gray Washington Harrison (29 Apr 1845 - 22 May 1916), son of Robert Gray Harrison and Sarah Edmunds. His family came from Brunswick County, VA in 64 wagons, with a few slaves. They came by the Robert sister's home near Nashville and stayed a year (1844-1845). Gray was born there during that time. They came to Mississippi and settled in what was Grenada & Yalobusha Counties now. He homesteaded a section of land, 160 acres, which was in Gray Williamson Harrison's name as of October 30, 1971. There were 5 girls and 3 boys.

Gray Washington Harrison enlisted in Co B, 19th Mississippi Regiment on 11 March 1863, spent the rest of the war in the Army of Northern Virginia, and was among those surrendered by General Robert E. Lee at Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia on 9 April 1865. At the time of the surrender there were only 5 members of his Company left: Sergt W.E. Mooney, Corpl W.C. Correthers, Corpl A.W. Arnold, Private H.S. Correthers, and Private G.W. Harrison.

After his discharge at Appomattox Court House he stopped at Danville Virginia where the federal forces had supplies stored. There were 5 men from his part of Mississippi in the group. They were allowed to select any food they wanted, and he chose a ham. He cut a notch in a stick and put it on his shoulder. They walked to Selma Alabama, fearing to come through Tennessee on account of Bush Whackers. At Selma they found Mr. George Lester, who lived in Yalobusha County, too sick to walk. They secured a hand car used by section foremen to move their hands from place to place. Many of the bridges had been burned by the northern soldiers. When this group came to a burned bridge they took the hand car apart, took it across, set it up, and making a pack saddle with their hands, carried Mr. Lester across and so on until they reached Grenada Mississippi. There is a tatting shuttle in the Mississippi Treloar family made from a piece of the apple tree in the yard where General Lee surrendered. Gray said that the men even dug up the roots of that tree as souvenirs.

After returning from the Civil War, Gray Harrison lived in Texas for a few years and in Atkins Arkansas where he met and married Mrs. Elizabeth Cross Williamson Winn (Mittie). She was a widow with 2 small boys, Carrie Pomeroy Winn and Harry Ben Corbin Winn. They eventually settled back in early 1888 near his old home place at Garner (Scobey) Mississipi and had 2 children of their own, Sarah Edmunds Harrison and Gray Williamson Harrison, who were the only children of the Robert Gray Harrison Family.

Email, Jane Benton (janebenton22@gmail.com, January 25, 2025)