The SCV Wigfall Grays Camp 1560 erected
an historical marker in the town square of Collierville, TN in 1998.
The marker is dedicated to the men of Collierville who enlisted in a company
that became known as the Wigfall Grays.
Wording of both sides of marker is shown
below.
On April 15, 1861, eighty men from Collierville organized the Wigfall Grays to oppose President Lincoln's call for volunteers to invade the South. The company was named in honor of Senator Louis T. Wigfall who was well known for his eloquent speeches advocating the Southern cause of states rights. The women of Collierville made uniforms for the men and presented them with a handsewn Confederate Flag made of silk. On August 17, 1861, the men of the company swore their oath of allegiance and formally joined the Confederate Army as Company C 4th Tennessee Infantry. The Wigfall Grays fought in some of the bloodiest battles of the War for Southern Independence, including Shiloh, Perryville, Murfreesboro, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, Kennesaw, Dalton, Resaca, Atlanta, Jonesboro, Spring Hill, Franklin, and Nashville. |
| The Company fought with great courage
and determination for four long years against an invading army with far superior
resources. One of their number, Crpl. Merrit R. Brown, distinguished himself
at the baffle of Murfreesboro and received the Confederate Medal of Honor
for bravery. By the end of the War, most of the men in the Company had been
wounded or captured. Many were killed and lie in mass graves or unmarked
graves throughout the South or in northern prisoner of war graves.
After the Company was paroled on May 1, 1865 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the men of the Wigfall Grays returned to Collierville to find many of their homes destroyed and their property confiscated. Despite the hardships inflicted by the northern occupation army, these men worked diligently as farmers and merchants to rebuild their homeland. Descendants of these brave men still live in Collierville today. |
Photos of Marker and Dedication Ceremony.