Thornton, John J., 1826-1886

John Jones Thornton was a Confederate officer from Mississippi during the Civil War. Born on May 10, 1826, in Gloucester County, Virginia, Thornton moved to Brandon, Mississippi, as a young man. He received training in medicine and pharmaceuticals, earning the title doctor. In the late 1850s, he opened a cotton seed oil works in Washington County, Mississippi, but the factory burned down after less than a year of operation.

Thornton was a well-respected figure in his community, in 1860 was elected as a delegate for Rankin County at Mississippi’s secession convention, following Abraham Lincoln’s election to the presidency. Thornton registered his opposition to secession at the convention in January 1861, and was the only active delegate to not vote for the ordinance. However, he chose to support his state when the convention ultimately voted for Mississippi to separate from the Union. He helped raise soldiers for the Confederate cause and was made colonel of the Sixth Mississippi Infantry Regiment. Thornton and his regiment saw intense combat at the Battle of Shiloh in April 1862. He was wounded in the leg, while 300 of his 425 soldiers were killed, wounded, or captured during the battle. Thornton retired from the army while recuperating from his wounds.

After the war, Thornton lived in Texas for four years, and then moved back to Mississippi. He lived in Pass Christian, operated a pharmacy, and served on the Board of Trustees of the State Female Industrial College. He passed away September 12, 1886, at the age of 60. Thornton was married to Wilhelmine and had at least four children. He is buried in Live Oak Cemetery in Pass Christian, Mississippi. (Fijndagrave; Timothy B. Smith, “Secession at Shiloh,” American Battlefield Trust; National Park Service; The Vicksburg Post, Vicksburg, MS, September 14, 1886; The Semi-Weekly Leader, Brookhaven, MS, September 16, 1886; The Vicksburg Herald, Vicksburg, MS, December 8, 1869)