Harris, Jeptha V., 1818-1899

Jeptha Vining Harris was a brigadier general in the Mississippi militia during the Civil War.

Born on December 1, 1816, in Elbert County, Georgia, Harris graduated from the University of Georgia in 1836 and moved to Mississippi in 1840. He became a wealthy planter, owning several slaves, in Lowndes County. During the 1850s, Harris became involved in state politics, winning election to the Mississippi Senate in 1858.

He held his seat until 1861 and then volunteered for military service during the first year of the Civil War. He served as a brigadier general from 1862 to 1863, leading state troops during the Vicksburg Campaign. Harris and his brigade were captured by Ulysses S. Grant’s army at Vicksburg in July 1863. He was formally exchanged as a prisoner a few weeks later and mustered out of the military. Harris remained a civilian for a year and then returned to the military in 1864, receiving a commission as a colonel in charge of forces at Macon, Mississippi. He remained there until the end of the Civil War in 1865.

After the Civil War, Harris returned to his land in Lowndes County, Mississippi. He died there on November 21, 1899. Harris was married to Mary Oliver Banks and had three children who survived to adulthood. He is buried in Friendship Cemetery in Columbus, Mississippi.

(Wikipedia; FindaGrave)

Jeptha V. Harris belonged to the following social groups: