The fighting preacher of the Army of Tennessee, General Mark Perrin Lowrey

Born in extreme poverty in December 1828, Mark Perrin Lowrey was destined to become one of the leaders of Mississippi. Although his father died when he was very young, Lowrey received excellent guidance from his mother. After serving in the Mexican War, he married and worked as a brick mason and cabinetmaker. In 1855 he felt called to preach, and he pastored several churches in northeast Mississippi prior to the Civil War. Lowery entered the service of the Confederacy as a colonel and eventually rose to the rank of brigadier general. He served with distinction in the Army of Tennessee as a frontline commander and fought in the major battles. He was the only brigadier general in Pat Cleburne's division who was not killed or severely wounded. After the war, Lowrey returned to Mississippi and resumed his pastoral duties. Serving as associate editor of the Tennessee Baptist, he rekindled a spirit of hope within the Baptist churches of Mississippi and led the Mississippi Baptist Convention from the ashes of defeat. Because of his immense popularity with the people, he was elected president of the Mississippi Baptist Convention ten years in succession. Motivated by a deep desire to see that his six daughters received an excellent education, Lowrey established Blue Mountain Female College in 1873. The school prospered under his leadership; and by the time of his death, it had become a recognized institution of learning for girls in Mississippi. Although struck down by a heart attack at the age of fifty-five, Lowrey had lived a vigorous and productive life. His influence is still felt today through the college he founded.