Company K, 17th Mississippi Infantry

Miscellaneous Information not found in the Archive film

Martha Cobb Lackey provides the following:

COBB, JAMES GRAY: was the youngest child of Gray Cobb and wife, Winney Wooten. He was born 3 May 1840 in then Yalobusha (later Calhoun) Co., MS. He grew up in the Skuna Valley helping to fell trees and clear the land for farming. His father owned a few house slaves, but none were field hands. James was the only member of his immediate family born in Mississippi. His four brothers, Peter May, William Watson, Stephen Edward and Levi W. Cobb and his sister Tamsy were all born in Edgecombe Co., North Carolina. Peter, William and Tamsy's husband, Thomas L. McAdams, were are members of the 31st Miss. Regt. Stephen and Levi were deceased prior to the War.

James volunteered on 7 April 1861 at Sarepta, MS. Nathan Sutton was the brother of James' sister-in-law. He was the son of T. & A. Sutton. They were enlisted by Capt John W. Lyles as Privates in Capt. Duff's Co. K., the "Magnolia Guards" and were mustered into the Confederate States of America Army on 7 June 1861 at Corinth, MS. After arriving at Manassas they were assigned to the 5th South Carolina under D. R. Jones in Beauregard's Army.

James fought in the first battle of Bull Run in July 1861. In August, while posted near Leesburg, Virginia, James contacted a severe case of Typhoid Fever and was discharged on 17 January 1862 as unfit for duty. He was never robust again. His discharge describes him at age 21 as 5 ft 9 in tall, sallow complexion, gray eyes, dark hair and lists his occupation as a farmer at the time of enlistment.

After he returned home, James married Flora Ann Evans. They had two children, James Francis and Sarah Ann Cobb. Flora died in 1871 and James subsequently married Elizabeth "Betty" Williams, daughter of Isaac Williams. She bore him three more children: Appy Tamsey, Isaac M., and Cynthia W. Cobb.

James was a member of the Concord Baptist Church. He died 8 August 1900 and was buried in the Concord Baptist Church cemetery in Calhoun Co., MS.