The Original Depot

The Original Depot. Civil War Walking Trail. Collierville Railroad Depot, The first railroad depot in Collierville was located in this vicinity adjacent to the Memphis and Charleston Railroad. A letter was discovered in the Mississippi Library Department of Archives and Special Collections regarding the completion of the original depot. It was written in 1854, from Collierville by a man representing the railroad. He was giving notice that the windows and doors must be shipped as contracted so they could be installed in the depot. When completed, the depot was to be used by people traveling, to transport mail, and move goods and services for farmers, merchants, and citizens. However, by 1865, the Collierville depot had been destroyed. It was one of a multitude of places that would be changed by the events of the Civil War., After the fall of Memphis to Union forces in 1862, the railroad was securely held by the Union Army as an east and west supply line. During the Union Army's occupation of Collierville, the Depot was described from officer's reports and documents as being a small brick building with a telegraph and used for storage. It was a witness to many trains transporting troops and supplies during the war and the struggles to keep the rails under Union occupation. During the Battle of Collierville on October 11, 1863, the depot played an important part of the largest land battle in Shelby County., The telegraph operator came out of the depot with gun-in-hand signaling General Sherman's east bound train to stop. He warned them of the three thousand or more Confederate cavalrymen led by General James R. Chalmers preparing an attack on Collierville from the south. The train was then stopped just past the RR cut in the hill east of Mt. Pleasant Road, where General Sherman's 13th US Federal Regulars disembarked from the train and positioned themselves along the railroad cut and Mt. Pleasant Road. Then the train backed up until the rear cars were past the depot enabling Sherman and his men to enter the Union earthen fort located approximately three hundred yards northeast of the depot., A four to five hour battle ensued and the depot was utilized for covered shooting by the Union Forces comprised of no more than 500 men of the 66th Indiana and Sherman's 13th Regulars combined. A few civilians sought cover from the battle under the floor of the depot. The telegraph operator then was able to telegraph Union troops in Germantown before the telegraph lines were cut. Their arrival ended the five- hour battle and Chalmers retreated back to Mississippi., (sidebar) , Almost Home , Trains were often the target of hostilities during the war, but the end of the war did not ease the difficulties of traveling by train. There were sporadic guerrilla activities with many of them directed at railroads. After the war, the passenger list included large numbers of ex- soldiers, prisoners of war and displaced residents from the north and south that were returning home. Federal forces maintained order on the trains by posting armed military guards on trains. The federal government was aware of the importance of the trains moving freely as part of the nation's transition from war to peace., Almost two months after the official end of the Civil War, Lt. Col. Thomas W. Harris, C.S.A., was returning to his home by train where he planned to resume his law practice. He was on the last leg of a long journey that included significant action during the war. He was captured by Union Forces at Egypt Station, MS on October 28, 1864, and sentenced to Johnson Island as a prisoner of war. He was released after the war on June 18, 1865, once he took the oath of allegiance. He boarded a train and was nearing home as his train stopped in Collierville on June 24, 1865. He had no way of knowing that events were unfolding that would change his life., A Union soldier named Francis Long with the 11th New York Calvary stationed at Collierville, TN, was traveling on the same train as Lt. Col. Harris. Mr. Long was attempting to gain entry into a railroad car reserved for females only and was denied access by the armed military guard on the train. He was enraged and when the train reached Collierville, Mr. Long promptly left the train, went to his tent in the 11th New York Camp, and retrieved his pistol. Then he re-boarded the train and renewed his efforts to enter the female car and again was denied entrance by the armed guard. He then pulled out his pistol and fired upon the guard and the guard returned the fire with his musket. When the smoke cleared Francis Long and the armed guard were both dead, along with a soldier that was hit by the bullet that passed through the armed guard. Similarly, the bullet passed through Francis Long and into the next rail car where it struck Colonel Harris in the left arm above the elbow. The bone was shattered and his arm was amputated by Dr. Charles Gray, the 11th New York regimental surgeon located at the regimental hospital in Collierville., Dr. Gray and Lt. Col. Harris became friends during the lengthy recovery. When Harris was well enough to travel, Dr. Gray took Harris home to Holly Springs. Harris practiced law in Holly Springs and later in Memphis until his death in 1890. He is buried in Holly Springs., (caption) , This is a photo of a Collierville Memphis and Charleston Railroad Depot after the Civil War. Note the remaining stone foundation located to the left of the depot in the photo. It could be the stone foundation of the original brick depot that was destroyed during the Civil War.