John C. Lowry was born around 1834, possibly in North Carolina, to Squire Lowry. His father was a farmer who owned $1,200 of real estate by 1850. By 1850, the family was living in Marion, Alabama. He married Paralee P. Ward on March 3, 1856, and they had two children: Betty, born around 1857; and Annie, born around 1860. The family lived in Harrell, Alabama.

 

He enlisted in the Confederate army in September 1861, and he mustered in as a private in Company F of the 20^th Alabama Infantry. The regiment took part in the Vicksburg campaign, the Battle of Chattanooga, and the Battle of Nashville. He eventually earned a promotion to sergeant.

 

He surrendered as part of the Vicksburg garrison on July 4, 1863. He confessed that he was “truly glad that [the surrender terms were] no worse.” He noted that “we are to be parolled here the officers to keep their side arms & we are also all owed our private property I dont know whether they consider negrows private property or not but I hope they do.” He later added that the Union army had “plenty of negro soldiers here [in Vicksburg.] nothing makes me so mad as to see them.”

 

He was eventually exchanged, and he rejoined the regiment. He surrendered again as part of General Joseph E. Johnston’s Army of Tennessee on April 26, 1865, and he received a parole on May 2, 1865.

 

He probably returned to Alabama after the war, and he died sometime before 1880.

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