Saturday, December 3, 2011, the ladies and sons of Mississippi and Texas Memorialized Lieutenant Colonel Henry W. Bridges at the Greenwood Cemetery, near the capitol, in Jackson, Mississippi. Henry was remembered for his service and long period of being lost.

He was also honored for his Ranger service. Henry died February 13, 1864, after 9 days of hovering near death. He was mortally wounded on 4 February during one of the battles at the beginning of Sherman's Meridian Campaign. Detailed by General Stephen D. Lee to stop a Union envelopment of Wirt Adam's forces, Bridges drove a Union Brigade from high ground and provided the Confederate force more than enough time to move from harms way with only a detachment of two companies against a brigade. Bridges was wounded and left for dead. On the morning of the 5th he was found alive and moved twenty miles from the Wharton Plantation to the Wharton home in Jackson. He hovered near death till the 13th. The Wharton girls wrote to Bridges' sister, as did the doctor, which provided leads to Bridges location.

Henry was placed in the Wharton plot in the Greenwood Cemetery adjacent to Attorney General Wharton's final resting place. The VA identified Bridges as a Lt Col, his highest rank, and put him in the 1st Arkansas Cavalry Battalion, a unit which he never served. Bridges was attached to Stirman's 1st Arkansas Sharpshooter Regiment as Deputy Commander, Lt Col, on 1 August 1862. Henry brought with him, his Company I, 6th Texas Cavalry Regiment and Company H, 9th Texas Cavalry Regiment which had been the basis of his sharpshooter battalion in Phifer's Brigade. Stirman was at Iuka but did not join the battle. On October 3, 1862 at the Battle of Corinth, Henry was severely wounded in the right arm and was carried to the hospital. The next day Stirman planted his flag at the Tishomingo Hotel, which was past Rosecran's headquarters according to Peter Cozzen's in his book on Corinth.

Henry returned to duty in March 1863, but Stirman's Regiment had been broken up and the two Texas companies returned to Whitfield's Texas Cavalry Brigade. Stirman and the 1st Arkansas Cavalry Battalion had moved on to there place in history. Stephen D. Lee put Bridges to work over two or three companies in support of Colonels Ferguson and Adams. Bridges' name began to turn up in battle reports for his extra duty. He was even mentioned in a telegram to Jefferson Davis. His Texas and Missouri companies were returned to their commands in August 1863. In October 1863, Bridges was again commended for his actions at the Battle of Vinson/Vincent's Crossroads. For this action he was designated to carry captured enemy colors to General Johnson. There is still research underway to see if Bridges was at the Battle of Moscow, TN on December 3, 1863.

Bridges is known to have been with two Ranger units. In 1855 he was with the Calahan Expedition into Mexico. In 1861 he commanded Company I, 3rd Regiment, Texas State Troops, during operations in the Indian Territory. Because of Henry's nature he probably served in other Ranger units between 1855 and 1861. It was my honor to memorialize his Ranger Service. His may be the only grave marked with a Ranger Cross, in Mississippi, but after talking with the Mississippians, I would not be surprised if there were more. They even lay claim to the Texas Star.

If you are ever in Jackson, the Greenwood Cemetery is worth a visit, with its many Governors, Generals and over 500 Confederate Soldiers.

THANK YOU, R.B. LEVY Chapter, United Daughters of the Confederacy, Longview, Texas for this beautiful ceremony. Thank you, Sue Moore for your excellent research of Henry W. Bridges. Thank You both Sons and Daughters of the Confederacy of Mississippi, who helped make it all possible.