Quitman, Mississippi

Quitman, Mississippi
Quitman is a city in Clarke County, Mississippi, United States, along the Chickasawhay River. The population was 2,323 at the 2010 census. Quitman is the county seat of Clarke County.
History
Quitman was established in 1839 and named as the county seat.
During the Civil War, a hospital built with funds raised in Galveston and Houston, among other places, was built there for the care of Confederate soldiers from Texas. Originally staffed by Louis Bryan with supplies purchased in Mexico, he was joined, and later supplanted, by Enos Bonney, a surgeon from Enterprise, Mississippi, who stayed until the hospital was burned down. Though it cared for troops from any state, the hospital was colloquially known as "The Texas Hospital." Wounded soldiers from the Second Battle of Corinth, Battle of Iuka, Battle of Jackson, Tennessee, and more local engagements, as well as those suffering from wartime diseases, were treated at the hospital. A cemetery was established adjacent to the hospital for those who succumbed to disease or wounds.
During General Sherman's Meridian Campaign, Brigadier General Walter Q. Gresham, Commander of the Third Brigade, Fourth Division, 17th Army Corps, was detached and sent to Quitman to destroy bridges crossing the Chickasawhay river and through Alligator Swamp, as well as any other infrastructure that could be of any use to the Confederacy. The force arrived at Quitman and proceeded to burn the town jail, courthouse, various stores, the railroad depot, and the Methodist Church, which was being used as a hospital. Troops then burned down the entire Texas Hospital complex, which included two main buildings as well as twelve to fifteen barracks. The hospital was never rebuilt.
Quitman was officially recognized by the Mississippi Legislature on February 13, 1839, and was named for the second Chancellor of the State, Gen. John A. Quitman, a strongly pro-slavery politician, leading Fire Eater, veteran of the Mexican–American War.
Geography
Quitman is located near the center of Clarke County. Mississippi Highway 18 passes through the center of the city.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 12.28%, is water.
Climate
Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,061 people, 897 households, and 619 families residing in the city.
Education
The city is served by the Quitman School District.
Notable people
Andy Blakeney, jazz trumpeter
Wyatt Emory Cooper, writer
Oscar W. Gillespie, U.S. Representative for the state of Texas
Dustin J. Lee, Corporal in the United States Marine Corps who was killed in Fallujah, Iraq
Sam C. Massingale, American politician and a U.S. Representative from Oklahoma
Kelly McCarty, former NBA player
Antonio McDyess, former NBA power forward
Tarvarius Moore, NFL defensive back
Homer Smith, Jr, journalist
Samuel H. Terral, Justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court from 1897 to 1903
James Yates (activist), labor organizer, political activist, and veteran of the Spanish Civil War
See also
Quitman Depot
References
Cities in Mississippi
Cities in Clarke County, Mississippi
County seats in Mississippi
Cities in Meridian micropolitan area