Autryville, North Carolina

Autryville is a town in Sampson County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 196 at the 2010 census. Located along the west side of Sampson County along the banks of South River at the Cumberland County, North Carolina line, Autryville is governed by a mayor and a five-member town commission. The town is about 15 miles east-southeast of Fayetteville along NC 24.HistoryIn April 1889, President Gray of the Cape Fear and Yadkin Valley Railway designated Autrys as a depot. Later in 1891, Autryville was incorporated, and a new town was born. Autryville is home to Micajah Autry, a Sampson County resident and son of Theophilus and Elizabeth (Crumpler) Autry who fought in the Battle of the Alamo alongside Davy Crockett. Between the ages of 17 and 18, he volunteered for service against the British in the War of 1812 and remained in Charleston in the company of Captain Long until the Treaty of Ghent was signed in 1815. Afterward, Autry studied law and was admitted to the bar in Jackson, Tennessee, where he practiced from 1831-35 until he went to Texas. Autry, an expert marksman, was chosen by his company to eliminate Antonio López de Santa Anna, who often walked across the grounds near the Mexican battle lines. He missed. After a siege lasting 13 days, Autry was killed with the rest of the Alamo garrison after the Mexican army stormed it on March 6, 1836. A letter to his wife, dated February 11, 1834, is on display at the Alamo.