Wilson, James Harrison, 1837-1925

Soldier, railroad builder, and author.

From the description of James Harrison Wilson papers, circa 1862-1923 (bulk 1890-1915). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 79452964

Military engineer, Civil War general and cavalry commander, post-war railroad man.

From the description of Papers, 1864-1876. (Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library). WorldCat record id: 62725438

American soldier and engineer.

From the description of Autograph letter signed : Keokuk, to "My Dear Willard", 1869 Mar. 8. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270587617

From the description of Autograph letter signed : New York, to "My Dear General" [William Worth Belknap], 1872 May 8. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270588097

From the description of Autograph letter signed : New York, to General Belknap, 1873 Nov. 19. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270588095

Born in Shawneetown, Ill., Major General James Harrison Wilson served as topographical chief of the Army of the Potomac and as an aide-de-camp to George McClelland during the early years of the Civil War. In 1864 he was appointed chief of the Cavalry Bureau in Washington, D.C., and commanded a division of the cavalry in the Army of the Potomac under Major General Philip Sheridan during the Overland and Shenandoah Valley campaigns. Later the same year he was transferred west to serve as chief of cavalry for the Military Division of the Mississippi under William Tecumseh Sherman. Following the Civil War, Wilson worked as a railroad construction engineer and executive, returning to the Army in 1898 to serve as a major general in Cuba and Puerto Rico during the Spanish-American War.

From the description of James H. Wilson letters, 1909, 1913. (Louisiana State University). WorldCat record id: 156975581

Soldier and railroad builder.

From the description of Bender collection, 1863-1917. (Wyoming State Archives). WorldCat record id: 70958779

Biographical Note

• 1837, Sept. 2: Born, near Shawneetown, Ill.
• 1854 - 1855 : Attended McKendree College, Lebanon, Ill.
• 1855 - 1860 : Graduated, U. S. Military Academy, West Point, N.Y.
• 1860 - 1863 : Member, U. S. Topographical Engineers
• 1864: Chief of Cavalry Bureau, Washington, D.C.
• 1864 - 1865 : Cavalry commander; brevet major general
• 1866: Married Ella Andrews (died 1899)
• 1866 - 1870 : Superintended navigation improvements for the army in the Mississippi Valley
• 1870 - 1883 : Engaged in railway construction and management in the Mississippi Valley and New England
• 1871 - 1875 : Official, St. Louis and Southeastern Railway
• 1878 - 1883 : President, New York and New England Railways Co.
• 1883: Settled in Wilmington, Del.
• 1885 - 1886 : Surveyed railroad development possibilities in China
• 1898: Spanish-American War service in Puerto Rico and Santa Clara, Cuba
• 1900: Served in relief expedition, Boxer Rebellion, China
• 1901: Retired from army as brigadier general
• 1902: Represented U. S. Army at coronation of King Edward VII, London, England
• 1907: Trustee, Mutual Life Insurance Co.
• 1925, Feb. 23: Died, Wilmington, Del.

From the guide to the James Harrison Wilson Papers, 1861-1923, (bulk 1890-1915), (Manuscript Division Library of Congress)