James A. Jones was born around 1824 in Rensselaer County, New York. He eventually moved to Delavan, Illinois, and he married Harriet Hoghton on April 13, 1854. They had two children: Mary, born on November 7, 1856; and Minnie, born on October 16, 1861. He worked as a doctor, and by 1860, he owned $2,500 of real estate and $500 of personal property.

 

He joined the Union army in October 1862, mustering in as an assistant surgeon in the 115^th Illinois Infantry. The regiment took part in the Battle of Chickamauga and the Atlanta campaign. He was reportedly “killed by guerrillas” near Tunnel Hill, Georgia, in July 1864. As his comrades later write, “the doctor with a few assistants, all unarmed, had hurriedly gone to the pastures in the valley to bring in the regimental horses that were out there grazing. As they were hastening toward camp with their charge the rebel band came dashing into the valley right upon them.” The Confederates “fired upon him, inflicting wounds from which he died soon after.”

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