"Vignettes" of the Civil War

By Francis McRae Ward

 

Chapter Nine

 

Captain Jason W. James

 

Captain Jason W. James was born in the town of Lexington, Lafayette County, Missouri, April 28, 1843. When he was a small boy he moved with his parents to a farm near Lexington. When he was around eight or nine years old his father died. Jason had three brothers. Thomas Charles was the oldest, and two younger than Jason, namely, William C., and John W. They lived on the farm for several years, then their mother sold it, and they moved to Waverly, Missouri.[1]

 

When Captain Jason James was a boy only fifteen years old he secured a job with Shelby & Morton, one of the great freighters of the time, and made a trip for them with an ox team to Salt Lake Valley. The train was composed of about thirty wagons pulled by six or seven yokes of oxen, and each wagon was loaded with six or seven thousand pounds of freight. When the train crossed the Big Blue River at Marysville, Kansas there were no more settlements or signs of civilization to be seen until the party reached the Salt Lake Valley, a distance of about twelve hundred miles.[2]

 

The trip was long and hazardous, and there were many Indians seen along the trail. This was during the time the United States was having a great deal of trouble with the Mormons. The Mormons had murdered many people who were making their way to California to settle and burned their wagons along this trail.[3]

 

The train was laden with army supplies which were delivered to Colonel Albert Sidney Johnston at Cedar Valley, Utah, about forty-five miles southwest of Salt Lake City. It was November 1858, when they reached Cedar Valley, having left Missouri in the spring of the year.[4]

 

When the men were paid off most of them went to California, but Jason James was homesick, and only fifteen years old in a strange wild country over twelve hundred miles from relatives and friends. He went to Salt Lake City for two weeks rest, and, by chance, met some men there with Russell, Majors and Waddell with whom he made arrangements for his return trip to Missouri.[5]

 

The Russell, Majors and Waddell outfit was composed of two six-mule teams and thirty-two men. They left Salt Lake City on November 19th for Fort Leavenworth. The men had no tents, so they kept fires burning during the night and slept on the ground, and by morning the snow was seven or eight inches deep. The snow lasted for twenty days, and on one occasion reached a depth of three feet. The party suffered a great deal from the severe cold; Jason's feet were badly frozen and one man died after they reached Fort Laramie. After fifty-three clays on the long perilous route they reached Fort Leavenworth.[6]

 

In the spring of the following year young Jason James made a trip for another freighting firm, Cartwright and Jones, which took him to Fort Bridger. He spent the year of 1860 at his home in Waverly, Missouri. On May 11, 1861, he enlisted in a company of Missouri State Guards (Confederate troops) commanded by Captain C. J. Kirtley. Jason James served in some of the most important campaigns in Missouri, and Mississippi, and his services were outstanding and distinguished. He also served a tour of duty as recruiting officer in the State of Arkansas.[7]

 

When the war came to a close, Captain James and most of his men were on the Macon Ridge in Carroll Parish near Delhi. On June 27th, 1865, having been informed that all Confederate forces had surrendered, he went to Monroe alone and surrendered to Colonel William H. Dickie and secured paroles for himself and his men.[8]

 

Captain James came to Bastrop (Morehouse Parish) to live soon after he got out of the army and remained there eight or ten years. Part of that time he was in the hardware business and was also engaged in farming. He married Miss Mollie Henderson of Carroll Parish in January 1866.[9]

 

(1876). A great deal of trouble occurred in Morehouse Parish during the Reconstruction period. Bastrop's town marshal was shot (although he recovered) during the discharge of his duty, and Mr. Phelps, the mayor of the town was shot and killed in the streets of Bastrop. The man who killed Mayor Phelps appeared before a friendly jury composed of ten Negroes and two white men and was cleared of the crime. There were several involved in the shooting of the marshal, but none of them received any punishment. Captain James was a highly respected citizen and leader in the community and played a great part in bringing the Reconstruction to a close.[10]

 

(1876). The carpetbaggers of Morehouse and Ouachita Parishes assembled a large number of Negroes to March on Monroe and upon hearing this news, Captain James and about forty men moved on to Monroe and joined forces with troops commanded by Captain William Theobold. The Negroes fired one volley of shots, ran into a canebrake, and offered no more resistance. Several of them were killed, and a few were captured and placed in the Morehouse Parish jail. While all of this was taking place a company of Federal infantry was camped on the courthouse grounds at Bastrop. The carpetbag sheriff was forced to resign and replaced by a dependable man.[11]

 

Captain James decided to release the Negroes from jail if they would agree to make a truthful confession of the whole affair. He became ill and was confined to his bed for a short time, so he sent for Captain William Hall who was a good lawyer and asked him to talk to the Negroes and release them, which he did.[12]

 

The carpetbaggers began to look in the direction of newer fields; the tax collector left Morehouse Parish unexpectedly with six or seven thousand dollars of tax payers money.[13]

 

Captain James continued his farming interests in Morehouse Parish for a number of years, and in the early 1880s he moved to a place near Delhi and was engaged in the cattle business. About 1884, he went to Texas, and served for a short time with the Texas Rangers. Captain James served in this capacity with distinction, helping to apprehend murderers, horse and cattle thieves, and fence cutters.[14]

 

In 1888 Captain James went to Vicksburg to visit his brother John, and after he had been there for a short time he decided to stay for a while, so he obtained a contract with several Railroad Companies to furnish them with staves, cross ties, and various kinds of timber, and he made a real good living in this business. During this time his brother William C., who was living at Delhi, passed away; and a few months later his wife, Mrs. William C. James, passed away, and she was buried beside him at Delhi.[15]

 

In July 1892, Captain James went to Roswell, New Mexico and decided to make his permanent home in that country. He was very successful there with his farm and cattle ranch. He also acquired a large cattle ranch in West Texas, and became a very wealthy man.[16]

 

My maternal grandparents, Captain and Mrs. George A. Peterkin were residents of Bastrop and were close friends of Captain James. Much of the personal knowledge I have acquired of Captain James was related to me by my grandmother, as I was interested to learn something about the life of this remarkable man.

 

The devotion that Captain James had for Captain Lea was, no doubt, one of his reasons for moving to New Mexico, and settling there. They had been through the war together, and Captain Lea. was best man in Captain James' wedding--and Frank Lea was one of his wedding attendants.[17]

 

Captain James died at his ranch at Uvalde, Texas, September 14, 1933, and was buried at Roswell. He was honest and a highly respected citizen.[18]

 

CHAPTER TEN

Captain Joseph Calloway Lea