His father was a plantation owner and his mother a house slave. In 1862 James left home to attend church and did not return. He crossed the Union line where he joined Co F, Fifty-First Illinois Infantry. He served as an officer's cook and participated in the battles of Chattanooga and Chickamauga. Mustered out in Chicago, he worked in the restaurant business before coming to Winona in 1876 and opening his own restaurant. Active in the republican party, he attended many presidential inaugurations. He retired in 1901.
His father was a plantation owner and his mother a house slave. In 1862 James left home to attend church and did not return. He crossed the Union line where he joined Co F, Fifty-First Illinois Infantry. He served as an officer's cook and participated in the battles of Chattanooga and Chickamauga. Mustered out in Chicago, he worked in the restaurant business before coming to Winona in 1876 and opening his own restaurant. Active in the republican party, he attended many presidential inaugurations. He retired in 1901.
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