James and Katie moved to a farm northwest of the present town of Harveyville, Kansas, in January 1871. At that time the country was open prairie and the nearest village was the little settlement of Burlingame, an important spot on the Santa Fe Trail. During their first winter, Indians were plentiful and killed a deer just east of their house, bringing a generous part of it to the family. 1874 was the year of the grasshopper invasion and the year prairie fires burned many buildings of the settlers, including James' barn. Katie died of pneumonia in February 1874, and was buried in the Harveyville cemetery. The following winter, James returned to Iowa with his four small children but came back to Kansas. In 1876, his parents moved to Kansas, and several of his sisters and his brother Wilson. James built a new barn in 1889, still used in the 1950s.
At 6:00 in the evening, July 2, 1929, after reading his paper all afternoon, James went for a walk to the garden and orchard. He dropped dead a few minutes after returning to the house.
In 1925 or so the editor of the Harveyville, Kansas, newspaper asked the few remaining old soldiers to write up their war records. This is James Jones Sisson's story: "I enlisted in Co. D, 13th Iowa Infantry, mustered in U.S. Army October 21, 1861, at Davenport, Iowa. Went to St Louis, from there to Jefferson City, drilled until March. Then went by way of St Louis to Pittsburg Landing (also known as Shiloh), arriving April 1, 1862. At 7 o'clock the 6th of April the long roll for battle sounded. We went into battle without breakfast, and had nothing to eat until 10 o'clock the next day. The 13th Iowa lost 127 men, killed and wounded. We fought all day Sunday and until 3 o'clock Monday before the enemy gave way. They having lost their greatest General, Albert Sidney Johnson, at the close of battle. The 13th, 15th, and 16th Iowa were organized and called Crocker's Brigade, and remained so for the remainder of the war. We dug breastworks and skirmished for about a month and helped take Corinth. We then went to Bolivar and battled with Price and Vandorn, then retreated. Went back to Corinth, and fought Price and Vandorn on the 3rd of October, the fight lasted all day. We then started with Grant to take Vicksburg. Got as far as Oxford, Miss., then fell back by way of Memphis. Then went down the Mississippi to Milligins Bend. There we worked on Grant's canal until May 1, 1863. We marched across the country to Haynes Bluff on the Lousiana side, then went from there to Port Gibson, Miss. From there to Champion Hill. Had a battle and took 6,000 prisoners. Pemberton on retreat to Vicksburg, where we surrounded him about the 20th of May. The siege lasted until the 4th of July 1863, when Pemberton surrendered to Grant 33,000 men. After the surrender we fought Joe Johnson at Jackson, Miss. Then went back to Vicksburg and patrolled the city. In Feb 1864 we reenlisted. In March I got a 30 day furlough and went home to Iowa (Ioka, Keokuk Co., Iowa). We joined Sherman's army at East Point, Tenn. April 1, 1864. The next engagement was at Kenesaw Mountain. From there to Nickajack Creek July 5. On the 20th we fought up Cold Hollow. General Gresham lost his leg that day. The 21st we made a charge up Bald Hill. Lost 120 men. The 22nd we occuped the extreme left of Sherman's army at Atlanta, Ga. Were engaged until 4 o'clock, then were cut off and surrounded and started on our way to Andersonville. Remained a prisoner until April 16, 1865, then released near Jacksonville, Florida. Weight when captured 180 lbs, when released 115 lbs. Discharged August 26, 1865 at Davenport, Iowa. Written by James Jones Sisson."
Notes copied from James Jones Sisson's obituary: "Mr. Sisson was one of the remaining seven veterans of the great Civil War living in this community, having enlisted in Co. D, 13th Iowa Infantry, Oct 21, 1861 at Davenport, Iowa. He served his country faithfully with this company for three long years, enduring all the hardships of those strenuous campaigns. The principal engagements in which he participated were the battles of Corinth, Vicksburg, and Shiloh. After a short furlough he reenlisted, in February 1864, and started with Sherman on his famous march to the sea. While on this march at Atlanta on July 22 he was captured by the enemy and taken to prison, spending a little time in Libby prison, but the greater part of the next nine months in Andersonville prison. With some of his comrads, he made his escape from this horrible life, but after a few days of wandering, hunger drove them out in search of food, and they were recaptured and held prisoners until April 16, 1865. He was honorably discharged from service August 26, 1865."
Personal notes from his granddaughter Margaret: "Grandpa was there at Andersonville prison when the spring broke out one morning, after the men had prayed for rain. Grandpa spent his last $5 for a chicken back. The guards would sell them a few bites of food, for terrible prices, but refused the wagon loads of fruit and vegetables the local people brought to the gates." "When he got a few days to go home, he was promised $100 for each new recruit he brought back. So uncle Wilson went and Grandpa gave the $100 to Aunt Phoebe Ann. They were side by side when the fight started and a bullet took the end of Wilson's trigger finger. Grandpa told him to run hard for the back and the surgeons. He was sent home and Grandpa was captured."
James' great-grand-nephew, Dr. S. Hull Sisson, recalled a visit to Uncle Jim in 1928, Jim told about prison life "as bad as pictured. He had a large panorama of Andersonville on the summer kitchen wall and he told me conditions were about like the one pictured, with shelter only from what the men had and food (coarse ground corn meal) scooped from the wagon box like corn to the hogs into feed bunks. The worst part about the food was that they never rinsed out the floor of the wagon bed and it soured and mixed with the next day's quota."
Thanks to Mary Jo Sisson March and Barbara Ramos for transcribing and sending this material.
