Born in Illinois on September 2, 1837, James Harrison Wilson graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1860. After receiving his commission, Wilson was assigned as an assistant topographical engineer at Fort Vancouver, Washington Territory.

During the Civil War, Wilson initially served as a Union Army topographic engineer. He later served as an aide to General George B. McClellan before joining the staff of General Grant in the Western Theater in November 1862. Promoted to brigadier general, Wilson in 1864 transferred to the cavalry. He is credited with being in command of the forces that captured Confederate President Jefferson Davis and Andersonville Prison commandant Henry Wirz at the end of the war.

After the war, Wilson worked as a railroad engineer and official and devoted a great deal of time to writing on various subjects, most of his books relating to military matters and world events . In later years, he would serve as a major general of volunteers during the Spanish-American War and in the Boxer Rebellion. James H. Wilson died on February 23, 1925.