Page:Men of Mark in America vol 1.djvu/214



ELL, JAMES MONTGOMERY, brigadier-general United States army, was born in Williamsburg, Pennsylvania, October 1, 1837. His parents were William and Elizabeth (Good) Bell. His father was a farmer and contractor, a good citizen and a man of strong religious faith.

James Montgomery Bell was graduated from the Wittenberg college, Springfield, Ohio, in 1862, and immediately entered the volunteer service of the United States army as second lieutenant of an Ohio regiment. He served through the Civil war, and was brevetted for gallantry at the battles of the Wilderness and at Reams Station, Virginia.

From the close of the war until 1896 a large part of his time was passed in protecting various states and territories on the frontier from hostile Indians and in furnishing protection to construction parties of the trans-continental railroad. For meritorious service of this description he was brevetted lieutenant-colonel in 1877. He served in Cuba during the war with Spain, and was seriously wounded. He was on duty in the Philippine Islands for about eighteen months, 1899-1901, during which period he held various important military positions. He served as brigadier-general of volunteers from February, 1900, to June, 1901.

In September, 1901, he reached the rank of brigadier- general of the United States army, and on the first of October of that year he was placed upon the retired list.

He was married on March 12, 1873, to Emilie Mary Hones. He is a thirtieth degree Mason, and a member of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, a member of the Society of the Army of Santiago de Cuba, companion of the Military Order of Foreign Wars of the United States, and a member of the Army and Navy club of New York, and of the Metropolitan club of Washington, District of Columbia. In politics his sympathies have always been with the Republican party. His religious connection is with the