"History of Southern Oregon, Comprising Jackson, Josephine, Douglas, Curry and Coos Counties. Compiled from the Most Authentic Sources." A. G. Walling, Publisher. Portland, OR. 1884. pg. 538. GENERAL JOHN E. ROSS The subject of this sketch was born in Madison county, Ohio, February 15, 1818. His father moved to Fountain county, Indiana, when he was ten years old; thence to Cook county, Illinois, in 1833. He married in 1840, the daughter of Alexander Robinson, of Chicago, who died after they had been married about eight months. In 1847 General Ross came to Oregon, and was captain of a company which crossed the plains. Col. Ross, Jo. Kline, and an Englishman, left the company at Grand Ronde, with the intention of coming on through ahead of them. On the road beyond Rock creek, they discovered where a train had been attacked by the Indians. They overtook the emigrants after crossing John Day river, who proved to be the Warren party. They had been robbed of all they possessed, the Indians not even sparing them their wearing apparel. Mr. Ross traded his clothes to the Indians for provisions for this destitute band, and remained with them until his own train arrived -- all coming to Oregon together. General Ross landed at The Dalles without a dollar, and went to work on a boat -- which brought down emigrants to the falls -- at one dollar per day. About the first of November, 1847, he went to Oregon City and opened a butcher shop, which he conducted about one month. Then the Cayuse war broke out, and he enlisted in the first volunteer company, with H. A. G. Lee, captain, Joseph Magone, first lieutenant; and Mr. Ross, second lieutenant, and went to the mission station at The Dalles, on the Columbia river. Lee and Magone were promoted, and General Ross was commissioned captain of the company, holding this position during his term of service in that war. He returned to Oregon City after the Cayuse war in 1848, and was engaged in running a threshing machine when the news reached him of the discovery of gold in California. Leaving his machine standing in the field -- which he never saw afterwards -- he went to the mines on Feather river, and there engaged in mining until the fall of 1849, when he returned to Oregon; went back to the mines in California, in the spring of 1850, and was one of the first discoverers of gold on Scott's river. In 1851 he came to Yreka, thence to Josephine creek, and was one of the first discoverers of gold on Canyon creek, in Josephine county. He returned to the Willamette valley in the winter of 1851 and purchased a band of cattle, drove them to the Rogue river valley in January, 1852, and opened a butcher's shop at Jacksonville. In the fall of 1852, General Ross raised a company of thirty men and went to rescue immigrants who were attacked at Bloody Point on Tule lake. They joined Ben. Wright's company at Clear lake, and with them met a party of immigrants between Clear and Goose lakes, returning with them. On the road they buried about fourteen of the immigrants, who had been killed by Indians. Ross and his company paid their own expenses on this trip, and for pay they received the thanks of the Oregon legislature. In January, 1853, he married Elizabeth Hopwood, this being the first marriage in Jacksonville; the ceremony was performed by a Methodist preacher by the name of Gilbert. He settled on his present farm in December, 1853. In August, 1853, an Indian war broke out, and he was colonel command of two battalions of mounted volunteers. After operating a few days in conjunction with Colonel Alden, of the U.S. Army, and having only a few skirmishes with the Indians, General Lane arrived and took command. After a hard-fought battle on the headwaters of Evans' creek, in which engagement General Lane and Colonel Alden were wounded, and Armstrong killed, the Indians made a treaty with General Lane. Colonel Ross acted as interpreter, both at the preliminary arrangements for the treaty, and at the treaty itself, although J. W. Nesmith was the appointed interpreter by General Lane, and is so reported by him. The Indians, however, did not know Nesmith, and were acquainted with General Ross, and it was only through him that they would communicate what they had to say in relation to the treaty. In 1854 he was ordered by the Governor to organize a company and sent them out to protect the immigrants on the southern route, which was done, Captain Walker commanding. On the fifth of June of that year he was commissioned colonel of the 9th regiment by Gov. John W. Davis. In the fall of 1855, a break-out of the Indians, not only in this county but in the northern part of the state as well, resulted in a general war. Colonel Ross being in command of the 9th regiment, took the field, fought several severe battles, and was at length superseded in command by Col. J. K. Lamerick. At a special election held December 15, 1855, he was elected to represent Jackson county in the territorial council, to fill a vacancy caused by removal of Dr. Cleveland, and at the general election in June, 1866, to the legislative assembly. In 1866-7 when the California and Oregon Railroad Company was formed, Colonel Ross was elected one of its directors, and the directors transferred the franchise to Holladay. He was appointed brigadier-general of the first brigade of the Oregon militia by Gov. L. F. Grover, on Dec. 2, 1872. The next important move was at the beginning of the Modoc war, when he was commissioned brigadier-general and took the field, commanding as such throughout the war, and participated in the principal engagements. In 1878 he represented Jackson county in the state senate, and was honored by being appointed chairman of the military committee. He was appointed one of the investigating committee to report upon the acts of the preceding administration. Gen. Ross' portrait, and a view of his residence will be found in this work. ******************* Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in July 2005 by Diana Smith. Submitter has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned above.