General James S. Wadsworth was a prominent figure in the American Civil War, serving as a Union general and a politician. He was born in 1807 in Geneseo, New York, to a wealthy family that owned a large estate. He attended Harvard and Yale, but did not pursue a career in law. Instead, he became a philanthropist and a leader of the Free Soil Party, which opposed the expansion of slavery.

Wadsworth volunteered for the army in 1861, despite having no military experience. He was commissioned as a brigadier general and commanded a brigade in the Army of the Potomac. He fought bravely in several battles, including the First Battle of Bull Run, the Battle of Gettysburg, and the Battle of the Wilderness. He was a close friend and supporter of President Abraham Lincoln, who appointed him as the military governor of Washington, D.C., in 1862.

Wadsworth was also active in politics, running as the Republican candidate for governor of New York in 1862. He lost the election to Horatio Seymour, but remained popular among the radical Republicans who favored emancipation and civil rights for African Americans.

Wadsworth met his death on May 8, 1864, at the Battle of the Wilderness, where he was mortally wounded by a Confederate sharpshooter. He was buried in Geneseo, New York, where his family estate still stands today. He is remembered as a courageous and generous man who devoted his life to his country and his principles.