Born in New York, James Burton Pond moved with his parents to Illinois and then three years later to Janesville, Wisconsin. As an adult, Pond became an abolitionist and served as a member of the Underground Railroad. In November 1861, Pond mustered into volunteer service as a second lieutenant in Company C, 3d Wisconsin Cavalry. Pond was promoted to first lieutenant of his company in August 1862 and then captain in October 1864. Lieutenant Pond was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions on October 3, 1863, at Baxter Springs, Kansas.
“While in command of 2 companies of Cavalry, was surprised and attacked by several times his own number of guerrillas, but gal-lantly rallied his men, and after a severe struggle drove the enemy outside the fortifications. 1st Lt. Pond then went outside the works and, alone and unaided, fired a howitzer 3 times, throwing the enemy into confusion and causing him to retire.”
After the war, Pond purchased the Lyceum Theatre Lecture Bureau and relocated its headquarters to New York City. Pond soon started managing lecture tours for such celebrities as Mark Twain, Winston Churchill, Henry Morton Stanley, P. T. Barnum, Booker T. Washington, Frederick Douglass, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Henry Ward Beecher.
Wikipedia. “James Pond (Medal of Honor),” September 23, 2019. Link.
Wisconsin Adjutant General, Annual Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Wisconsin for the Year Ending December 31, 1864, 115, 347
Wikipedia. “3rd Wisconsin Cavalry Regiment,” July 28, 2020. Link.
The United States Army Medal of Honor. “Civil War (M - Z Index), Full-Text Citations,” September 11, 2020. Link.