Jesse A. Ross enlisted as a private in Co. B, 3rd Arkansas State Troops, at Washington, Arkansas, on May 4, 1861; fought at Wilson's Creek; and was mustered out of service on September 19, 1861, when the State Troops disbanded. He next enlisted in Co. C, 4th Battalion Arkansas Infantry, at Little Rock, on October 12, 1861, and was elected first lieutenant. He was appointed battalion adjutant on November 10, 1861; and was successively promoted to captain and major; was wounded at Peach Tree Creek, Georgia; and was captured at Nashville, Tennessee, on December 15, 1864. He was sent to the U.S. Military Prison on Johnson's Island, Ohio, on December 20, 1864, and held there until the end of the war. He was released on June 4, 1865, and provided with transportation to Arkadelphia, Arkansas. He died at Arkadelphia in 1913, and his widow Lela Ross applied for a Confederate pension from Clark County in 1916 (Pension #22305).

The Union descriptive roll of prisoners released from Johnson's Island in 1865 describe him thus -- age 27, born in Alabama, eyes blue, hair light, complexion light, height 6'0", civilian occupation lawyer.