James Harvey Hart, the third son of Levi Hart, a pioneer of Miami county, was born in Troy, Ohio, October 1, 1814. He was educated in the Troy schools and Miami University, of Oxford. He studied law with his brother, Judge Ralph S. Hart, and for twenty-five years was a prominent lawyer in Miami county. He excelled perhaps in criminal law, both on account of his sharp insight into human nature and his eloquence as an advocate. He had a state reputation as an orator of much more than ordinary eloquence. In I850 he was elected from the senatorial district of Miami, Darke and Shelby counties, as a Whig, to the Ohio state senate. In 1857 he was nominated for congress in the fourth congressional district of Ohio, but was defeated by Hon. William Allen, of Darke county, it being impossible to overcome the large Democratic majority of the district. In October, 1861, he enlisted in the Seventy-first Ohio Volunteer Regiment, and was commissioned first lieutenant and adjutant of the regiment October 7, 1861. He was promoted to major April 6, 1862 for gallantry on the bloody battlefield of Shiloh, and promoted to lieutenant-colonel on April 2, 1864. On the I5th of December, 1864, he was desperately wounded, while leading his regiment on the gallant charge up Overton's hill in the battle of Nashville. He was promoted to colonel of the regiment November 29, 1865, but not mustered in as such, for on the 30th of November, 1865, the regiment was mustered out, after a service of four years and two months.

This is in brief the military history of Colonel Hart, but the writer served for many months under his command, and from personal knowledge writes of his qualities as a man and a soldier. He was one of those generous-hearted men that never knew the value of a dollar, only as a medium of procuring pleasure for himself and friends. He was not gifted in military knowledge, and the iron rule of military discipline was irksome to him. It was a task for him when adjutant to learn enough of military tactics to form a regiment into line on dress parade, and when promoted to major he was much of the time on detached duty with a separate command. The men and company officers respected him for his bravery and good heart, and kept order in camp and on the march, but Major Hart never enforced a rigid discipline. In time of battle he never had but one command and that was "Forward," and he led the way. On the 25th of August, 1862, with four companies of the Seventy-first stationed in rifle pits in the town of Dover, Tennessee, he defeated the rebel Colonel Woodward, who had under his command at the time a force estimated from eight to twelve hundred soldiers. It was the same force to which Colonel Rodney Mason had on the 17th of August surrendered six companies of the regiment at Clarksville, Tennessee. Major Hart did not have more than one hundred and fifty effectual men in time of battle, yet without hesitation he engaged the rebel force and defeated them. He was in command of the regiment at the battle of Nashville, and when the order came to take Overton's hill, he formed the regiment, and with his usual command of "Forward," he led them on, and up the steep ascent of Overton's hill until he was shot from his horse and one-third of the regiment was wounded and killed. The men never stopped until the order to fall back was given by the general commanding, but the rebels were in retreat, and the hill was soon after in possession of the Federal troops. He went with the regiment to Texas and remained there with it through the long hot summer of 1865, and was mustered out with the regiment at San Antonio, Texas; but the regiment was not actually disbanded until its return to Camp Chase, Ohio, when the men and officers were sent home, in January, 1866. Colonel Hart was married in December, 1843, to Miss Mary H. Powers, daughter of judge B. F. Powers, of Troy. His wife died many years before the war, leaving one daughter, Mrs. Kate Hart Barnett, of Piqua, Ohio, a lady who inherits much of her father's talent. Colonel Hart did not long survive the war, but died in Piqua on the 20th day of December 1867. His memory is yet green and fresh in the hearts of the old veterans of the Seven-first Ohio Volunteer Infantry.