In 1853 Sion became a member of Jones, Bass, and Company, which manufactured iron products. In 1857 the firm was sold to the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne, and Chicago Railroad. In September of the same year, Sion Bass formed a partnership with William H. Jones. The partners established a new foundry and machine shop along the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne, and Chicago Railroad and the Wabash Railroad. In 1858 a partnership, which had been formed by Edward Force and Sion’s brother John, leased the plant. And the following year, the plant was sold to the Fort Wayne Machine Works. The activities of Sion Bass cannot be traced from the completion of the sale negotiations until the onset of the War Between the States.
In 1861 the Confederate forces opened fire on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor signaling the outbreak of bitter civil strife. Drafting of men for military service was not practiced in the United States at that time; both sides relied upon volunteers to fill their fighting ranks. Sion Bass found himself in a dilemma; he was torn between his fond attachment for the South, where he had spent his childhood and early youth, and his loyalty to the North. Because of his southern background, many Northerners did not trust him. Besides, he was the sole breadwinner of his family; his wife and two children were wholly dependent upon him. He could have refused to face the issue; he could have continued his daily routine as a civilian in the North. But his firm conviction of the moral wrong of slavery and his desire to fight for the Union overcame all his reservations. In response to President Lincoln’s call for volunteers, he enlisted in the Union Army.
On September 12, 1861, Sion Bass received his appointment as colonel of the Thirtieth Regiment of Indiana Volunteers, which was then being recruited. By September 24, the quota for the regiment had been filled, and the Thirtieth was organized at Camp Allen in Fort Wayne. Although he was himself untrained for military service, Colonel Bass entered upon the task of disciplining and training his raw recruits with such energy and devotion to duty that he soon won the praise of his superior officers.
Georgia • Mrs. Eliza Bass • Beverly • Col. Sion S. Bass
On October 2, the Thirtieth Indiana left Camp Allen and traveled to Indianapolis by special train on the Wabash Railroad. The train stopped en route at Peru, Indiana, where the ladies of the town met the regiment at the depot and provided an excellent dinner. This act of kindness, although not possible under the strict army regulations of our day, was typical of the spirit of the times and was much appreciated by the hungry soldiers.
The Thirtieth remained in camp at Indianapolis only for a few days. During this time, the men underwent further training; arms, uniforms, and accouterments were issued to them. The unit was then ordered to proceed to Kentucky. On October 13, 1861, the regiment was assigned to the Fifth Brigade, Second Division in General Don Carlos Buell’s Army of the Ohio. For the next few months Colonel Bass and his Thirtieth Indiana Regiment marched with Buell’s army but saw little action.
The anxiety which his family felt for him is shown in the following letter written by his mother to her younger son John:
Salem, Lexington County, Kentucky
November 29, 1861
Dear Son,
It is with great pleasure I write you hoping to hear from you soon, as I have not heard from you for months. I know not where your brother is. I hope he is not in Columbus. We hear the firing of cannons every day at Cairo, Columbus, Belmont, and several other places.
We have had no FORT WAYNE TIMES for two weeks till yesterday. It gave an account of his being in Nevin, about the center of the state, where I think he will be killed.
John, could you have no influence over him? Why did he go? What will become of his little children? Buckner and he will come in contact with each other soon, and what will be the event? God only knows. I never expect to see him again.
Richard M. Ford was killed in the Battle of Belmont, six miles from Columbus. I expect his wife is in Texas. Ford Sterling was killed at Bowling Green. Mr. Pippen died the nineteenth of November, and you heard of the death of Mr. Barker.
Beverly was here yesterday and says they are all well. Every person has left Salem except for a few families. Your Pa says, “I have done nothing in no way”; and he expects to stay at his home and do the best he can.
All the ferryboats are sunk, and there is no way to cross the river. The troops pass through Salem—the Northerners and the Southerners. I am afraid of their meeting sometime in Salem.
This may be the last letter you ever will get from me. I expect the mail will stop. Give my respects to Eliza and the children, and write often. Let me hear from your brother if you ever hear again.
I close by saying,
Your ever affectionate mother, Jane Bass
In February, 1862, Buell attempted to march his army northward to reinforce General Grant’s Army of the Tennessee in the attack on Fort Donelson. Adverse weather conditions and impassable roads forced the men to return to camp after an advance of only fourteen miles. In March General Buell received orders from General Halleck to join Grant and the Army of the Tennessee at Pittsburg Landing near Shiloh. General Grant and his forces were to remain in camp at Pittsburg Landing while awaiting Buell’s arrival. It was planned that the two armies would join forces and then advance on Corinth. The delay thus necessitated in the Union advance afforded the scattered Confederate forces an opportunity to consolidate their strength. On the sixth of April, under the able leadership of General Albert Sidney Johnston, the Confederate troops launched a surprise attack against Grant’s encampment.