According to the inscription, this watch was presented to Lt. Colonel Thomas J. Jackson sometime after the Battle of Fort Pillow, Tennessee, April 12, 1864. Jackson served with the 11th US Colored Infantry Regiment, known as the 7th US Colored Heavy Artillery Regiment at the time. During the Battle of Fort Pillow or "Fort Pillow Massacre," many colored troops were killed and Jackson received a severe head wound. After recovery, he returned to combat in the Civil War only to be taken prisoner of war on two occasions. Jackson moved to Newton, Kansas in 1885 and served in the Kansas Legislature.