[1][note 1] Ross moved to Havana, Illinois, with his family at a young age, and for most of his youth, he received little formal schooling.

[3] Ross subsequently studied law in the office of Davidson and Kellogg of Canton, Illinois, and was admitted to the bar in December, 1844.

[8] On January 10, 1865, Ross married Mary Elizabeth Warren and four children resulted from that marriage: Cora (1865-1928); Frank F. (1867-1936); Willis W. (1869-1948); and Ossian M.

[9] He was promoted from the rank of private to first lieutenant on September 4, 1846,[10] by the commanding officer, Captain Lewis Winans Ross, his older brother.

An extensive account of Leonard Ross' service during the Mexican-American War has been provided by the State Historical Society of Iowa.

[14] On the first day of fighting at Fort Donelson, Colonel William Ralls Morrison was wounded and Ross assumed command of the brigade, which he led for the remainder of the battle, participating in Lew Wallace's counterattack against the Confederate breakout attempt.

General Grant stated that Ross "was deserving of the serious reprimand" but that he "was not wilfully [sic] guilty of conduct so prejudicial to the service, but acted under the impulse of the moment, and the belief that a wrong was being done to him.

He was then elected county clerk and served in this position for four years (1849-1853), during which time he was also engaged in buying and selling land, raising stock, and pursuing business interests.

Following the Civil War, Ross served as a collector of internal revenue (1867-1869), having been appointed to this position by President Andrew Johnson.

Ross ran again for Congress in 1874, but this time as an independent candidate rather than as a Republican, in part because he was disgusted by the Star Route scandal.

In his later years, Ross devoted his attention to stock breeding and farming on his land near Avon, Illinois, raising several prize-winning cattle.

[1] During the period from 1884 to 1898, Ross also traveled extensively, visiting England, Scotland, California, Oregon, Washington, Florida, Cuba, and Mexico.

Ross also noted that "[w]hile it is believed that the 20th century is to be in the main peaceful and quiet, it will be well for all young men to gain a knowledge of the duties of a soldier.

Original correspondence and other documents related to Leonard F. Ross are housed in the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield, Illinois.