Before becoming a lawyer and publisher, James Craig Taylor and his elder brother George (b. 1825) both volunteered and served in the Mexican–American War (1848–1849), and later both became Confederate officers during the American Civil War. On April 22, 1861, upon hearing the news that Virginia had seceded, Montgomery County citizens raised $10,000 to support the Confederate war effort and entrusted it to James C. Taylor, who invested it in county bonds. The local County Court authorized issuance of additional bonds, and also named Taylor the county treasurer. Taylor soon raised a company (C in the 54th Virginia Infantry), and became its captain on September 10, 1861, later fighting in the Battle of Middle Creek in Kentucky and earning a promotion to Major on May 13, 1862. He was mustered out on September 20, 1862. All five of the Taylor brothers would fight for the Confederacy and only Creed Taylor Jr. (b. 1832 who died in a postwar duel or accident) failed to receive an officer's commission. Younger brother John Locke Taylor (1835–1911) was wounded at the Second Battle of Manassas, and his brother Robert Taylor (1838–1862) died at the Battle of Malvern Hill.