James Caldwell
|
|
The Reverend James Caldwell (April, 1734 – November 24, 1781) was a clergyman who played a prominent part in the American Revolution.
He was born in Cub Creek in Charlotte County, Virginia, the seventh son of John and Margaret Caldwell, who were Scots-Irish settlers. He graduated from the College of New Jersey (which later became Princeton) in 1759 and became pastor of the church in Elizabethtown, New Jersey. He was an active partisan on the side of the revolutionaries, and was known as the "soldier parson." His church and his house were burned by Tories in 1780. While Caldwell was stationed with the army in Morristown, his wife Hannah was killed by a random bullet at Union, New Jersey. Caldwell, who fought in the defense of Springfield, New Jersey, was eventually killed by an American sentry when he refused to have a package inspected. The sentry, James Morgan, was hanged for murder on January 29, 1782, amid rumors that he had been bribed to kill the chaplain.
Caldwell died in Elizabethtown, New Jersey. A monument to him was dedicated there in 1846.
Caldwell, New Jersey (and North Caldwell, New Jersey, West Caldwell, New Jersey, and James Caldwell High School) are named for James Caldwell