James Caldwell
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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 University) in 1759 and, though he inherited 500 acres in Cub Creek, became pastor of the Presbyterian church in Elizabethtown, New Jersey. He was an active partisan on the side of the Patriots, and was known as the "soldier parson." His church and his house were burned by Loyalists in 1780.
While Caldwell was stationed with the army in Morristown, his wife Hannah was killed by British gunfire under disputed circumstances during the Battle of Connecticut Farms in what is now Union Township. Caldwell, who fought in the Battle of Springfield, was killed by an American sentry in Elizabethtown, New Jersey when he refused to have a package inspected. The sentry, James Morgan, was hanged for murder on January 29, 1782 in Westfield, New Jersey, amid rumors that he had been bribed to kill the chaplain. There were nine orphaned children of Hannah and James Caldwell, all of whom were raised by friends of the family.
A monument to him in Elizabeth, New Jersey was dedicated in 1846.
Three towns, known collectively as The Caldwells are named for James Caldwell: Caldwell, North Caldwell, and West Caldwell. James Caldwell High School in West Caldwell also carries his namesake.
