Background
Caldwell was born in Cub Creek in Charlotte County, Virginia, the seventh son of John and Margaret Caldwell, who were Scots-Irish settlers.
Caldwell was born in Cub Creek in Charlotte County, Virginia, the seventh son of John and Margaret Caldwell, who were Scots-Irish settlers.
Graduated from College of New Jersey (now Princeton), 1759.
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. Caldwell, who fought in the Battle of Springfield, was killed on November 24, 1781, 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.
A monument to Caldwell in Elizabeth, New Jersey was dedicated in 1846. Three towns, known collectively as The Caldwells are named for James Caldwell:
Caldwell, New Jersey
North Caldwell, New Jersey
West Caldwell, New Jersey
James Caldwell High School in West Caldwell also carries his name, as does James Caldwell Elementary School in Springfield, New Jersey.
Hannah Caldwell Elementary School in Union, New Jersey, which carries his wife"s name.
Married Hannah Ogden, March 14, 1763.