The heroic, bittersweet story of Rev. James Caldwell
by Adam Colwell
America’s revolutionary history is filled with ministers of the Gospel who also served as great patriots willing to sacrifice all for the cause of independence.
Known as the “Fighting Parson” of the Revolutionary War, Rev. James Caldwell was one such man. Born in Cub Creek in Charlotte County, VA, the seventh son of Scots-Irish settlers, Caldwell became pastor of the Presbyterian church in then-Elizabethtown, New Jersey in 1762. Among his congregation’s members was Abraham Clark, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and more than 40 commissioned officers of the Continental Army. In 1776 Caldwell was named chaplain of a regiment that mainly consisted of members of his church, and later served as a commissary for New Jersey militia troops.
In June 1780, British and Hessian forces invaded from Staten Island, taking Elizabethtown and Connecticut Farms after facing stiff but undermanned resistance from militia and regular troops. During the fray at Connecticut Farms, Rev. Caldwell’s wife, Hannah, was shot and killed. Home with their baby and a three-year-old toddler, Hannah was shot through a window or wall as she sat with her children on a bed. Whether the shooting was as a result of the battle – or an intentional act – remains a mystery. Whatever the true circumstances, her death became a rallying cry, and Rev. Caldwell took part a few days later in the Battle of Springfield, NJ.
It was there Rev. Caldwell went down in Revolutionary lore. The Americans had run out of wadding for their guns…akin to having no ammunition for their weapons. Rev. Caldwell ran inside a nearby church and grabbed stacks of Isaac Watt’s Psalms and Hymns – a classic doctrinal hymnal of the Christian faith. He then gave the pages of the hymnals to the soldiers to use as wadding for their muskets, exhorting them with, “Now, boys, give ‘em Watts! Give ‘em Watts!” The combination of regulars and militia men turned back the British attack, but not before the English soldiers had burned all but five structures in the town, including Caldwell’s church and home.
Hailed as a hero, Rev. Caldwell did not get to enjoy his notoriety very long. In November 1781 he was shot by a sentry, and accounts of the incident, like that of his wife, differ whether it was accidental or deliberate. The sentry, James Morgan, was hanged for his murder in January 1782 amid rumors that he had been bribed to kill the chaplain. There were nine orphaned children of Hannah and Rev. James Caldwell, all of whom were raised by friends of the family. Rev. Caldwell now lies next to his wife in the yard of the church he served for nearly thirty years. The town of Caldwell, New Jersey is named in his honor, and a monument to him stands in present-day Elizabeth, New Jersey.
Adam Colwell is a freelance writer and Chief Editor of The Presidential Prayer Team website. Active in Christian para-church ministry for over 25 years, he and his wife Ginger have two daughters and live in Tucson, AZ
http://www.presidentialprayerteam.com/index.php
