James Colbert (trader)

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James Colbert
Born
James Logan Colbert

c. 1720
Died7 January 1784 (1784-01-08) (aged 63)
NationalityBritish
Occupations
  • Army officer
  • interpreter
  • trader
Children8, including George and Levi
Military service
BranchBritish Army
RankCaptain
Unit16th Regiment of Foot
Battles

James Logan Colbert (c. 1720 – 7 January 1784) was a Scottish trader and military officer who lived much of his life among the Chickasaw. He served as an officer of the British Army who commanded an independent company in the Western Theater of the American Revolutionary War. In 1783, Colbert led an unsuccessful raid on the Spanish village of Arkansas Post, Louisiana (present-day Arkansas) in an attempt to capture Fort Carlos III.

Biography[edit]

James Logan Colbert was born about 1720 in Scotland. He immigrated to Georgia in January 1736.[1] He was married to three Chickasaw women and among them had eight children; including George, Levi, and William, who became notable 19th-century tribal leaders. Fluent in Chickasaw, he served as an interpreter at the 1763 Augusta and the 1765 and 1771 Mobile Indian conferences[2] He fought with the British during the American Revolutionary War; most notably at Fort Jefferson, where he was wounded in action,[3] and Arkansas Post.[4] He died on 7 January 1784 in West Florida en route from St. Augustine, East Florida.[5]

References[edit]

Citations[edit]

  1. ^ Bearss 1974, pp. 18–19.
  2. ^ Pate 2017, p. 264.
  3. ^ Bearss 1974, p. 29.
  4. ^ Bearss 1974, pp. 51–56.
  5. ^ Bearss 1974, p. 60.

Bibliography[edit]

  • Bearss, Edwin C. (November 1974). Special History Report: The Colbert Raid, Arkansas Post National Memorial, Arkansas (PDF) (Report). Denver, Colorado: National Park Service. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  • Pate, James P. (2017). "Colbert, William (Chooshemataha), Colbert, Levi (Itawamba Mingo), Colbert, George (Tootemastubbe)". In Ownby, Ted; Wilson, Charles Reagan (eds.). The Mississippi Encyclopedia. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 9781628466928. LCCN 2016043630. OCLC 959373243. OL 28626076M.