James Langley

James Langley was born in Elizabeth City, Virginia in 1762. (Alabama Patriots Searchable

Database, 2026) 14 He may have been as young as 14 when he entered military service. Most

soldiers felt like they had done their duty if they completed one tour of duty…not James

Langley. He completed five tours of duty. For three of those tours, he served as a substitute for

other men who had been drafted. This was a widespread practice at that time. Men with enough

money would often pay another man to fight in their place. One of the officers James served

under was General Friedrich Wilhelm Von Steuben. Von Steuben’s main task was to train and

drill young men and volunteers who had never functioned as a unit in the military. Von Steuben

was known for his strict discipline and long hours of drilling. Even though James and the other

young recruits probably hated Von Steuben’s methods they were highly effective. He was able to

provide the men with the discipline and training they needed to become an effective fighting

force. One of the most decisive and dangerous operations of the war that James Langley

participated in was the famous crossing of the Delaware River on December 25 th of 1776.

General Washington and his men quietly crossed the icy river on Christmas night and surprised

and overwhelmed the hessian troops at Trenton. It was much needed victory for the American

forces. After the war James Langley moved to Troup County, Georgia. He lived there for many

years but in the late 1830s he and his family moved to the community of Stroud in Chambers

County. (Owen, 1911) 15 If the date of his death, 1868, is correct, he lived to the incredible age of

106. He is buried at Mt. Pisgah Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery which is in the community of

Stroud, Alabama. (Mount Pisgah Primitive Baptist Cemetery, 2026) 16 His gravesite has been

properly marked. A recognition ceremony was held in 1978 by the Tohopeka Chapter of

the Daughters of the American Revolution.

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