Thomas James (1782–1847) was a trapper and hunter who took part in the expedition with the Missouri Fur Company that was contracted by

Meriwether Lewis Meriwether Lewis (August 18, 1774 – October 11, 1809) was an American explorer, soldier, politician, and public administrator, best known for his role as the leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery, with ...

to safeguard the

Mandan The Mandan () are a Native American tribe of the Great Plains who have lived for centuries primarily in what is now North Dakota. They are enrolled in the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation. About half of the Mandan still ...

Chief Shehaka back to his tribe up the Missouri River. During the expedition he traded with Indians and hunted Beaver in the Rocky Mountains. James was also enlisted with the Illinois militia and held command over the spy battalion during the

Black Hawk War The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans led by Black Hawk (Sauk leader), Black Hawk, a Sauk people, Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of ...

Early life and career

Thomas James was of Welsh descent, born in Maryland in 1782. His father was Joseph Austin James and his mother was Elizabeth Hosten. In 1803, the family went in search of a new home in the West, living in various locations at

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

, and

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, until reaching

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

in 1807 near Florissant. During this time,

Lewis and Clark Lewis may refer to: Names * Lewis (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Lewis (surname), including a list of people with the surname Music * Lewis (musician), Canadian singer * " Lewis (Mistreated)", a song by Radiohe ...

returned from their expedition, bringing with them the

Indian Chief Shehaka from the Upper Missouri to visit the "Great Father" at Washington City. When Lewis was appointed Governor of

Missouri Territory The Territory of Missouri was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 4, 1812, until August 10, 1821. In 1819, the Territory of Arkansas was created from a portion of its southern area. In 1821, a southe ...

, he sent Chief Shehaka up the Missouri with an escort of about 40 United States troops under the command of Captain Prior. On their arrival to the country of "Rickaree"s, a warlike Indian tribe attacked the Mandans and killed eight or ten soldiers while the rest retreated with Shehaka to St. Louis. With the formation of the Missouri Fur Company, an expedition was proposed to head up the Missouri and into the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in great-circle distance, straight-line distance from the northernmost part of Western Can ...

during Spring of 1809. Governor Lewis contracted with the company to convey the Mandan Chief back to his tribe for the sum of $10,000. Thomas James enlisted in this expedition and the money was raised for trading with the Indians and

trapping Animal trapping, or simply trapping or ginning, is the use of a device to remotely catch and often kill an animal. Animals may be trapped for a variety of purposes, including for meat, fur trade, fur/feathers, sport hunting, pest control, and w ...

Beaver Beavers (genus ''Castor'') are large, semiaquatic rodents of the Northern Hemisphere. There are two existing species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers are the second-large ...

along the headwaters of the Missouri and Columbia rivers. The total party consisted of 350 men. After the expedition, he started a career in

milling Milling may refer to: * Milling (minting), forming narrow ridges around the edge of a coin * Milling (grinding), breaking solid materials into smaller pieces by grinding, crushing, or cutting in a mill * Milling (machining), a process of using ro ...

. He purchased Kinney's Mill near the village of New Design in Monroe County, Illinois. This location was known for a time as "James' Mill." and later became known as Monroe City, Illinois.Combined History of Randolph, Monroe and Perry Counties, Illinois, J. L. McDonough & Co., Philadelphia, 1883 In 1825, he was elected as a general in the Illinois militia, becoming also a member of the Illinois legislature, where he served between 1826 and 1828. In 1827 he was also appointed

postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...

at the town of James' Mills and kept the position for many years.

Black Hawk War

James served as a

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

in the

, having a "spy battalion" under his command that was composed of three companies. They were led by Captain Daniel Price, Peter Warren, and Thomas Harrison. Albert Sidney Johnson signed orders designating Thomas James as a

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

during the war.

Death

At the close of the war, James returned to his former employments and died at Monroe City in December 1847.

Works

A year before his death, he published the work ''Three Years Among the Indians and Mexicans'' as a memoir of expeditions as a hunter and trapper, wherein he details the a literary illustration of the character and customs of the Indians and Mexicans, accounting too of the battles he found himself in.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:James, Thomas 1782 births 1847 deaths People from Illinois

Early life and career

Black Hawk War

Death

Works

Further reading

References