James Brenton (1740–1782)

Who was James Brenton (1740–1782)?

James Brenton (1740–1782) was an American Revolutionary War officer. He was killed by American Indians during the Battle of Blue Licks in Robertson County, Kentucky.

Married Rebecca Scott abt. 1763 in Frederick County, Virginia. Married Mary Woodfield in 1772, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.

In 1768, James traveled over the Allegheny Mountains to Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, where he settled near the Monongahela River, neighboring Redstone Old Fort. It’s likely that James and his brother William helped build Williams Cabin near Old Bedford Village, in Bedford County, Pennsylvania.

In 1774, Brenton was commissioned a Captain by Colonel Angus McDonald, who mustered roughly 400 men to take part in the Wakatomica Campaign of Dunmore’s War. The Shawnee settlements of Wakatomika as well as four other villages were burned. Three American Indian Chiefs were taken prisoner.

In 1777, he defended the frontier, serving as a First Lieutenant in the Virginia Rangers of Monongalia County. In 1779, he was promoted to Captain, and then to Major by Patrick Henry.