Reuben James ( 1776 – December 3, 1838) was an American sailor who served as a boatswain's mate in the United States Navy. He is best known for purportedly saving the life of his commanding officer, Stephen Decatur, during the First Barbary War in 1804, though most historians agree he was wrongly credited for the actions of shipmate Daniel Frazier.
Biography
James was born in Delaware around 1776. By 1799, he was serving in the United States Navy aboard the frigate during the Quasi-War with France, participating in the victories over L'Insurgente and La Vengeance. During the First Barbary War, James was serving aboard the USS Enterprise when the frigate USS Philadelphia was captured by Barbary pirates after running aground near Tripoli, Libya.
On August 3, 1804, during the naval blockade of Tripoli, Lieutenant Stephen Decatur led a boarding party onto a Tripolitan gunboat that he believed was crewed by the men who had feigned surrender before mortally wounding his brother.
thumb|Reuben James Interposing His Head to Save the Life of His Commander, an 1857 engraving by [[Alonzo Chappel. Note the "R. James" tattoo on James's forearm.]]
Many traditional accounts credit James with saving Decatur's life, while modern scholarship credits Quartermaster Daniel Frazier.