James Butler Bonham (1807–1836) was a 19th-century American soldier. Born near Red Bank (now Saluda), South Carolina, Bonham moved to Montgomery, Alabama, in October 1834; the following year he travelled to Mobile where he helped to organize a company of militia cavalry called the Mobile Greys to serve in Texas. The company reached San Felipe, Texas in November 1835, and Bonham was commissioned a lieutenant in the Texian Cavalry one month later. On December 1, 1835, Bonham wrote to Sam…