James Hewitt (June 4, 1770 – August 2, 1827) was an American conductor, composer, and music publisher.

Born in Dartmoor, England, he was known to have lived in London in 1791 and early 1792, but went to New York City in September of that year.

Most of his publications were the works of British composers, including William Shield, James Hook and even Haydn and Mozart.

One of his most well-known works today is The Battle of Trenton, a keyboard sonata written in 1797 and dedicated to George Washington.

"[2] When the harpsichordist Ralph Kirkpatrick revived the piece in 1940, Time magazine commented that "Though written for the most part in the measured, tinkling idiom of 18th-Century English salon music, The Battle of Trenton still preserved a smoldering crash and rumble reminiscent of the early works of Ludwig van Beethoven.