A BRIEF SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF COLONEL JAMES D. BRADY.
(Through the courtesy of Joseph P. Brady, his son, Clerk of the U. S. Circuit Court of the Eastern District of Virginia.)
Colonel James D. Brady was born at Portsmouth, Virginia, April 3, 1843, and died at Petersburg, Virginia, November 30, 1900.
The death of his father in 1855, his mother having died during his infancy, made it necessary for him to leave his home in Virginia when a boy of eleven years of age, and go to New York City to live with a kinsman, and he was residing in that city at the time the Civil War broke out.
He enlisted March 9, 1861, as a private in Company A, 37th New York, “Irish Rifles.” On December 7, 1861, he was transferred to the 63d New York Volunteer Infantry, Meagher’s Irish Brigade, and commissioned its first lieutenant. Very shortly thereafter he was made the adjutant of the regiment. He was for gallant and efficient conduct successively promoted to Captain, Major, Lieutenant-Colonel and Colonel of the regiment, and as such last named officer was honorably mustered out of service May 26, 1865, claiming to be the youngest colonel in the Army of the Potomac.
COL. JAMES D. BRADY.
One of the founders of the Society and the father of Hon. Joseph P. Brady of Richmond, Va. Col. Brady deceased in 1900, honored and respected by all who knew him.
Colonel Brady was at different times Judge Advocate, Adjutant-General and Inspector General of the First Division of the 2nd Army Corps.
Colonel Brady participated in all of the great battles in which the Irish Brigade was engaged. He commanded “The Color Company” in the battle of Fredericksburg, December 17, 1862, and while leading his company in the assault of the Irish Brigade upon Marye’s Heights on that day was wounded in the head. General Thomas Francis Meagher specially mentioned his conduct in that battle in his official report. He was slightly wounded in the leg in the “second day” battle of Fair Oaks, the morning that General Howard lost his arm. He was wounded in the mouth at Malvern Hill, and again wounded in the arm at Cold Harbor, June 3, 1864, in which battle he was dangerously wounded in the body. He was personally complimented by General Hancock at the battle of Fredericksburg on the afternoon General Zook was mortally wounded, Colonel Brady being with General Zook at the time he was shot.
After the war, Colonel Brady returned to Virginia, and was shortly thereafter elected Clerk of the Court of his native city. He held that position until President Hayes appointed him Collector of Internal Revenue for the Eastern Division of Virginia, which position he held under the administrations of Garfield, Arthur, Harrison and McKinley.
He was elected a member of the Forty-ninth Congress from the Fourth Virginia District, and held many other positions of emolument and trust, both under the State and Federal Government.