I was told that when the Battle of Atlanta started James Flanigan started walking towards the battle but by the time his unit reached Atlanta the battle was over and Sherman was already marching south. James was not really fit for combat duty I am told because he had gone deaf or had significant hearing loss, but this is family lore and is not verified by any records. I do have a record of him enlisting in 1861 but perhaps not in the 16th. It seems he was in and out of service during the four years of the war. I can't explain that. He was born in 1844 so he was at least 20 years old in 1864. I bet he enlisted when he was 17 into some unit. All three Flanigan brothers served and all became disabled due to the war for some reason or other. James lived the longest by far than the other . I think he could read and write, but I don't know. He could sign his name which was not that common I am told. I have a picture of him as an old man. He actually did have a long white beard.

John