James was born on the 20th of May 1846, in Kilkenny, Ireland, and according to Ellis Island records, he immigrated to the US on the 1st of January 1864, on board the Albert Gallatin. James enlisted in the Army and was deployed to the Arizona Territory with Company B of the 8th US Cavalry, where he displayed actions as a Private that would later earn him the Medal of Honor. The citation reads:

Bravery in scouts and actions against Indians.

It is possible that James took part in the same actions as Heinrich Bertram, since they both received the Medal of Honor on the 24th of July 1869 and were both in the vicinity of the Black Mountains. I was able to find that James had one son with a woman named Elizabeth Lampshire but I am not sure if the two were ever married. James Brophy died on the 7th of August 1929, at the age of 83 in Washington DC. He is buried in the US Soldiers’ and Airmen’s Home National Cemetery in Washington DC: Section L-9086.