James L. Mitchell, an Atlanta, Georgia, resident and officer of the Travelers Insurance Company, was a collector of Civil War memorabilia. He owned land adjacent to the site of the Battle of Allatoona, forty miles north of Atlanta, and his interest centered on that event. During the 1950s, he corresponded with families of the main participants of the battle and from them acquired descriptions, anecdotes, and facsimiles of letters and photographs of General Samuel G. French (Confederate) and General John Murray Corse (Federal). Additional biographical information about James L. Mitchell has not been determined.