Civil War Medal of Honor Recipient. He was born in the Catawissa Valley, Pennsylvania, to John and Sarah (née Maurer) Brown. He married Frances Mellon in 1876, and they had six children. He spent most of his life working on canal boats. He began his service in the Union Army on September 9, 1861, when he was mustered in as a Corporal in Company C, 50th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. After being promoted to Sergeant, he would go on to perform distinguished service at the August 19, 1964 Battle of Weldon Railroad, Virginia, and receive the CMOH for his bravery; his citation reading simply "Capture of flag of 47th Virginia Infantry (C.S.A.)." In that battle, his regiment was part of a charge that captured Confederate breastworks and sent the defending rebels retreating. Sergeant Brown, at first armed only with a sword, noticed Confederates with a battle flag, picked up a discarded rifle (which turned out to be empty), and captured the men and the flag, after which he planted on the breastworks. That act drew both cheers from his Union Army comrades and gunfire from the Confederates (which resulted in several men killed and several holes in Sergeant Brown's uniform). After sleeping next to the flag that night, it was sent to Washington, DC by General Oliver B. Wilcox, with the proper accreditation given to Sergeant Brown. His Medal was awarded to him on December 1, 1864. He would be promoted to 1st Lieutenant (November 24, 1864) and Captain and Commander of Company C (January 15, 1865) before serving through the end of the war. He was honorably mustered out on July 30, 1865. After the war, he was a boat operator, first in the Schuylkill Canal in Pennsylvania, then on rivers between New York and Connecticut. The flag he captured is currently displayed at the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond, Virginia.
Civil War Medal of Honor Recipient. He was born in the Catawissa Valley, Pennsylvania, to John and Sarah (née Maurer) Brown. He married Frances Mellon in 1876, and they had six children. He spent most of his life working on canal boats. He began his service in the Union Army on September 9, 1861, when he was mustered in as a Corporal in Company C, 50th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. After being promoted to Sergeant, he would go on to perform distinguished service at the August 19, 1964 Battle of Weldon Railroad, Virginia, and receive the CMOH for his bravery; his citation reading simply "Capture of flag of 47th Virginia Infantry (C.S.A.)." In that battle, his regiment was part of a charge that captured Confederate breastworks and sent the defending rebels retreating. Sergeant Brown, at first armed only with a sword, noticed Confederates with a battle flag, picked up a discarded rifle (which turned out to be empty), and captured the men and the flag, after which he planted on the breastworks. That act drew both cheers from his Union Army comrades and gunfire from the Confederates (which resulted in several men killed and several holes in Sergeant Brown's uniform). After sleeping next to the flag that night, it was sent to Washington, DC by General Oliver B. Wilcox, with the proper accreditation given to Sergeant Brown. His Medal was awarded to him on December 1, 1864. He would be promoted to 1st Lieutenant (November 24, 1864) and Captain and Commander of Company C (January 15, 1865) before serving through the end of the war. He was honorably mustered out on July 30, 1865. After the war, he was a boat operator, first in the Schuylkill Canal in Pennsylvania, then on rivers between New York and Connecticut. The flag he captured is currently displayed at the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond, Virginia.
Bio by: RPD2
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