Charles Barbour Brown, Civil War Soldier Biography

By

Collea Burges

Charles Barbour Brown was a confederate soldier in Virginia’s 6th Cavalry. Charles went by the name Charles B. Brown for the enlistment into the cavalry. He fought in the Civil War alongside the rest of Virginia's 6th Cavalry. The Virginia Sixth Cavalry was a volunteer infantry regiment. The regiment was organized in Norfolk, Virginia in May, 1861.The Civil War was from 1861-1865. The Civil War was between the Union and Confederate States, which resulted in Union victory.

The exact birth year of Brown is unknown, therefore the exact age he enlisted into the military was unknown. It is evident that he was not in the military for very long but the average age of most men fighting in the military was near the age of twenty five. Given the year he passed away, Brown was thought out to be born in about 1828. Brown’s background is fairly empty, he’s 1860 census record showed no information about his personal life. The 1860 census gives the date of birth, occupation, death date, place of residency during 1860, and family members.

Brown enlisted to the military in Orange County, Virginia on April, 1st, 1862 with a period of 3 years on his regiment. He began his service immediately and was soon promoted. In his first year of his military service he was promoted from a Sergeant to a Private Second Lieutenant on December 4th, 1862. Brown was paid every two months, he received a payment on April 30th for the months of February and March. Captain R. Craft was responsible for the payments of Brown’s military service. After a few months of payment the name of Charles Brown was changed was changed to Chas Brown, possibly a nickname, the reasoning behind the name change is unclear. The name Chas Brown was apparent on a few of Browns documents, leading into 1863.

Charles Brown was not a very lucky man in this war, his military time was cut short by the time the Battle of Brandy Station was present. Brandy Station was one of the only battles that brown was present in but sadly this battle was his last. Brown was killed June 9th at Battle of Brandy Station. Brandy Station was one of the biggest cavalry battles to ever take place on American soil. The battle took place in Culpepper Virginia on June 9th 1863. The battle consisted of over 20,000 cavalry soldiers, it was also known of the battle of Fleetwood Hill. Robert E. Lee commanded for his Major J.E.B Stuart to raid Fleetwood Hill. The battle was the opening for the Gettysburg campaign.

Charles Brown's services to the cavalry were very honorable. He was a brave and courageous man who made a name for himself during the Civil War as the second private lieutenant within his first year of service. Although his upbringing remains a mystery, the life of Brown was not wasted. He fought hard and strong in the Civil War until the Battle of Brandy Station took his life on June 9th 1863.

Works Cited

Civilwartrust.org.BattleofBrandyStation

Ancestry.com.1860.census

Fold3.com.civilwar.Virginia.ServiceRecords.SixthCavalry

Charles B Brown