William Harvey Brown, Jr.

Probably going by Harvey, from 1852-53 he was a clerk with the West Chester Railroad, on a railroad engineering project for 6 months, then a clerk on the Pennsylvania Railroad at Harrisburg from June 1853 to April 1861. He was appointed Captain, 14th United States Infantry on 14 May 1861.

He commanded the Battalion on the Maryland Campaign of 1862.

He was cited by brevet to Major for gallantry at the battle of Antietam, and to Lieutenant Colonel for war service.

He remained in the Army and transferred to the 32nd US Infantry on 21 September 1866 and the 21st Infantry on 19 April 1869. He was promoted to Major, 18th Infantry, 16 August 1871, and to Lieutenant Colonel, 1st US Infantry on 15 December 1880. By then posted to Fort Grant, AZ, he went home to West Chester, PA on sick leave in December 1882 and died there the following March, age 60.

His service from Heitman.1 Personal details from family genealogists. His gravesite is on Findagrave. His picture from a photograph [pdf] at the US Army Heritage & Education Center, Carlisle, PA.

He married Sarah Swan Rutherford (c. 1834-1865) in September 1863 and they had a son, Harvey in February 1865; Sarah died shortly after and Harvey died 4 months later. He married again, his niece Rebecca Townsend (1840-1890) in July 1868 and they had 3 children; only one, Ethelbert Washington Brown (1870-1941), survived childhood.

His papers are at the Chester County History Center [finding aid], source also of some personal details above.

10/06/1827; Downingtown, PA

03/10/1883; West Chester, PA; burial in Oaklands Cemetery, West Goshen Township, Chester County, PA