John Mercer Brockenbrough

In 1860 he was a prosperous 29 year old farmer at Stony Hill in Richmond County on the Northern Neck of Virginia. He was commissioned Colonel and assigned to the 40th Virginia Infantry on 30 May 1861. Brigade commander Brigadier General Charles W. Field was wounded at Second Manassas on 30 August 1862 and Brockenbrough took command as senior Colonel.

He led the brigade in Maryland that September of 1862.

He remained in command of the brigade to 19 July 1863 when his former Lieutenant Colonel Henry H. Walker was appointed Brigadier General and took over the brigade. He returned to command the 40th Virginia, but resigned his commission on 21 January 1864, apparently angry that he hadn't been promoted. He was commissioned Colonel of the 2nd Virginia Reserves on 25 November 1864 and served with them to the end of the war.

He spent "several years" in Chicago, then returned to Virginia. In 1870 he was a prosperous farmer at Warsaw in Richmond County and in 1880 was a clerk, probably at the Land Office of Virginia in the City of Richmond, VA.

His life basics from Allardice.1 His service from his Compiled Service Records,2 online from fold3. Personal details from family genealogists, the US Census of 1860-1880, and his cadet bio from the VMI Archives. His gravesite is on Findagrave.

He married his cousin Austina Brockenbrough (1837-1874) in December 1856 and they had 9 children. He married again, Kate Cornelia Mallory (1838-1907) in November 1877 and they had 2 more.

His surname is pronounced broke en throw.

I have for many years used an incorrect photograph of Colonel Brockenbrough on this page - that of Judge John White Brockenbrough (1806-1877) - mistakenly identified as John M Brockenbrough on the Gettysburg Park website back in 2004, citing "CWL&M;" I regret that error has propagated around the net and in print since then.

08/01/1830; "Belle Ville," Warsaw, VA

08/25/1892; Richmond, VA; burial in Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, VA