John Thompson Brown

He enlisted and mustered as First Sergeant in Company A, 20th Virginia Infantry on 25 May 1861 in Richmond. He was transferred to Parker's Richmond Battery, Light Artillery on 14 March 1862 in Richmond as 2nd Lieutenant.

He was with the battery and commanded a section of guns at Sharpsburg on 17 September 1862.

He was captured in action on Marye's Heights near Fredericksburg, VA on 3 May 1863, present at Gettysburg in July, and severely wounded in the throat at Spotsylvania Court House, VA on 9 May 1864. He returned to duty early in 1865 and was listed in command of the battery on March 1865.

He worked in his father's harness shop in Richmond and was later successful in real estate. He was elected to the Virginia legislature in 1872 and established an electric railway line in Richmond in 1884. He was active in the United Confederate Veterans, becoming Commander of the Virginia Division, helped plan the 50th Gettysburg reunion in 1913, and led the effort to have the Virginia Monument placed there (1917).

His name was usually seen as J. Thompson Brown. Service information from Musselman1 via the Historical Data Systems database. His presence at Sharpsburg from Royall W. Figg's "Where men only dare to go!" or, The story of a Boy Company (C.S.A.) (1885); thanks to Andy Cardinal for the pointer to that volume. His gravesite is on Findagrave.

He married Elizabeth Holloway Harrison () in 1863.

One of his 1913 UCV calling cards was sold by Veteran's Attic.

See more about Brown and the Virginia Monument at Gettysburg in a blog post from the Park.

04/04/1840; Richmond, VA

04/21/1921; burial in Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, VA