George and Charles Brown of the 16th Massachusetts

Tom Elmore

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On July 21, 1863, residents of the town of Waltham, Massachusetts gathered at the First Methodist Society to comfort a widowed mother of two local young men who had perished on a distant battlefield in Pennsylvania. It was an impressive and touching service, conducted by members of the Masonic order, augmented by a solemn organ and choir. Local firemen were present, as were soldiers in uniform who came to pay their last respects. Heavy rain and high winds buffeted the subsequent procession, led by the band of the American Watch company, as it made its way to Mt. Feake cemetery, the final resting place of the two brothers, George and Charles Brown, veterans of the 16th Massachusetts.

Five other citizens from Waltham had fallen in the same battle, near the town of Gettysburg, but not all of their bodies had yet been recovered. It was something of a miracle that the body of Lieutenant George F. Brown had been found. A distinguished citizen, Mr. Leonard Greene, had left Waltham on July 8 bound for Gettysburg, but he was not at all sanguine about locating George’s body on the vast expanse of ground where so many had recently fallen. Mr. Greene arrived at the Third Corps hospital south of the town, where he met Dr. Charles Cogswell Jewett, surgeon of the 16th. Jewett conducted him to the bedside of Charles, who was then resting comfortably, although badly wounded. Dr. Jewett anticipated Charles would improve to the point where Mr. Greene could escort him home to his anxious mother.

Charles was described as “brave to a fault, generous and kind in all his relations towards his friends and comrades.” Listing his occupation as a carpenter, Charles had mustered into Company H, 16th Massachusetts as a corporal back on June 29, 1861. One year and one day later, on June 30, 1862, he was wounded in battle at Glendale. Returning to duty, Charles was promoted to first sergeant, the senior enlisted man in his company. After another year of war had passed, Charles found himself posted at the Daniel Klingle place on the Emmitsburg road. It was nearly 7 p.m. on July 2, 1863 and the enemy was closing in from two directions at once, the 18th Mississippi approaching from the south, and the 10th and 11th Alabama from the west. In the merciless crossfire Charles was struck in the shoulder and in two other unspecified spots.

At the hospital, Mr. Greene was fortunate to encounter Private Patrick Connelly from the brothers' regiment. Patrick had gone back out around 10 p.m. on July 2 to the location where his regiment had recently fought. There lay the dead and wounded of both sides, quite close to the enemy pickets, presumably posted just beyond the Emmitsburg road. One Confederate who was badly shot through the bowels pleaded with Patrick to stick a bayonet through his heart, but he could not do it. Then, one by one, Patrick found his dead comrades: John Forsyth Jr., Luman F. Fairbanks (shot through the heart, with his pockets picked), and David G. Hatch (with a single cent remaining in his own rifled pockets). The Rebel pickets allowed Patrick to come close to attend to George Lawton, terribly wounded through both legs and shoulder but still clinging to life. In a few hours an ambulance would convey Lawton to the hospital, where he died within 15 minutes.

Next Patrick came across the lifeless form of Lieutenant George F. Brown of Company B, shot through the brain and foot. Three days later, Patrick returned as part of a burial party and put George into the ground, along with Captains Leander G. King (of C) and David W. Roche (of A). Thus he could readily convey Mr. Greene to the spot for recovery of George’s body. Patrick did the same for Capt. King’s friends when they showed up at the hospital.

George F. Brown had enlisted at the same time with his brother, and was also mustered into Company H, but at the rank of sergeant. A promotion to 2nd Lieutenant on August 11, 1862 was probably the reason for his transfer to another company (B) within the regiment. George was promoted to 1st Lieutenant on November 29, 1862.

While Mr. Greene was busy making arrangements for the recovery of George's body, Charles unexpectedly took a sudden turn for the worse. He succumbed on the morning of July 11. Now Mr. Greene stayed on to ensure both men were embalmed and transported to Waltham, where they could be properly honored and mourned. Both local heroes had rendered their “last full measure of devotion” to their country. It was very kind of Mr. Greene to work so hard on behalf of the deceased brothers, but then again, only natural – he was their brother-in-law.

Post script. Charles L. Brown left behind a diary. On June 21, 1863, he had enjoyed a great laugh with his comrades when a mule ran off, apparently with some of their tenting gear. It seems he spent some time with his brother on the night of June 25. His July 3 entry was understandably difficult to understand, but he wrote of being carried to the “hospital shelter.” The only two words that can be deciphered in his last entry, dated July 5, are “rain” and “sun.”

My draft map (attached) depicts about the moment when the Brown brothers met their fate on July 2.

Sources:
-Waltham Sentinel, July 24 and 31, 1863.
-Diary of Charles L. Brown, Massachusetts Historical Society, uncovered by author Greg Coco, whose collection resides at the Gettysburg National Military Park, Box B-10.
 

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