Andrew Jackson Brown

Andrew Jackson Brown was a 1st Sergeant in the 23rd Mississippi Infantry / Company I. He often served unofficially as a chaplain for his company as well.

Antebellum

Brown was born to parents Miller and Delinda Philips Brown on November 4, 1841 in St. Clair County, Alabama. He was the 9th of 13 children born to the Brown family. Three of his brothers would outlive him.

In 1842, the Brown family moved to a new home in Pontotoc County, Mississippi where Andrew spent his childhood.

War Career

The state of Mississippi seceded from the Union on January 9, 1861. Ten months later, on October 19, 1861, Brown enlisted in the 3rd Mississippi Infantry / Company I at 17 years old. On November 19, 1861 the unit's designation changed to the 23rd Mississippi Infantry, and the soldiers of this unit, including Brown, enlisted for one years' service.

Brown's unit moved north to the area surrounding Ft. Donelson, Mississippi, where they saw heavy fighting on February 15th, 1862. The next day, the regiment surrendered to Union forces, and the prisoners were taken to prisoner camps in Indiana and Illinois. Brown was taken to Camp Douglas in Chicago. He and his fellow prisoners remained here 7 months until formally exchanged at Vicksburg, Mississippi. Upon release, Brown and the survivors of his regiment rested until the expiration of their one-year terms of service on September 24, 1862. At this time, Brown reenlisted for a new term of two years or the war.

Artifacts

• Brown's original diary is located at the Evans Memorial Library in Aberdeen, MS

Postwar Career

After his release from prison, Brown taught in several locations in Pontotoc, Mississippi.

On January 23, 1868 he married Lizzie Adeline McNeil, a native of Oak Hill in Pontotoc County. They left soon after for Memphis, Tennessee, and worked in this city for the Menken Brothers company. Five years later, his wife died in childbirth, and Brown moved back to his former hometown of Pontotoc, Mississippi. Here he opened a general store, and met his second wife, Azaline Bunch, of Waynesboro, Mississippi. Brown's only son to survive to adulthood was born shortly after.

Brown moved again in 1887 to Aberdeen, Mississippi where he continued his career as a businessman and banker. He became involved in various capacities with the Baptist Church, the Wildey Lodge, the Samuel Gohlson Camp of Confederate Veterans, and the Mississippi College at Clinton, Mississippi.

Death

Brown died on August 18, 1926 and was buried at Odd Fellow's Rest in Aberdeen. His wife died a few years later.

Family

• Miller Brown (Father) and Delinda Philips Brown (Mother), married August 26, 1830
  • 9th of 13 children
  • R.P. Brown (Brother)
  • A.J. Brown (Brother)
• Lizzie Adeline McNeil (1st wife), married January 23, 1868
• Azaline Bunch (2nd Wife), married September 4, 1877, died in 1935
  • Clarence C. Brown (Son), married Katherine Louise Bankhead of Vernon, Alabama, died on May 31, 1937 at 60 years of age
    • 2 granddaughters and 5 grandsons

Sources

• Wolf, Patricia Pickle, comp. Andrew Jackson Brown, Confederate Soldier. Baltimore: PublishAmerica, 2011. Print.