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Jacob Brown
Commanding the Seventh Infantry in the early stage of the siege of Ft. Texas was Major Jacob Brown. Brown was loved by the men of the Regiment and highly respected by his officers and the Army of Occupation. He had led the Regiment from Corpus Christi. Lt. Napoleon Jackson Tecumseh Dana said of him in a letter to his wife dated September 23: "Our Lieutenant Colonel Hoffmann has not as yet made his appearance. He is not much wished for, and Major B. still commands the regiment. He does very well indeed. The grumblers will not listen to anything in his favor, but he does well and is the best major on the field"
Brown was born in Vermont in 1788. He enlisted as a common soldier in the 11th Regiment during the War of 1812 at the age of 24. He was promoted to sergeant and then ensign, then the lowest commissioned rank. Because of his skill and gallantry he was retained as a first Lieutenant of the Sixth Infantry. He held that rank until 1825 when he was promoted to captain. On February 27 1843 he was promoted to Major in the Seventh Infantry. In August of 1845 with the promotion of Lt. Col. Wm. Whistler to the 4th Infantry, Brown assumed the command of the Regiment and led it to Corpus Christi and from there on the overland march to opposite Matamoros. Here construction of an earthen fort commenced.
With his supply lines in danger Taylor was forced to reinforce his main depot. The Seventh was selected to garrison the work, simply called Ft. Texas. On April 29 Dana penned his wife: "But now comes the news of the greatest interest to us. Major Brown has been assigned to the command of this fort and our regiment has been selected to garrison it, together with two companies of artillery, in all four hundred men... We take it as an honorable selection, and the good name of the regiment, together with the confidence the General has in Major Brown has undoubtedly got us the place."
Brown proved more than equal to his task. On May the 6th the gallant Brown was severely wounded. The following except is taken form "Our Army on the Rio Grande" by T.B. Thorpe: "After the cross firing, called forth with so much energy by our signal eighteen pounders, had continued for three hours and a half, the noble-minded Major Brown, commander of the fort, with his adjutant-lieutenant by his side, took his usual round to see that officers and men were at their posts. He stopped for a moment to give some directions to some of the soldiers who were busily employed at one of the bomb-proofs. Every instant the men were engaged in dodging to avoid the ball and bursting shell. One of the latter, from, 'the battery in the country,' struck in the parapet, burying itself in the sand without exploding; a cloud of dust rose in the air, amid which the gallant commander was seen to fall, mortally wounded. He was immediately taken to the hospital tent, and, while being borne in the arms of two of his men, he exhorted those around him never to give up the fort. His right leg had been shot off, exhibiting the torn muscles, and jagged crushed bones to the pained sight of his command. Although suffering the most excruciating tortures, he remained perfectly calm, and said to those who were sympathetically standing about him, 'Men, go to your duties, stand by your posts; I am but one among you.' While suffering under the operation of having his leg amputated above the knee, which was most skillfully done, he congratulated his country that the misfortune had befallen him, and not been meted out to a younger man."
Due to the intense nature of the shelling Brown was removed to the relative safety of the powder magazine. Here, in the stifling and enclosed atmosphere he lingered in extreme pain until two o'clock P. M. on Saturday May 9th. He was buried beneath the main flag mast. Dana again penned a letter to his wife on May 11th stating: "He is a very serious loss to our regiment, one which we will not be able to replace. He was a perfect bulldog for the fight." General Zachary Taylor, who had obtained his first commission with the Seventh in 1808 described Brown in the following manner: " The pleasure (of victory) is alloyed with profound regret at the loss of the heroic and indomitable Major Brown. His loss would be a severe one to the service at any time, but to the army under my orders it is indeed irreparable." In another communication to the Adjutant General of the Army Taylor said of Brown: "His death is a voucher for his patriotism and devotion to duty."
As a sign of respect the earthwork known as Fort. Texas would be renamed Ft. Brown in honor of its fallen first commander. The modern city of Brownsville, Texas takes its name as well from this gallant commander.
"Death of Major Brown"-Pictorial History
of Mexico and the Mexican War-1848.
Major Brown's remains were removed to the National
Cemetery in Pineville, Louisiana.
- written by Steve Abolt, Major Commanding
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