· BLACK HISTORY MONTH. FEBRUARY 2024 Many people in America today still believe it is a myth that numerous African Americans served in the Confederate States Army because they chose to do so. Not only do they still believe it to be a myth, but they refuse even to consider it possible. It is not a myth. And they were not all "Uncle Toms."
During Black History Month, it is my privilege and honor to recognize Mr. Henry “Dad” Brown. He was a Confederate States Army veteran and a favorite son of Darlington County, South Carolina. I encourage you to read the following articles concerning his life. I wish I could shake his hand and thank him for all of his contributions to everyone he met, black and white. I look forward to that handshake when we meet in heaven.
A LOOK BACK: HENRY "DAD" BROWN By Samantha Lyles, published in The Hartsville (South Carolina) News Journal on January 7, 2015.
Born near Camden in 1830, Henry "Dad" Brown was a free black man and a veteran of the Mexican, Civil, and Spanish-American Wars, and was a figure of admiration and controversy during his lifetime and long thereafter. How Brown came to freedom varies by account, with some holding that he was born into freedom and others saying that he purchased his freedom and that of his wife, Laura Cannon Brown, who was one of the founders of Macedonia Baptist Church.
Brown made a good living as a reputable brick mason and owned a great deal of land, with holdings that reached from Timmonsville Hwy to Ponderosa Drive, and Hwy 401 to High Hill Road. Brown believed in spreading the wealth, apprenticing young masons and offering financial help to those in need, regardless of their race. Perhaps owing to his sense of community, Brown willingly enrolled as a drummer with the Darlington Guards in 1861 and followed his fellow citizens into danger when the Civil War broke out.
Battlefield drummers played a key role in communication back then, as verbal orders could easily be obscured by the boom of cannons, but a drumbeat could convey orders to deployed soldiers with a mere change of rhythm. Though unarmed, drummers were in the same danger as their fellow soldiers. During the Battle of Bull Run, Brown and his drum accompanied the 8th Regiment onto the battlefield in the thick of the fighting.
One newspaper article quotes Brown as saying his "proudest boast" was the capture of a pair of Yankee drumsticks at the second Battle of Manassas. Brown reputedly cherished these drumsticks and kept them close at hand for the rest of his life. At the close of the Civil War, Brown's reputation drew him into public service and he was elected coroner of Darlington County. However, his term of service was ended in resignation after Brown grew frustrated by the pervasive corruption and crooked dealing that characterized much of the Reconstruction period.
Though Darlington had no regular militia while under federal occupation from 1865 to 1876, it wasn't long before Brown again found himself in uniform. He joined the regrouped Darlington Guards in 1878 and deployed to Cuba. He remained interested in military activities all his life, and regularly turned out to beat the drum whenever veterans turned out for any occasion.
Brown passed away November 2, 1907, after a long illness, and was laid to rest beside his wife Laura. A 15-foot obelisk marks his final resting place on Jeffrey Street in Darlington. Newspaper accounts estimate that at least one-third of those attending his funeral were white, and his grave was completely covered in flowers and gifts from friends and admirers. One white reverend, D.M. Fulton, and one black reverend, J.J. Jefferson, conducted the ceremony, and Darlington Guards bugler Angus Gainey played "Taps" while the company fired three rounds over the grave. "He has gone to join the great majority of those who marched to the tap of his drum. But we, too, shall soon follow them," wrote Gen. W.E. James, on the occasion of Henry Brown's death.
Over the years, a wide range of tributes have accrued to Brown, including several commemorative ceremonies staged by Confederate reenactors from across the country and, in one well-attended 1990 program, an address by then Secretary of the Army M.P.W. Stone.
While Brown's roots in the Darlington community and strong relationships with whites and blacks alike made his decision to support the Confederacy somewhat understandable among locals, numerous published examinations of his actions expressed bafflement that any African American would willingly fight for the South. One thing was certain: Henry "Dad" Brown marched to his own beat, and remains one of the most unique persons in Darlington's history. [1] HENRY "UNCLE DAD" BROWN.
By Lauren Monica.The Hartsville (S.C.) News Journal. Most stories about the Civil War describe a misguided nation, large egos, and a bitter divide among the citizenship for the ownership of the nation's collective soul. America allowed the pursuit of money to cloud obvious truths, societal norms to excuse the degradation of half its citizens. Not all our countrymen failed to see this bigger picture, the melting pot that would become the United States of America. Henry "Uncle Dad" Brown of Darlington was one of these pioneers.
An African American man, Brown voluntarily signed up to serve the Confederacy. In the present day, we might be quite mystified to understand why an African American would serve the very government that wished to keep him in shackles. Brown answered this rather weighty question by telling his critics that he did not wish to preserve slavery or endorse secession. Brown wished, as so many did, to have a part in protecting his homeland, neighbors, and friends.
When Brown joined the war effort he served in the capacity of drummer for the 8th S.C. Infantry under the command of Captain W. H. Evans, later serving with Captain S. H. Wild in the S.C. 21st Regiment. The Confederate Congress ordered that all African American musicians be paid the same as white musicians. Under this law, Brown was paid $12 a month for his service to the South. To be a drummer during the Civil War era was to truly take your life in your hands. As a musician you were unarmed, but could see just as much action as your armed counterparts. While dangerous, a drummer performed the necessary function of providing orders to the troops. The instrument's booming cadence could be heard more easily than the human voice over cannon blasts.
Brown had many notable experiences during his military service. One such experience was being present in the thick of the fighting at the Battle of Bull Run. Another was when "Uncle Daddy" made off with a pair of Yankee drumsticks. These pilfered drumsticks represented the war to Brown, and he was photographed with them as they often accompanied him. This photograph is proudly on display at the Darlington County Historical Society.
After retiring from service, Brown became a wealthy landowner and brick mason. He took many under his wing, offering several apprenticeships. He was even elected to serve as Darlington County's coroner.
Believing in giving back to his community, Brown did not hoard his success. He often provided financial assistance to neighbors in need, regardless of their race. To Brown, you were American before anything else. Brown's belief was never more clearly on display than at his funeral. When death came for Henry Brown on November 2, 1907, the whole of Darlington society came out to honor this exceptional human being. At his passing, the Darlington Guards, an all white military unit, marched to Brown's home and kept vigil with his family. Black and white ministers J.J. Jefferson and D.M. Fulton, presided over his funeral. All white pallbearers brought his casket to its final resting place. He was laid to rest beside his beloved bride, Laura.
A 15-foot monument stands in remembrance of this American titan in Darlington. Through his life and death, Henry "Uncle Dad" Brown embodied the very meaning of America. [2]
HENRY "DAD" BROWN By Norm Dasinger, Jr., The Civil War Dispatch. November 9, 2020. In a February 1989 issue of Civil War Times Illustrated, it was remarked that "Brown went to war not to preserve slavery or to endorse secession but, like many of his white counterparts, simply to defend his home as did his friends and neighbors." The Historical Society of Pennsylvania published an article by Daniel Rolph on October 9, 2012, entitled "Pensions for African Americans who Served or Fought for the Confederate States of America." The article stated: "The records show that both free and enslaved African Americans served on behalf of the Southern states." Henry "Dad" Brown is one example cited by the author. Born in 1830, Henry "Dad" Brown was a free black man and veteran battlefield drummer. He served in the Mexican, Civil, and Spanish-American Wars. He was a landowner and brick mason living in Darlington County, South Carolina. In 1861, he was at First Manassas, Virginia, serving with the 8th South Carolina. It is believed that Brown captured a pair of Union drumsticks after his had been damaged. He used these for the remainder of the war. In a 1907 Darlington Press article, the paper wrote that "he (Brown) followed onto the (Manassas) battlefield and was under fire with the others." By 1862, he was serving in the 21st South Carolina and receiving $12 per month for his service. The Confederate Congress authorized salaries for black musicians and specified that they were to receive the same rate of pay as white musicians, stating, "Whenever colored persons are employed as musicians in any regiment or company, they shall be entitled to the same pay now allowed by law to musicians regularly enlisted." After the war, Brown returned to Darlington, and when the Darlington Camp #785 United Confederate Veterans (UCV) Camp was organized he had his name enrolled. The Darlington Press article stated: "He prided himself on being a veteran and took great interest in the camp." In a February 1989 issue of Civil War Times Illustrated, it was remarked that "Brown had went to war not to preserve slavery or to endorse secession but, like many of his white counterparts, simply to defend his home as did his friends and neighbors." Henry Brown died in 1907. His casket was covered with a Confederate battle flag and members of his UCV Camp acted as pallbearers. The service was conducted by both a white and a black pastor. A spiraling 20-foot obelisk was erected in his honor on his grave, and in 1990, this monument underwent restoration and was rededicated. The ceremony that year was attended by over 200 people, including retired Army General William Westmoreland and Army Secretary Michael Stone. The event caused some differing opinions among locals. Arthur Stanley, then president emeritus of the Darlington Branch of the NAACP, remarked: "I feel Henry Brown was a handyman for the white man. There are a lot of other blacks who could have been honored who weren't Uncle Toms." Wilhelmina Johnson, who is black and founder of the Cultural, Realism, and Charm Complex and director of the Darlington County Museum of Ethnic Culture, said, "While the tribute to Dad Brown might offend some African Americans, especially considering his service in the Confederacy, I feel the tribute is long overdue." [3] SOUTH CAROLINA STATE HISTORICAL MARKER NUMBER 16-43.) [4]
INSCRIPTION FRONT Henry "Dad" Brown (1830-1907), a black veteran of the Mexican, Civil, and Spanish-American Wars, is buried 75' N with his wife Laura. Variously said to have been born free or born as a slave who purchased his and Laura's freedom, he was born near Camden. Brown, a brick mason, joined the Confederate army in May 1861 as a drummer in the "Darlington Grays," Co. F, 8th S.C. Infantry.
REVERSE Brown enlisted as a drummer in Co. H, 21st S.C. Infantry in July 1861 and served for the rest of the war. He "captured" a pair of Union drumsticks in battle. He was also a member of the "Darlington Guards" 1878-1907. Described as "a man of rare true worth" at his death in 1907, Brown was honored shortly afterwards by Darlington citizens who erected the monument nearby. Erected 2000 by the City of Darlington Historical Landmarks Commission.
LOCATION 34° 17.364′ N, 79° 52.965′ W. Marker is in Darlington, South Carolina, in Darlington County. Marker is on Brockington Road, on the left when traveling east. Marker is in this post office area: Darlington SC 29532, United States of America.
3. Henry "Dad" Brown. Norm Dasinger, Jr., The Civil War Dispatch. November 9, 2020. Blue and Gray Education Society, P.O. Box 1176 Chatham, VA | 24531 US. https://blueandgrayeducation.org/. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
PHOTOGRAPHS 1. Henry "Dad" Brown Grave Site. Darlington, South Carolina. 2. Henry "Dad" Brown Monument. Darlington, South Carolina. 3. Henry "Dad" Brown. Standing in the Town Square, Darlington, South Carolina. Courtesy of the Darlington County Historical Society. 4. The Darlington, South Carolina Militia Company. The Darlington Guards. 5. South Carolina State Historical Marker 1643. Front. 6. South Carolina State Historical Marker 1643. Reverse.
NOTE My book, "THE CIVIL WAR IN MY SOUTH CAROLINA LOWCOUNTRY," Second Edition, is now available online in hardback and paperback versions from Amazon. The eBook version will be available at a later date. https://www.amazon.com/Civil.../dp/1684866464/ref=sr_1_1...
