Jacob Brown

b. July 19, 1789 d. May 9, 1846

Jacob Brown was born in Charlton, Worcester County, Massachusetts on July 19, 1789. His parents were Jacob Brown, a Revolutionary War veteran, and Mary Wells. Brown followed in the military footsteps of his father by joining the army during the War of 1812. He fought bravely in Fort Erie and along the Canadian border. He rose through the ranks rapidly during the war by being promoted from Private to Sergeant to Ensign and finally to Second Lieutenant.

After the war he was stationed with the 6th Infantry Regiment in Plattsburg, NY, where he met and married his wife, Sarah Smith, of Toronto. In 1818, he left his regiment and was sent from place to place to confront and eliminate Indian threats. From 1818-1825 he was sent to Council Bluffs on the Missouri River as part of the Yellowstone Expedition to protect the Arkansas border from hostile Indians. In 1831, he was put on permanent detached service in Little Rock, where he stayed until 1840 and was involved in the removal of Indians. During this time he was quite removed from the military world, which may explain why he rose through the ranks at a slower pace than he had during the War of 1812. He bought commercial property in Little Rock and agricultural property in east Arkansas. He also served as the controversial President of the Bank of Arkansas during the Panic of 1837, while also serving as Captain in the army.

Brown rejoined the 6th Infantry Regiment in 1840 and became temporary Regimental Commander. In 1843, he was promoted to Major in the 7th Infantry Regiment, where he served as Regimental Commander, although he was actually third in line down the chain of command. The U.S.-Mexican War brought Brown to Fort Polk, across Matamoros, Tamaulipas, under the command of General Zachary Taylor. When Taylor received news that the Mexicans were going to try to attack Point Isabel, he rushed to defend it and left Brown in charge as Commander of Fort Polk.

The Mexicans began to fiercely attack the Fort by shelling its walls with various batteries. Brown and his regiment held their own and defended the Fort bravely. But on May 6, 1846, while they were being intensely bombarded in a heated Mexican campaign, Brown was struck by a bombshell on his leg while he was turning to give orders. His men rushed toward him, but he ordered them to stay at their posts and to defend the Fort. When they amputated, he continued to show his bravery by urging his men to do their duty and hold the Fort. He died on May 9, 1846, of the wound he had sustained days before. The command fell on Captain E. S. Hawkins, who was able to defend the Fort until the arrival of General Taylor.

General Taylor was saddened with the news of Brown's demise. He thought highly of Brown and said that the loss was "severe and irreparable." Fort Polk, also known as Fort Texas and Fort Taylor, was renamed Fort Brown in his honor.

He was survived by at least two daughters. One, named Sarah Jane, married Union General Stewart Van Vliet, while another, Mary Augusta, married Samuel Preston Moore, Surgeon General of the Confederate States of America. Jacob Brown is now buried in Alexandria National Cemetery in Louisiana, after having been moved from his grave in Brownsville, Texas.