The Brownfield Public Library, along with the Brownfield Historical Society, is raising money to place a headstone for Civil War Hero Mary Brown,
Mary Brown died in Farrington Hospital in Portland at 98 in 1936.
She is buried in Brownfield's Pine Grove Cemetery without a headstone. She lies next to her husband who has two headstones. One for each regiment he served under.
Reverend Ivory and Mary Brown were living in Brownfield when the Civil War started. Mr. Brown promptly enllsted in the 31st Maine Infantry. She “joined up” with her husband, a year after their marriage, when he enlisted on Oct. 18, 1864, and remained in the service until he was discharged on July 15, 1865
According to newspaper articles, Mary Brown was a staunch abolitionist. In a post war interview she said she fought “because slavery was an awful thing, and we were determined to fight it down.” As an evangelist Mrs. Brown played her most outstanding role, namely, to assuage the aching heart and the troubled soul thereby lessening the fear of embarking on that last voyage bound for the land where sickness, sorrow and death are unknown
Often, when her husband was on picket duty, Mary Brown took his place in the ranks and stood on the firing line with a “ 16 shooter,” a sword and a dirk. (short sword). She was standing next to her brother-in law, a veteran of 47 battles, when he was killed at the Siege of Petersburg. Her husband was seriously wounded In the Wilderness Campaign . The siege of Petersburg lasted well into 1865, marked by a constant reinforcing of the lines, intermittent sniper fire, occasional Union prodding of Confederate defenses, some skirmishes, and three more battles. On the Union side there were at least two women who endured the siege, one of whom was Mary A. Brown of the 31st Maine Infantry. She arrived on the Petersburg front with the rest of her regiment in January.
Mary Brown miraculously escaped injury, which enabled her to act as a nurse where she dressed wounds and assisted the surgeons in performing major operations on the battlefields. At one time she had complete charge of a field hospital with 150 wounded men to take care of.
She was known as 'Mother' on the battlefield and later in life as 'Grammy.' In the photo
she is shown holding her beloved New Testament which she proudly boasted had read 50 times. She is wearing her Ladies Relief Corps badge and her Post badge.
She was a member of the Daniel A. Bean Post G.A.R., No. 160 at Brownfield and also of Annie A. Gould Tent, Daughters of the American Revolution
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Female Soldiers in the Civil War link
