Richard Brown was born in Albemarle County, Virginia, around 1844. His status and whereabouts before the war are unknown, but he enlisted in Columbus, Ohio, on February 10, 1864, and mustered in to Company D of the 27th USCT Infantry Regiment the next day. His enlistment papers describe him as a laborer, 5 feet, 5 1/2 inches tall, with black hair, eyes, and complexion.
The regiment served throughout the Carolinas, helping capture Fort Fisher, Wilmington, and Raleigh. It was also present at Bennett Place for Confederate General Joseph E. Johnson's surrender, the largest surrender of Confederate soldiers during the war. Brown spent most of his time during the war on daily hospital duty. He mustered out with his regiment on September 21, 1865, near Southville, North Carolina. He never filed a pension and disappeared from the historical record after leaving the army.