Joseph Brown (USS Thistle)

Joseph Brown was born around 1845 in Albemarle County, Virginia, and worked as a laborer before the war. He enlisted in the Union navy on September 18, 1863, at Skipwith's Landing in Isaqueena County, Mississippi, for a period of three years. Officials listed his race as "black" in the naval records and gave him the rating of landsman. He served aboard the USS Thistle, a swift gunboat in the Mississippi Squadron, from October 1, 1862, until her decommission on August 12, 1865. Brown served aboard the ship while she was engaged in dispatch and reconnaissance duty along the Mississippi River. He disappeared from the historical record after leaving the navy. 

2037
DATABASE CONTENT
Name:Brown, Joseph
Alternative names:
Roles:
  • Sailor
Gender:M
Race:Black
Regiment/Ship:
RegimentCompany
U.S.S. Thistle
Branch of service:Navy
Enlistment/Muster:
TypeDatePlaceAccepted/RejectedAgeStatusReason
Enlistment1863-09-18Skipwith's Landing Issaquena County, MSaccepted18Unknown
Residence at enlistment:
Rank In:Landsman
Rank Out:Landsman
Highest rank achieved:Landsman
Pensions:
Person 1Person 2NumberRelation Type
Brown, Josephnoneapplication-invalid
Brown, Josephnoneapplication-minor
Brown, Josephnoneapplication-parent
Brown, Josephnoneapplication-widow
Birth date:1845
Birth date certainty:About
Birth place:Albemarle County, VA
Death date:
Death place:
Causes of death:
Occupations:Laborer
SOURCES

Naval Service Record for Joseph Brown, accessed at the National Park Service's Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Database, https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/search-sailors-detail.htm?sailorId=BRO0275; “Thistle I (Sw Gbt),” Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, accessed online at the Naval History and Heritage Command website, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs.html.