Darlington County · Marker 16-43
Henry "Dad" Brown
corner of S. Gov. Williams Hwy. (U.S. Hwy. 52) & Brockington Rd., Darlington
Front inscription
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 brickmason, joined the Confederate army in May 1861 as a drummer in the "Darlington Grays," Co. F, 8th S.C. Infantry.
Reverse inscription
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.