Biographical HistoryBROWN, William Carey, soldier, was born at
Traverse des Sioux. Nicollet co., Minn., Dec. 19, 1854. son of Garretson
Addison and Sue (Carey) Brown; grandson of William and Mary Magdalene (Young)
Brown; great grandson of George and Alice (Hardesty) Brown:
great-great-grandson of William Brown, who fought against the Indians in the
Pennsylvania militia and under Washington at Yorktown; and
great-great-great-grandson of George Brown, who was farming at Cambridge, Pa.,
in 1752. He was graduated at the U.S. military academy, in 1877, commissioned
2d lieutenant in the 2d cavalry and promoted through various grades to colonel
of cavalry in 1914. He participated in two engagements of the Bannock Indian
campaign (1878), and was stationed at Ft. Klamath, Oreg., 1878-81. He served
with Farrow's Umatilla Indian scouts, 1879, in the operations against the
Sheepeater Indians in the almost inaccessible region of middle Idaho being
awarded the brevet of 1st lieutenant for this service. He made the first map of
part of this hitherto unexplored region. In the next year he made a 600-mile
itinerary and map of parts of Washington, Oregon and Idaho. He was a student
and instructor at the U.S. infantry and cavalry school, Ft. Leavenworth, Kans.
(1881-85). He prepared a manual for stacking arms with the stacking swivel
("G.O. No. 2 A.G.O.," 1883). and devised a method of overcoming the
effect of "drift" of bullet by special construction of the rear sight
on the service rifle, described in the "Report, Chief of Ordnance"
(1884). After five years as adjutant of the U.S. military academy, he
participated in the campaign against the Sioux in Montana (1890 91), and in the
latter year explored and mapped parts of what is now Glacier national park. In
1892 he made a survey with the view to establishing an irrigation system and
developing a water supply for the Navajo Indians. He patented an asbestos stove
pipe shield for tents (511502, 1893), which was adopted by the army, and the
same year superintended the extension of the Ft. Grant, Ariz., water supply.
While on leave of absence in Europe, he made a study of the use of aluminum in
the manufacture of military equipment. In 1896 he was chief of the militia
section of the adjutant-general's department, and the following year made a
practical test of the emergency ration, his men marching twenty-one miles per
day and on one pound of food daily. In the Spanish-American war he participated
as troop commander in the Santiago campaign and in the battle of San Juan. As
major, U.S. volunteers, 45th and 42d infantry regiments, he served in the
Philippines during 1899-1901, took part in the suppression of the Philippine
insurrection, and was acting inspector general of the 4th district of northern
Luzon, participating in two engagements. In 1904 he had charge of the
experimental rifle range established near Ft. Clark, Tex., to test a new U.S.
magazine rifle. Besides securing ballistic data, Brown recommended several
minor improvements in the rear sight which were adopted. Nearly two years were
spent in Australia and New Zealand investigating the horse market and as
disbursing and purchasing quartermaster, purchased & shipped to Manila some
600 cavalry remounts. Following this he inspected and reported on remount
establishments in Java and India. After graduating at the army war college in
1910, he made a tour of inspection in five South American republics. In 1911 he
experimented with the Barr and Stroud range finder; took the field officer's
course at the mounted service school in 1912 and served two years as acting
inspector general and assistant to the department inspector of the Eastern
department. In 1914 he commanded the 10th cavalry at Ft. Huachuea, Ariz., and
enforced neutrality laws during the siege of Naco, Sonora, Mexico. In the
Mexican punitive expedition of 1916 he commanded an independent cavalry column
which penetrated 350 miles into Mexico to Santa Cruz de Villegas, participating
in an engagement at Aguas Calientes. When the United States entered the World
war, he was attached to the staff of the 42d division, [V.E.F.,?] and went with
it to France. In November 1917 he was assigned to the then newly created post
of inspector in the quartermaster corps, and in the performance of his duty
motored some 16,000 miles. Following his retirement, Dec. 19, 1918, he
voluntarily served in the quartermaster generals office (1919-23), and is on
record as having saved the government more than $300,000. Following a special
law authorizing the President to appoint to the next higher grade any officer
on the retired list not above colonel with distinguished service record, he was
appointed a brigadier general, U.S. army retired, Feb. 28, 1927. Brown is an
advocate of military training in schools, colleges and training camps. Since
1925 he has been making military historical researches pertaining to
northwestern United States. Brown received the Indian war, Spanish-American
war, Philippine insurrection and Mexican punitive expedition service medals,
the victory medal and a silver star medal for gallantry in action at Santiago
in 1898, and the distinguished service medal for exceptionally meritorious and
distinguished services as inspector quartermaster corps during the World war.
The more notable of his published articles are: "Aluminum and Its Alloys
for Military Equipment" (1896), published by the war department:
"Equipment for Officers in the Field" (1893), "The Military
Academy and Fabrication of Officers" (1895). Reorganization and Graded
Retirement for Cavalry" (1896), "The Diary of a Captain Kept in
Santiago Campaign" (1898) "The Carbine vs. The Rifle" (1899),
"Experimental Firing with the U.S. Magazine Rifle Model 1903" (Jour,
of Mil. Serv. Instit., 1905), "Rifle Practice in Australia" (Jour. of
Mil. Serv. Instit., 1907), "Australian Horses for the Philippines"
(1907), "Notes on Cavalry Equipment" (1907), "The Cavalry
Pack" (U.S. Cav. Jour., 1908), "Notes of a Trip Through Java and
India" (U.S. Cav. Jour., 1909), "Report on the Mobilization of the
National Guard" (1916), published by the war department: "History of
the Sheepeater Campaign in Idaho, 1879" (1926) and "Old Traverse des
Sioux" (1929). He is a member of the Order of Indian Wars, Society of the
Army of Santiago, U. S. Cavalry Association, West Point Army Mess, First and
Third U. S. Cavalry clubs, Army and Navy Club of Washington, the University and
Explorers clubs of New York city, and is affiliated with the Presbyterian
church.