William Washington Brown (b. ca. 1844) was a native of Stewart County, Georgia. He was the oldest of four children living with their widowed mother, Vastell (Vashti) Brown. The family was poor, owned no real estate, and had personal property valued at $50. Washington Brown apparently had little or no schooling and had others write most, if not all, of his letters, although he informs his mother that he has learned to read and write while in the army. Brown enlisted as a private in Co. E, 31st Georgia Infantry on November 13, 1861. Company E (also known as “Bartow Guards” and the “Stewart Guards”) was composed of Stewart County men.Washington Brown was taken prisoner at Williamsport, Pennsylvania on July 14, 1863. He was confined at Fort Delaware prison camp, where he died of smallpox on November 1, 1863.