Robert Tillman Brown’s military career took him from the dusty expanse of the U.S.-Mexican border to the bloody fields of World War I France. Along the way, he gathered a large collection battlefield items ranging from German gas masks to the chaps taken off the body of one of Pancho Villa’s top commanders.
Now Brown’s descendents are donating these historical treasures to the people of South Carolina. The S.C. Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum has recently taken possession of the items thanks to a gift from two of Brown’s grandchildren. It’s one of a string of intriguing contributions that the museum has received recently from donors around the region.
While the Brown family has taken great care to protect the materials over the years, “my cousin and I were concerned about the items’ future security,” said Robert L. Brown, a retired Air Force Officer who now teaches English at the University of South Carolina-Sumter. “We felt they really belonged more to South Carolina. They belonged in a professional museum.”
Other recent donations include the collection of Ebenezer Stenhouse who served in the 2nd SC Regiment in the Civil War. The materials donated by his great grandson David Edelen of Millbrooke, Alabama include what is believed to be a rare British-made Civil War blanket that would have been brought through the Union naval blockade for Confederate troops. The collection also includes numerous items that document Stenhouse’s Civil War-era grocery store on Main Street.
“We have had a string of really wonderful additions to our collection courtesy of several individuals who love history and our state,” said museum Director Allen Roberson. “This an exciting time for our museum.”
The items donated by Brown include an intact German World War I gas mask, Luger pistol as well as everyday items such as a matchbook and shaving kit. Also included Brown’s uniform, a personal riding crop given by his men and a notebook of funny stories and newspaper clippings prepared by the ladies of Sumter to help the soldiers pass the time when the fighting stopped.
Brown also provided several albums of beautifully-preserved and labeled candid snapshots that Robert Tillman Brown took during his military travels. These photos will be scanned for retention by the museum. Brown also plans to donate a copy of his grandfather’s military diary, which will help in documenting the history behind the items.
“This is an outstanding collection that is in great shape and well documented, which is rare,” Roberson said. “This family knows the military well and we are truly grateful to them.”
Among the most cherished items in the collection is a “housewife” – a World War I-era sewing kit that Robert T. Brown carried with him. It went with his son William H. Brown when he flew gliders into Normandy, Holland and Germany during World War II. Grandson Robert took it with him to The Citadel and on to a career in the Air Force. Each generation has signed their name and service record on the small canvas pouch. The Brown family still owns the item but has provided it to the museum as a loan.
Robert Tillman Brown was a graduate of Sumter High School and worked as a clerk for South Carolina National Bank. In 1916 his S.C. National Guard Unit was activated after Mexican bandit Francisco "Pancho" Villa had attacked a New Mexico border town and killed 18 American soldiers and civilians. An expeditionary force under the command of Brig. Gen. John J. "Black Jack" Pershing chased Villa throughout northern Mexico.
At some point during this episode, American troops killed Trinidad Rodriguez, one of Villa’s favorite generals. Robert L. Brown said his grandfather was given the chaps on condition that he remove the item immediately from Mexico. The chaps had been in possession of Brown’s cousin Robert T. Brown III of Florida, who donated them to the museum.
During World War I, Brown was a regimental supply officer with the 30th Division of the 118th Infantry Regiment which played a key role in combat on the Western front in France. During the fighting, Brown was gassed and suffered minor damage to his voice. Throughout the war, he collected items from the battlefield and carefully recorded events in a small pocket diary which is being transcribed.
When the fighting ended, Brown returned to Sumter where he opened the city’s first Goodyear tire store. He served in the state legislature before deciding to focus on service to the community as Sumter County Clerk, a position that allowed him to lead many charitable efforts and improve conditions for prisoners on the chain gang, Robert L. Brown said.
“He was a big, generous, happy fellow,” Brown said. “Our grandfather was a giant to us.”
Founded in 1896, Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum is the oldest museum in the Columbia area. The museum focuses on South Carolina military history from the Revolutionary War to the present. It is one of just 11 museums and historical sites in South Carolina to be accredited by the American Association of Museums.