Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 2.djvu/202

182 of its heroes, worthy of a place with Howard, Smallwood and Gist, of the Revolution, as their honored successor in the "Maryland Line." .

Brigadier-General Joseph Lancaster Brent, of Baltimore, distinguished for his service in various arms of the Confederate military forces, was born in Charles county, Maryland, in 1826. He was reared at his native place, and attended college at Georgetown, D. C. When the war broke out, he was in California, but the ties of sympathy were too strong to be overcome by his great distance from home, and he took ship for the seat of war, in company with William M. Gwyn, ex- United States senator, and Calhoun Benham, United States district attorney in California. But on the high seas they were arrested by Gen. E. V. Sumner, and the three were sent to Fort Lafayette, and held two or three weeks, when they were paroled and permitted to go to Washington. They sought to be relieved of this coercion and finally, through the influence of George D. Prentice, a brother-in-law of Mr. Benham, Mr. Brent was discharged from restraint without being required to take the oath of allegiance, which he had refused to do. He proceeded to Richmond in the winter of 1861-62, and at once entered the Confederate service, with rank of captain, on the staff of Gen. J. B. Magruder, in command of the district of Yorktown. After the conclusion of the Yorktown campaign, he was promoted major of artillery and assigned to duty as chief ordnance officer of the right wing of the army of Northern Virginia, under command of General Magruder, as the army was organized by Gen. Joseph E. Johnston. Major Brent held this position until the close of the Peninsular campaign of 1862, contributing to the success of the Confederate arms, and was then assigned to the staff of Gen. Richard Taylor, who was in command of the district of Western Louisiana. He participated in the military operations of this