Black and white postcard. NPS link. In 1909, the United States Army abandoned Fort Brown, Texas, and its associated Brownsville National Cemetery. The U.S. government contracted a private firm to transfer and reinter the remains of 3,800 soldiers from Brownsville National Cemetery to Alexandria National Cemetery. Most of the soldiers originally interred at Brownsville were casualties of the Mexican-American War, the Civil War, and an 1885-86 yellow fever epidemic. Major Jacob Brown, for whom the fort was named, is now buried at Alexandria. One grave at Alexandria contains the remains of 1,537 unknown soldiers originally buried at the Brownsville Cemetery. Remains were also transferred from Fort Ringgold, in Rio Grande City, Texas. A gray gr...