I can find no record of my ancestor, Joshua W Brown (W stood for Wilson) who fought for the Confederacy. He lived in Paint Creek, Kanawha County, Virginia (now West Virginia) at the outbreak of the war. Evidently, he was away fighting in October 1862 when he packed his family up to flee to Union, Monroe County. In a letter, his daughter said he had ridden 17 miles to get to the family, so I guess the "activity" then was 17 miles from Paint Creek.
I can find no record of Joshua. Below, I have copied what I wrote in a post to genforum (Scott has helped me a great deal) to give more details. The letter is a primary source, so I know he fought in some capacity. His gravestone says he was an officer in the 7th Virginia Cavalry, but that was erected in his honor decades after his passing.
Here's what I know:
Joshua was born in 1824, so he would have been 38. The information we have is from a letter his daughter wrote to an aunt as the family fled from Paint Creek, Kanawha, Virginia (now West Virginia) to Union, Monroe County. Letter was written from October 1862 to March of 1863. Joshua Brown was serving then, though I think it was part of a local group rather than the Confederate army. During the flight, daughter relates a Major Hold(t) from the 60th was ill and rested, though I have never been able to find a 60th whatever in that region or a Major Hold. Daughter relates to her aunt that her father, she calls him a "sunburnt hero" is home on furlougn in March of 1863 and her mother was trimming her father's uniform with the stars that the Colonel brought from Richmond. Daughter refers to herself as a Rebel Officer's daughter in her letter closing, though I doubt she had any real understanding of military rank. Joshua's tombstone says he was with the 7th Virginia Cavalry, but that monument was put up years after his death. While I don't trust the information on the tombstone, I do trust the information in the daughter's letter as it was written as this was all happening. I do find a son, Frank M Brown, fighting with the 11th Cavalry and taking the amnesty oath in March of 1865.
The family did not stay in Virginia/West Virginia. They finally settled in Illinois and I imagine kept their Confederate past secret to help mend fences with the rest of the family which remained loyal.
Any help or insight anyone can give me is much appreciated. Thanks to Scott who steered me to this board.