Joseph Bryant Smith was born on December 29, 1826,^[1] in Belfast, Maine, Smith was appointed midshipman on October 19, 1841. After graduating with the Class of 1847, he served at the Washington Navy Yard, in Mississippi and with the United States Coast Survey. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant in 1855, and soon afterwards was assigned to the steam frigate Merrimack, his station until 1857. Smith next had ordnance duty at the Washington Navy Yard, D.C.

In 1860, he was ordered to frigate Congress as her first lieutenant. He was in acting-command of Congress on March 8, 1862, when she was attacked and destroyed by the Confederate ironclad, CSS Virginia, and lost his life in the action. When his father, Captain Joseph Smith, heard of the surrender of Congress, he said, "Then Joe is dead," feeling that she never would have surrendered while his son lived.

Smith was buried at Oak Hill Cemetery in Washington, D.C.^[1][2]

Two ships have been named, USS Smith for him.

• This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
•   This article incorporates public domain material from Lieutenant Joseph B. Smith, USN, (1826-1862). Naval History and Heritage Command.