Laura Ellen WOMACK BOWEN

Thomas
CAPTAIN
2nd Virginia Regiment
July 18, 1844 - January 23, 1930

*Obituary
Benton County Herald
Thursday, January 23, 1930

BOWEN, Thomas Harry - Capt. T.H. Bowen, Confederate Veteran and well known citizen of Bentonville, died at his home on East Twelfth Street this morning after several weeks of serious illness, aged 85 years, seven months and five days. Funeral services for Capt. Bowen will be held at 2:30 o'clock tomorrow (Friday) afternoon at the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, conducted by the pastor, The Rev. R.S. Hayden. Interment will be in the Bentonville cemetery.

*Obituary
Benton County Record & Democrat & Sun
Thursday, January 23, 1930

As we go to press we learn of the death of another of Bentonville's old soldiers, T.H. Bowen, who passed away at his home in this city this morning. Born in Winchester, Va. July 18, 1844, "Captain" Bowen served through many severe conflicts with Lee's army during the Civil War. Funeral arrangements have not been announced. A daughter, Mrs. Buttry, survives.

*Obituary
Benton County Record & Democrat & Sun
Thursday, January 30, 1930

Death took the remaining Confederate veteran from our midst last Thursday when Thomas H. Bowen died at his home in the east part of town. Funeral services were held for him Friday afternoon at 2:30 at the M.E. Church, South, the Rev. R.S. Hayden officiating. Burial was made in the City Cemetery. Born in Winchester, Va. in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley on July 18, 1844 he grew to manhood there. When the Civil War broke out five brothers, John, Ed, Joe, Charles and Thomas, enlisted. Thomas was the youngest and at that time was 16 years of age. All joined the 2nd Virginia Regiment under Col. Clarke, Stonewall Jackson's brigade. All of the brothers excepting Thomas were killed during the war. It was a coincidence that Mr. Bowen and Mr. W.H. Conine, both war veterans, should pass away within two days of each other. Both were nearly 86 years of age, Mr. Conine lacking but a day and Mr. Bowen five months. Both served
throughout the Civil War on opposite sides and took part in many of the same battles - in the battle of the Wilderness, at Harper's Ferry and three days at Gettysburg. Each of these fine old men had perhaps the biggest war records of skirmishes encountered of perhaps anyone who ever lived in Bentonville. Mr. Conine's war record was printed last week. A year or two ago in an interview with "Captain" Bowen, as he was called, he gave us the following war record which was printed in the Record and Democrat and which we take the liberty of re-publishing for our readers. The fighting occurred throughout the Shenandoah valley, over into Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia. One of the brothers was killed in the battle of the Wilderness, one at Bloody Angle, Spottsylvania. The latter had the largest number of men involved, perhaps the largest of any conflict in which Mr. Bowen participated. They managed to get close enough to the enemies lines to hear their orders to charge so that when the time came they also had "fixed bayonets" and were ready for the fray. This was a bloody and terrible conflict and when over there were only 16 horses and but few men left. Mr. Bowen was one of these and he then was transferred to Moseby's command, Needlewood Company. He fought in two battles of Bull Run, at Harper's Ferry, Natural Bridge, Cedar Creek, Antietam, Kernstown, three skirmishes at Winchester, Sharpsburg, Md. and at Chancellorsville where Jackson was killed. After this terrific fight the small remaining company joined Early's Division, Pickett's 9th Virginia regiment, Hampstead's brigade. On the 3rd of July 1863 Mr. Bowen was one of the 15,000 men whom Pickett led in the charge up Cemetery Hill to wrest the strong position of Round Top from Union hands. After terrific fighting and dreadful casualties Pickett and the remainder of his division were forced back. Mr. Bowen saw active service in three days fighting at Gettysburg. Mr. Bowen said that the Union and Confederate soldiers had many good times together, talking, smoking and sometimes eating their meals together. In fact, much friendliness was shown between the enemies on many occasions but that the bunch of New York soldiers they met at Bloomington, W. Va. were the worst lot of men he had ever met. Some of them were convicts, all of them thieves or toughs. They were unfriendly and always fighting among themselves as well as with their enemies. There were about 1,200 Union and about 800 Confederate soldiers in this conflict according to Mr. Bowen and when ready to go into battle the New Yorkers broke rank and made it a free for all fight. Neither guns or bayonets were used but the fighting was hand to hand with bowie knives. Mr. Bowen says that he killed two men and received a wound himself on the right lower part of his face. When the slaughter ended there were only seven New York City men left. He was never given a rank but on many occasions was appointed to lead in conflicts. After the war he returned to his home in Winchester where he remained for seven years. Mr. Bowen claims that he never surrendered but with seven others mounted their horses and rode back to their homes. In 1872 he went west seeking a new location. His pioneer experiences were as exciting to hear about as those of the war. He was in Montana, Iowa, North and South Dakota but drifted back to New York state, then returned to Iowa, Kansas and Oklahoma. Though a prohibition man himself he saw Dodge City and other Kansas prairie towns at their worst days of drinking, shooting and gambling. Even as early as this Mr. Bowen told that the buffalo were already about extinct and that they no longer roamed the plains. What few he saw were in Colorado, small herds roving wild. During this period he, with other men, took a herd of 1700 cattle from Texas to Caldwell, Kansas. Each man had six horses and they used fresh horses each day besides keeping a night horse for the guards in turn to ride. This long trek took one whole summer. Traveling was very slow. The cattle had to be grazed and rested in the march by intervals. At night the men rode by relays, changing every two hours, guarding the cattle from Indians. Passing through Oklahoma they had trouble with two groups of Indians who tried to stampede the cattle in order to separate them and steal them. One fight was quite a skirmish. Five Indians were killed and seven horses taken. The herders lost four or five cattle which got away or were killed. In 1901 Mr. Bowen settled in Fort Smith and "railroaded" from there over the Frisco for many years before coming to Bentonville. He was a night watch for the city for several years, retiring about five years ago.

*Obituary
Benton County Herald
Thursday, January 30, 1930

With the flag of the Southern Confederacy covering his casket, funeral rites were said here Friday afternoon at the Methodist Episcopal Church, South for Capt. T.H. Bowen, Confederate Veteran, prominent Mason and for many years a resident of Bentonville, whose death had occurred at 4 o'clock Thursday morning, January 23rd, 1930 at his home on East Twelfth Street at the age of 85 years, seven months and five days. The funeral services at the church were conducted by the pastor, the Rev. R.S. Hayden, and at the grave the services were in charge of the Masonic Order of which Capt. Bowen had been an active member for more than 60 years. Thomas Harry Bowen, a son of Hiram Bowen and wife, was born at Martinsburg, West Virginia on July 18th, 1844. When only three years old his father died and he and the other children were taken by their mother to near Winchester, Frederick County, Virginia in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley where he lived until enlisting in the Confederate Army on April 16th, 1861 when only 16 years of age. He and his four older brothers enlisted in Col. Clarke's regiment which became a part of Gen. Stonewall Jackson's brigade and he was the only one of the five to survive the war. One brother was killed in the Seven Days' Battle around Richmond, one at "Bloody Angle" and two in Pickett's memorable charge at Gettysburg. Of the 1,000 young men who marched to the defense of the South in this regiment only eight survived the war. Among the major engagements in which Capt. Bowen fought were the first and second Battles of Manassas, the Battle of the Seven Pines, Kernston, Cedar Creek, Chaneellorsville, Sharpsburg, Spottsylvania, Gettysburg and the battles around Winchester. He was among the soldiers nearest the scene when General Stonewall Jackson, mortally wounded, was brought back through the Confederate lines. He was also among the officers and men whose pleadings finally prevailed upon their beloved General Robert E. Lee not to lead in person the charge at Bloody Angle where in less than 30 minutes of almost hand to hand fighting 13,000 Northern and Southern soldiers fell and the Confederates won a victory although greatly outnumbered by the enemy. He remembered well when he and 6,000 other Confederate soldiers marched 70 miles in 24 hours, fighting en route three separate divisions of the Federal Army of 10,000 men each, and how the Confederates, suffering greatly from fatigue and thirst, had not even time to stop and drink at the streams they crossed. Although participating during his four years of service in many major battles and much hand to hand fighting with bayonets and gun butts and having many narrow escapes from death and imprisonment, Capt. Bowen was only wounded once, that a bayonet wound in the neck. It was a matter of deep pride to Capt. Bowen that when the South was finally overwhelmed by the best man-power and other inexhaustible resources of the North, that he and 15 of his comrades, when they found that General Lee must surrender, secured other horses and equipment and joined Mosby's command which never surrendered and never was paroled. Finally returning to the old home in the now war-devastated Shenandoah Valley, and after going through the horrors of reconstruction days, Capt. Bowen, still in his twenties, turned his face to the Great West and Northwest. Out there he had many adventures as a cowboy and in encounters with the Indians and saw many frontier towns and cities spring into existence. Then within a few years he visited every state in the Union except Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. On May 30th, 1880 at Pleasant Ridge, Ia. he married Miss Laura Ellen Womack, who survives him. To them five daughters were born. One, Hattie, died at the age of 15 months. Two others are buried here, Miss Maude Ellen, who died at the age of 23, and Miss Dora Ola, who died at the age of 22. The two surviving daughters are Mrs. Mabel May Truax of Wichita, Kan. and Mrs. Eva Buttry, who lives here. In 1890 Mr. and Mrs. Bowen moved to Kansas, coming from that state to Arkansas in 1900. The family lived at Fort Smith a few years but Bentonville has been the family home the greater part of the past 30 years. In early manhood Capt. Bowen became a Mason and belonged to most of the branches of York Rite and Scottish Rite Masonry. He had served a number of times as master of the Bentonville Masonic Lodge and 18 years as high priest of the Royal Arch Chapter, including a number of terms here. He was a past eminent commander of the local Knights Ibmplar Commandery, had served as thrice illustrious master of the local Masonic Council and had been a 32nd degree Mason for many years. Next to his own family, the South and Masonry were the two things he loved most. In his time he had communicated the mysteries and rituals of Masonry to scores of initiates and had raised many to the degree of a Master Mason. Capt. Bowen became a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church March 13th, 1904. Capt. Bowen's passing takes one of the oldest Masons in point of years and service of this section and leaves but one local Confederate Veteran, Sam H. Shelton, of near Bentonville. Besides his wife and two daughters, Capt. Bowen is survived by one brother, two years his junior, George H. Bowen, of Bunker Hill, Va. and by five grandchildren.

Laura
Nov 19 1858 - Dec 26 1944

Contributed on 11/6/12 by wfields55
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