John Stevens Bowen (October 30, 1830 – July 13, 1863) was an American career

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

officer who later became a

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

in the

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fi ...

and a commander in the Western Theater of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. He fought at the battles of Shiloh,

Corinth Corinth ( ; , ) is a municipality in Corinthia in Greece. The successor to the ancient Corinth, ancient city of Corinth, it is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese, which is located in south-central Greece. Sin ...

, and the

Vicksburg Campaign The Vicksburg campaigns were a series of maneuvers and battles in the Western Theater of the American Civil War directed against Vicksburg, Mississippi, a fortress city that dominated the last Confederate-controlled section of the Mississippi ...

. He is often said to have died just as his abilities were gaining attention.

Early life and education

Bowen was born in Bowen's Creek,

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. He attended the

University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

(UGA) in the early 1840s where he was a member of the

Phi Kappa Literary Society The Phi Kappa Literary Society is a College literary societies (American), college literary society, located at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, and is one of the few active literary societies left in America. Originally founded in ...

, but left before graduating. He later entered the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

in 1848, but was suspended in March 1851, for a year. He graduated 13th of 52 cadets in the class of 1853. Among his classmates were future Confederate generals

Henry Brevard Davidson Henry Brevard Davidson (January 28, 1831 – March 4, 1899) was a United States Army officer and Confederate general during the American Civil War. At the outbreak of the war, he resigned his commission and served in various staff positions i ...

John Bell Hood John Bell Hood (June 1 or June 29, 1831 – August 30, 1879) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War. Hood's impetuosity led to high losses among his troops as he moved up in rank. Bruce Catton wrote that "the decision to replace ...

, and John R. Chambliss, Jr. He subsequently was commissioned a brevet second lieutenant in the U.S. Regiment of Mounted Rifles. He was first assigned to the army cavalry school at

Carlisle, Pennsylvania Carlisle is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in and the county seat of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. Carlisle is located within the Cumberland Valley, a highly productive agricultural region. As of the 2020 United States census ...

until 1855, when he was transferred to the

Jefferson Barracks The Jefferson Barracks Military Post is located on the Mississippi River at Lemay, Missouri, south of St. Louis. It was an important and active U.S. Army installation from 1826 through 1946. It is the oldest operating U.S. military installatio ...

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

; while in St. Louis, he met and married Mary Kennerly. He eventually became acting adjutant of the U.S. 2nd Cavalry Regiment; then in early 1855, he was reassigned to

Fort McIntosh, Texas Fort McIntosh was a U.S. Army base in Laredo, Texas, Laredo, Webb County, Texas, from 1849 to 1946. Fort McIntosh was established on 3 March 1849 by the 1st US Infantry, under the command of Lt. E.L. Viele, to guard the Texas frontier at the si ...

. While there, he decided to resign from the army due to loneliness and moved to Georgia, becoming an architect. He designed and built his family's home on Michigan Avenue in St. Louis. Bowen was an acquaintance of

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as Commanding General of the United States Army, commanding general, Grant led the Uni ...

before the war as Grant used to deliver firewood in Bowen's neighborhood. Bowen became a lieutenant colonel in the Georgia militia, but then moved to

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

in 1857. There he became active in the

Missouri Volunteer Militia The Missouri Volunteer Militia (MVM) was the state militia organization of Missouri, before the formation of the Missouri State Guard in the American Civil War. Prior to the Civil War, Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciatio ...

(MVM). In 1861 he was appointed as lieutenant colonel commanding the MVM's Southwest Battalion, patrolling Missouri's western border against raids by bands of Kansas

Jayhawkers Jayhawker and red leg are terms that came to prominence in Kansas Territory during the Bleeding Kansas period of the 1850s; they were adopted by militant bands affiliated with the free-state cause during the American Civil War. These gangs were ...

Career

American Civil War

In early May 1861, Bowen was ordered to St. Louis, where he took command of the new 2nd Regiment MVM, largely composed of members of the pro-secessionist

Minutemen Minutemen were members of the organized New England colonial militia companies trained in weaponry, tactics, and military strategies during the American Revolutionary War. They were known for being ready at a minute's notice, hence the name. Min ...

paramilitary organization. While serving as the colonel of the MVM's 2nd Regiment and chief of staff to Brigadier General Daniel M. Frost on May 10, 1861, Bowen was captured at Camp Jackson by Union Army Brigadier General

Nathaniel Lyon Nathaniel Lyon (July 14, 1818 – August 10, 1861) was a United States Army officer who was the first Union Army, Union General officer, general to be killed in the American Civil War. He is noted for his actions in Missouri in 1861, at the beginn ...

. As he waited to be exchanged, he was commissioned a

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

in the Confederate States Army on June 11, 1861. After arriving in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

he set about recruiting for and organizing the 1st Missouri Infantry.Bowen's actions in entering CSA service and building and training a CSA regiment were almost certainly a violation of his oath of parole as his activities materially assisted the CSA war effort. After Bowen's capture at Vicksburg, Missouri officers in Federal service protested that Bowen was a parole-breaker, but General Grant allowed Bowen, mortally ill at the time, to be paroled again. He was reportedly officially exchanged on November 1 and became a brigade commander, serving at

Columbus, Kentucky Columbus is a home rule-class city in Hickman County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 140 at the 2020 census, a decline from 229 in 2000. The city lies at the western end of the state, less than a mile from the Mississippi ...

, under Major General

Leonidas Polk Lieutenant-General Leonidas Polk (April 10, 1806 – June 14, 1864) was a Confederate general, a bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana and founder of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Confederate States of America, which separat ...

. Bowen was promoted to brigadier general on March 14, 1862, and his brigade was assigned to Major General

John C. Breckinridge John Cabell Breckinridge (January 16, 1821 – May 17, 1875) was an American politician who served as the 14th vice president of the United States, with President James Buchanan, from 1857 to 1861. Assuming office at the age of 36, Breckinrid ...

's Reserve Corps of the

Army of Mississippi There were three formations known as the Army of Mississippi in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. This name is contrasted against Army of ''the'' Mississippi, which was a Union Army named for the Mississippi River, no ...

. He distinguished himself in command of his brigade at the

Battle of Shiloh The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the American Civil War fought on April 6–7, 1862. The fighting took place in southwestern Tennessee, which was part of the war's Western Theater of the ...

, where he was severely wounded by an artillery shell. After his recovery he was given a brigade command in

Mansfield Lovell Mansfield Lovell (October 20, 1822 – June 1, 1884) was a major general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. As military commander of New Orleans when the city unexpectedly fell to the Union Navy in 1862, Lovell was fi ...

's division of the Army of West Tennessee and took part in the

Second Battle of Corinth The Second Battle of Corinth (which, in the context of the American Civil War, is usually referred to as the Battle of Corinth, to differentiate it from the siege of Corinth earlier the same year) was fought October 3–4, 1862, in Corinth, M ...

. On the first day, Bowen's brigade helped overrun the initial Union positions but Lovell refused Bowen's repeated requests to make further attacks. The following day, Bowen advanced his brigade to within sight the Union fortifications but failed to overrun the Union lines due to the artillery fire and to Lovell's orders not to advance any further. During the Confederate retreat from Corinth, his brigade served as part of the

rear guard A rearguard or rear security is a part of a military force that protects it from attack from the rear, either during an advance or withdrawal. The term can also be used to describe forces protecting lines, such as communication lines, behind an ...

and held off part of the Union army along the

Tuscumbia River The Tuscumbia River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed June 3, 2011 tributary of the Hatchie River in northern Mississippi and western Tennessee in the United States. It ...

for an entire day. Once the army reached

Ripley, Mississippi Ripley is a city in Tippah County, Mississippi, Tippah County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 5,395 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Tippah County, Mississippi, Tippah County. Colonel William Clark Falkner, great-grand ...

, Bowen brought charges against army commander

Earl Van Dorn Earl Van Dorn (September 17, 1820May 7, 1863) was an American Major General who started his military career as a United States Army officer and became famous for successfully leading two defenses of a Native American settlement from the Comanch ...

for failing to make a proper reconnaissance of the Union positions before the battle, "marching the troops in a hastily and disorderly manner", failing to attack early on the second day, and neglecting the wounded. The

court-martial A court-martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the arme ...

cleared Van Dorn of all charges. Van Dorn was relieved of command in December and John C. Pemberton was put in his place commanding the

Vicksburg, Mississippi Vicksburg is a historic city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the county seat. The population was 21,573 at the 2020 census. Located on a high bluff on the east bank of the Mississippi River across from Louisiana, Vicksburg ...

garrison. Bowen was assigned to fortify the post of Grand Gulf with a brigade of infantry. Over the next several weeks, he constructed naval batteries along the river. After becoming convinced that Grant would land near Grand Gulf, he repeatedly requested Pemberton for additional supplies and men but each request was refused. At the

Battle of Port Gibson The Battle of Port Gibson (May 1, 1863) was fought between a Union Army commanded by Major General Ulysses S. Grant and a reinforced Confederate States Army division led by Major General John S. Bowen. Though the outnumbered Confederate soldiers f ...

, Bowen, despite being severely outnumbered, managed to delay

Army of the Tennessee The Army of the Tennessee was a Union Army, Union army in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, named for the Tennessee River. A 2005 study of the army states that it "was present at most of the great battles that became turning points ...

for most of a day and he personally led two counterattacks. For his stand, he was promoted to major general on May 25, 1863, although his nomination was never approved by the Confederate Congress. Despite pleas for reinforcements, Pemberton and General

Joseph E. Johnston Joseph Eggleston Johnston (February 3, 1807 – March 21, 1891) was an American military officer who served in the United States Army during the Mexican–American War (1846–1848) and the Seminole Wars. After Virginia declared secession from ...

failed to react quickly and Grant was able to resume his march through Mississippi. After uniting with the rest of Pemberton's army, Bowen was given a division. He next fought at the

Battle of Champion Hill The Battle of Champion Hill (aka Champion's Hill) of May 16, 1863, was the pivotal battle in the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War (1861–1865). Union Army commander Major General Ulysses S. Grant and the Army of the Tennes ...

, where a counterattack by his division almost split Grant's army in half. When the rest of the army failed to support his attack, Bowen was forced to retreat. After battle Pemberton retreated to Vicksburg and he ordered Bowen to cover the retreat. He suffered defeat at the

Battle of Big Black River Bridge The Battle of Big Black River Bridge was fought on May 17, 1863, as part of the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War. During the war, the city of Vicksburg, Mississippi, was a key point on the Mississippi River. On April 30, 1863, a Un ...

on the Big Black River. Accompanying Bowen to Mississippi was his wife, Mary Kennerly Bowen of St. Louis. She refused to be separated from her husband. When Bowen left St. Louis to enter the war, Mary was by his side, leaving their two young children, Menard Kennerly (age 7) and Anna (age 2) at the family home to be cared for by Mary's mother. He took part in the final defense of Vicksburg, helping in the defeat of Union assaults, but grew ill with dysentery during the siege. Early in the siege, Bowen tried to negotiate surrender with Grant, a friend from the antebellum days, but was turned away; he did help ease the negotiations that led to the July 4 surrender. After being paroled, he succumbed to

dysentery Dysentery ( , ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications may include dehyd ...

and died near

Edwards, Mississippi Edwards is a town in Hinds County, Mississippi, Hinds County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,034 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, down from 1,347 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Jackson, Mississippi, Jackson J ...

. He was at first buried near where he died in Mississippi but his body was later transferred to the Confederate States Army Cemetery in Vicksburg. Following his death, he was praised by his contemporaries as being one of the best generals of the Western Theater and referred to by one biographer as being the real "Stonewall of the West". Other contemporaries also believed that Bowen, "was not second to any Major General then in the Confederate Service". An attempt after to war to erect a monument to Bowen failed to raise the necessary funds. His bust stands in the Vicksburg National Military Park near Stockade Redan on Graveyard Road with his brigade.

Dates of rank

* Captain (Missouri State Guard), March 1, 1861Sifakis, p. 29. * Lieutenant colonel, April 15, 1861 * Colonel, June 11, 1861 * Brigadier general, March 14, 1862 * Major general, May 25, 1863

Notes

;Footnotes ;Citations

References

* Ballard, Michael B., ''Vicksburg, The Campaign that Opened the Mississippi''. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: University of North Carolina Press, 2004. . * Cozzens, Peter. ''The Darkest Days of the War: The Battles of Iuka & Corinth''. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: University of North Carolina Press, 1997. . * Daniel, Larry, ''Shiloh: The Battle that Changed the Civil War''. Simon and Schuster, 1997. . * Eicher, John H., and Eicher, David J., ''Civil War High Commands''. Stanford University Press, 2001. . * Patterson, Gerard A., ''Rebels from West Point'', Stackpole Books, 2002, . * Sifakis, Stewart. ''Who Was Who in the Confederacy''. New York: FactsOnFile, 1988. . * Sword, Wiley, ''Shiloh: Bloody April''. Morningside Books, 1974. . * Tucker, Phillip Thomas. ''The Forgotten "Stonewall of the West": Major General John Stevens Bowen''. Macon, Georgia: Mercer University Press, 1997. . * Warner, Ezra J., ''Generals in Gray: Lives of the Confederate Commanders''. Louisiana State University Press, 1959. .
''History of the University of Georgia'', Thomas Walter Reed, Imprint: Athens, Georgia : University of Georgia, ca. 1949 p.484

External links

Description of Bowen's death at Champion Hill website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bowen, John 1830 births 1863 deaths Confederate States Army major generals United States Military Academy alumni University of Georgia people People of Georgia (U.S. state) in the American Civil War People of Missouri in the American Civil War Deaths from dysentery