Charles Christian Bowman was never the typical Confederate soldier. A Virginian by upbringing, he spent most of the Civil War in the comparatively quiet southwest of the state, missing some of the most famous battles of the conflict, including the Battle of the Crater and the surrender at Appomattox. His experience, however, is uniquely preserved in 63 letters he wrote home, now held in the Museum of the Confederacy’s Bowman family collection. Born in Baltimore on August 8, 1842, Bowman was the third of five surviving children of George Bowman, a Pennsylvania native, and Mary Jane Greer Bowman, who was born in Louisiana.
The family moved near Salem, Virginia in the late 1840s and were living in Richmond by the outbreak of the war. On April 21, 1861, Charles and his brothers Greer and George enlisted in the prestigious F Company of the First Regiment Virginia Volunteers. Their first encounter with Union forces came quickly. On May 31, Bowman described a skirmish with a Union gunboat at Akia Creek.
He wrote that his side had seized a small sloop with two men aboard, and a steamer then appeared, apparently aiming to recapture it. The vessel fired two shots at their battery before they responded. The first, a canister shot, passed over a company drilling on shore; the second landed 50 yards short of the beach. The Confederate battery then opened fire and continued until darkness ended the exchange.
Bowman noted his side fired about 12 shots while the ship, reportedly the Pawnie, fired 15. The gunner claimed three hits, including a shell that struck the deck and likely caused casualties. F Company was mustered into Confederate service as Company F of the 21st Virginia Infantry on June 20, 1861. A week later, George Bowman resigned and later supported the Confederacy through quartermaster duties.
Greer transferred to Company C of the Hampton Artillery Battery in July. Charles stayed with his company, marched to Western Virginia, and joined the Army of the Northwest. Like many new soldiers, Charles soon became ill. On October 22, he wrote to his mother describing a collapse during travel.
He had set out to rejoin his regiment, but after two days and only 12 miles, he collapsed and remained at a house for two days. He sent his knapsack ahead in a wagon and returned. He also suffered from chest pain, finding it difficult to breathe deeply when walking far. Upon returning, he learned he had yellow jaundice, which he described as minor.
He suggested that if his mother came, she might secure his discharge. Months later, Bowman received a medical discharge at Romney and left the regiment. Had he stayed with the 21st Virginia Infantry, he would have joined Stonewall Jackson’s Foot Cavalry and taken part in the well-known campaigns of the Eastern Theater. Determined not to remain a civilian for long, Charles re-enlisted in another elite Richmond unit, the OD Battery, on March 24, 1862.
His view of its commander, Captain George Gaston, was clear. In a May 9 letter, he discouraged his father from letting his younger brother Amelius join the artillery, warning that Captain OD was very strict and that Amelius would clash with him. He also noted the unit was in a harsh region and doubted his brother could endure it. The battery was stationed in Western Virginia under Brigadier General Henry Heth.
Its first major engagement was at Giles Courthouse on May 10, 1862. Five days later, Bowman described the fight, saying they had completely routed the enemy and driven them six miles to the New River. He said the enemy’s losses were about 150 killed, wounded, or missing, while their own losses were minimal, with no one in the company harmed. Confederate victories were not guaranteed.
On May 31, Bowman wrote to his brother of a defeat at Lewisburg on the 23rd, saying they were thoroughly beaten and that bullets had never sounded as they did there. General Heth’s failure to retaliate later did little to win his troops’ favor. In a June 26 letter, Bowman accused Heth of cowardice, saying they made a shameful retreat when they could have easily defeated the enemy and recaptured their artillery. He wrote that the troops despised Heth and would deal with him harshly if given the chance.
The fall brought the Kanawha Valley campaign and Heth’s departure, both welcomed by Bowman. In an August 11 letter, he expressed hope they would soon advance down the Kanawha Valley, tired as he was of camp life with nothing but drill and guard duty. Despite early successes, the Confederates ultimately lost the Kanawha Valley to Union forces. For the rest of 1862 and throughout 1863, the OD Battery, which became Company A of the 13th Battalion, Virginia Light Artillery in the fall of 1863, saw no major battles.
In an April 25, 1863 letter, Bowman wrote that there was truly nothing to report, and that everything felt so dull and unpleasant he wished he could sleep for a month. In May 1864, the OD Battery left southwestern Virginia and transferred from the Department of East Tennessee to the Army of Northern Virginia. The unit moved east and took up positions in the trenches of Petersburg, where it stayed until November. Trench life allowed Bowman to write frequently, detailing daily routines and his thoughts on the war.
On September 23, after returning to camp following two months of chronic diarrhea, Bowman described the routine to his mother. They rose at 5:30 a. m. , drew straws for who fetched water from a spring about 200 yards from their gun, then washed and began cooking breakfast.
Bread was baked in camp, but they cooked the rest of their rations. Every two or three men shared a frying pan, and all had tin cups for boiling coffee, tea, potatoes, rice, beans, beef stews, or anything else on hand. They cooked bacon, fried potatoes, and apples in the pan. After washing dishes, they policed or swept the area until everything was tidy by 9:00 a.
m. They passed the time until dinner around 4:00 p. m. , then finished eating and cleaning by 5:00.
At dusk, a work detail was called; those not selected sat together, talked, and smoked until bedtime around 8:00 p. m. The guard woke them at 5:00 a. m.
The work detail usually finished around midnight and then rested. Bowman noted they did little daytime work due to sharpshooters, but at night they couldn’t be seen. As a non-commissioned officer, he was exempt from these details, only working when something was needed at his gun. During the day, they watched their shells and those of the Yankees flying overhead.
The Yankees never targeted their front line, so they didn’t fear those shells, which aimed for the second line 300 or 400 yards behind them. As the Confederacy grew desperate for troops, the idea of enlisting black soldiers arose. On October 23, Bowman shared his thoughts with his father, strongly disagreeing. He was fine with black men serving as wagon drivers, cooks, or engineers, but did not want one fighting beside him.
He claimed the army wouldn’t accept it, and that many, if not most, soldiers would refuse to fight if forced to serve alongside them. He said most threatened to desert rather than fight with them, and called it the worst idea possible, hoping Congress would reject it unanimously. He believed such a law would spell the end of the Confederacy. On November 1, Bowman reflected on the upcoming northern presidential election, hoping McClellan would win but fearing Lincoln’s control over the North would force his re-election.
On November 6, Lieutenant Colonel Edgar F. Mosley’s artillery battalion relieved the 13th Battalion in the trenches. Two days later, the 13th established camp southwest of Petersburg, with the OD Battery at Camp Walker. In a November 13 letter, Bowman wrote that the shift from trenches to camp was very pleasant, especially being able to remove his shoes at night.
The unit faced only minor skirmishes over the next few months. On February 6, 1865, Bowman wrote to his mother that some men were disheartened and ready to give up, but that sentiment wasn’t widespread. Most, he said, were determined to never surrender. Despite that resolve, the OD Battery surrendered at Lynchburg shortly after Lee’s surrender at Appomattox, and Charles Bowman was paroled in Richmond on May 16, 1865.
After the war, Bowman stayed in Richmond, married Will Harrison Stevens from Harrisonburg, and established Bowman Brothers, Stationers, and Printers. He remained active in Confederate veterans groups, joining R. E. Lee Camp Number One of the United Confederate Veterans and attending OD Battery reunions.
Charles Christian Bowman died in Richmond on March 3, 1909.