C. W. Bowden -- Reminiscences of a Civil War Soldier ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Submitted by John Casall Email: casalljohnw@email.msn.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free Information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Files may be printed or copied for Personal use only. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- C. W. Bowden From old Brownwood newspaper: Reminiscences of Camp Life and Stirring Times During Cival War by Brown Co. Man C. W. BOWDEN, OF MAY, EX-CONFEDERATE SOLDIER TELLS INTERESTING EVENTS IN CONNECTION WITH PRIVATION OF WAR, INCLUDING STORY OF BARE FOOTED WALK HOME FROM VICKSBURG AND FORCED TO WORK UNDER NEGROES. (Mr. and Mrs. Bowden live at May and have a host of relatives and friends in Brown county. They lived at Owens for 25 years, and moved to May three years ago. Mr. and Mrs. Bowden celebrated their Golden Wedding about two years ago.) Soon after the war broke out I volunteered, about May 1, in Capt. "Uncle Caleb" Davis Company; Co. E, Reg. 15, Pope County, Ark. May 20 was my twenty-first birthday. We first went to North Arkansas and served there awhile under the command of Gen. Price. We were next ordered to go to Corinth, Miss., and from there to Iuka, where we had a battle which resulted in a great success for our side, we capturing their artillery. I fought in many battles, and went through many hardships. We fought battles at Farmington, Tupalo, and other places too numerous to mention. At Rainza I had a spell of pneumonia, and had to lie on a blanket on the second floor of an old storehouse. One morning a comrade, who was lying sick at my feet, was found dead. It was reported that I was dead, and when I went back to camp cheer after cheer greeted me, as my comrades had heard the report. I cannot give the facts in detail, or the battles in succession as it breaks my heart to try to remember them and as it has been so long ago. However, I will try to give a few facts merely in sketch. I had many narrow escapes. Once I was shot in the foot and another time a bullet seared my breast. That was at Ft. Gibson, where so many of my comrades were killed, arms and legs being amputated and piled up. During this battle my gun became chocked and my ammunition almost gone, so I assisted in carrying our dead and wounded from the field. One morning, just at break of day, we ran in on the the enemy at Corinth, and formed a line among the tents by the mess tables, and ran them all out. One of our men, John Wesley Bowden-Who is now a Methodist preacher-grabbed a cake of soap from one of the tables and thinking it was cheese, it being dark, took a bite. Not wishing to give himself away, he passed it down the line and each man took a bite. For a while we were camped at Tupalo, Miss. Every morning the Negroes would come to beg for a little sugar and old clothes, and as it annoyed us we thought to have some fun. We decided for me to play crazy. I got a bayonet and went to my tent. An old negro was told that I was told that I was crazy, and that the siege guns had deafened me, but that I had some old clothes and sugar. So he came to my tent and said to me, "I want some old clothes. If you please, sir. I am going to get married Saturday nest Saturday night. I would say "Talk a little louder, I can't hear you." Then he would repeat it in a louder tone, and then step back and say in a lower tone, "What a pity, Such a nice young man." I kept making him yell louder and louder, and directly I took a fit and made for him with my bayonet. He took to his heels and I after him. I let him keep just ahead, of me. He caught his foot in something and fell, my comrades all shouting at him, "Run, Run he will get you! He is dangerous!" The old darkey jumped up and got over a fence and ran across an old field one half mile, without looking back. I stopped at the fence. On another occasion one came in and wanted some sugar, "If you please Sir," and I, having about three pounds in my hamper sack told him he could have it if he would eat it all. He said, "Oh, yes, I can eat all that." I gave it to him an We all watched the old fool eat every bite. He would scoop his hand in and fill his mouth and gulp it down, Then lick his lips and nose with his long tongue. It afforded us a little amusement and helped to break the monotony of our camp life. After the battle of Black River, four miles from Vicksburg we were, by overwhelming odds, forced to fall back into the city. I was in the long siege of 47 days and nights at Vicksburg. The Federals planned to take the city by storming our breast works, which they did for three days, five ranks deep, but we, having two guns to a man and our city fortified, repulsed them every time, and they were compelled to fall back with heavy losses. Gen. Price being transferred to Arkansas, we were put under Gen. Pembleton. It was reported that the federal losses were 97,000. There were only 31,000 of us and our losses were small. When they found that they could not take us by storm, they began to build fortifications around us to starve us out, which they finally did. The Federal gun boats were five miles up the Mississippi river, and kept up a continual firing of bomb shells, night and day, which was very annoying. Sometimes at night we could see the bomb shells go away above the clouds and they would often burst up there, and sometimes would not burst till they had fallen and buried in the earth. One morning at three o'clock the enemy opened fire on us with hundreds of cannon, each cannon firing bomb shells with a continual roar that was deafening and was kept up for hours. After day light the sun was hidden by the smoke, and the air was suffocating. Little damage was done, aside from the destruction of the city. At the close of the siege we were without rations or ammunition and at times were forced to eat mule meat, and even rats, or starve. We surrendered on the Fourth of July. I still have my parole. One day during the siege I got a letter from my father in Tenn. which was brought in in some way. It told of the death of my grandfather in Tenn. And of the division of our negro slaves, also which ones I was to get. At the same time I got a letter from a young lady, Mary Jane Austin, who is now my wife. After the surrender, I left with the others, and, barefooted, I started out to make my way home in company with two comrades. I was having chills and fever, and one of them was lame. They soon out walked me, and a few miles from the city I stopped at a country house to get my canteen willed with buttermilk. Two lovely young ladies were very kind to me, and made me sit in the parlor while they played the piano. There I sat with my legs crossed, barefooted, which at first embarrassed me. But as they played ~~ie" and "Home Spun Dresses" I forgot my bare feet and ragged ~~ and wanted to go right back ~~ fight again. ~~went on a few miles further and came to the river, and while looking for a man to take me across, was attacked by two big bull dogs, which belonged to a man who was chopping wood not far away. As I was barefooted, and had nothing else to strike with, I used my canteen of milk, which to my sorrow was all lost. The owner of the dogs came to my rescue after I had been bitten and lamed so that I could hardly walk for several days. He offered me his gun to shoot the dogs it I wished, but I declined as I knew he loved his dogs. After crossing the river I spent one night in a negro cabin. During the night a great crowd of darkies came. The men were dressed in their best, and had on "bee gum"~~~