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I
found out that more than 160 of my relatives fought in the
Civil War, and this is only one branch of my family tree.
But one who stands out is Isaac Bowman. He needs to be appreciated
for what he did.
After Fort Sumter surrendered to the Confederates, President Abraham Lincoln
called for 75,000 volunteers. Governor Andrew Curtin also made a plea to the
citizens of Pennsylvania to preserve the Union. Isaac Bowman answered the call
and enlisted on August 12, 1862, at Camp Curtin, Harrisburg, in the 130th Pennsylvania
Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Company H. Isaac was 24 years old, six years older
than the average volunteer.
By September, Isaac
was fighting in the Battle of South Mountain in Maryland.
Three days later he fought in Antietam, the bloodiest one-day
battle of the Civil War. This was the first of Confederate
General Robert E. Lee’s two attempts to carry the war
into the North. About 40,000 Southerners were pitted against
the 87,000-man Federal Army of the Potomac under General
George B. McClellan. When two Union soldiers happened upon
a copy of Lee’s battle plan wrapped around three cigars
that had been left behind when the Rebels broke camp, McClellan
wrote President Lincoln: “I have the plans of the rebels,
and will catch them in their own trap. Will send you trophies.”
But instead of attacking,
McClellan hesitated. Isaac found himself where the fighting
was the bloodiest and most desperate of the entire war. Union
General Joseph Hooker’s report confirms that, “every
stalk of corn in the northern and greater part of the field
was cut as closely as could have been done with a knife,
and the slain lay in rows precisely as they had stood in
their ranks a few moments before.”
The 130th Pennsylvania
Monument stands overlooking “Bloody Lane,” the
site described in Hooker’s dispatch. This was the first
major Northern victory of the war and gave President Abraham
Lincoln the chance to issue the Emancipation Proclamation.
It proclaimed that on January 1, 1863, all slaves in the
States still in rebellion would be “henceforth and
forever free.” Now the war had a dual purpose: to preserve
the Union and end slavery.
Later in the war,
Isaac was captured, held behind Confederate lines, later
exchanged, and ended up in Lincoln Hospital, Washington,
D.C. Isaac was eventually discharged on a surgeon’s
certificate on January 20, 1863, with the rank of Corporal.
Isaac was more fortunate
than two of his first cousins, brothers Charles and William
Bowman, who served in the 191st PA Infantry Regiment. Charles
and William were captured after the Battle of Cold Harbor
and sent to the Confederate prison camp at Salisbury, North
Carolina, where they both died and were buried in the prison
cemetery.
A year after his
discharge, Isaac married Rebecca J. Enders. Because he was
a patriot, he left his pregnant wife to reenlist September
6, 1864, in the 210th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment,
Company A, and was soon promoted to sergeant. Isaac, now
26 years old, was assigned to the Fifth Corps, Second Division,
Third Brigade, commanded by General Gwyn. He fought in several
battles in Dinwiddie County, Virginia.
Isaac fought in
many large battles, and wasn’t always able to write
to his wife. He sent a letter home to let her know he was “in
the land of the living” and hoped she would be “rejoicing
in good health again.” Rebecca was pregnant with Laura
Alice Bowman who was born March 28, 1865, and that is the
reason she wasn’t feeling well. But the war would soon
be over.
The 210th stayed
with the Fifth Corps and followed the retreating army closely,
and at the surrender at the Appomattox Court House, was again
at the front line and captured the flag of truce. After the
rebel army laid down their arms, the 210th returned to Washington,
marched in the "Grand Review" of the national troops,
and mustered out of the service on the 30th of May. Isaac
was one of 525 men to return to Camp Curtin on June 1, 1865.
He was paid off and the 210th was finally disbanded on June
6, 1865.
Isaac returned
home to his wife Rebecca, and met his daughter, Laura Alice,
for the first time. A daughter Bertha was born on November
2, 1870. Isaac resumed his stone mason trade and left a legacy
of hundreds of buildings and bridges as monuments of his
manual labor. Isaac was a member of The Order of the Knights
of Pythias. This great international fraternity was founded
in Washington, D.C., on February 19, 1864 by Justus H. Rathbone.
Rathbone believed the fraternity would help to heal the nation.
President Abraham Lincoln said the following:
The purposes
of your organization are most wonderful. If we could but
bring its spirit to all our citizenry, what a wonderful
thing it would be. It breathes the spirit of Friendship,
Charity and Benevolence. It is one of the best agencies
conceived for the upholding of government, honoring the
flag, for the reuniting of our brethren of the North and
of the South, for teaching the people to love one another,
and portraying the sanctity of the home and loved ones.
Isaac died on September
11, 1881 from pneumonia. He was only 43 years old. The following
article was printed in the Jacksonville Jottings on September
15, 1881:
His record as a soldier is beyond reproach, having performed his numerous duties
fearlessly and with fidelity, winning the esteem of his comrades and the approbation
of his company and regimental officers!Isaac
was buried in Fairview Cemetery in Enders, Pennsylvania. His pallbearers were
Cornelius Bixler, John G Killinger, Charles E. Riegel, and Samuel Meckley who
were Isaac’s comrades in the 210th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment.
His work on earth was done.
I’m proud
to be an American. I’m proud of Isaac for being a loyal
American and fighting for my freedom. In conclusion, you
can tell Isaac was a good man. He came to the call of his
president, Abraham Lincoln, and fought to keep America together
as one as it is today. I use Isaac’s example to help
everyone answer the call of our country and to be a good
American.
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