C C. Bowen Interesting War Experiences
Narrow Escape #18
Ironton Register 17 March 1887
Submitted by Karen Carlyle
“You were in the 6th Ohio–the old Guthrie Gray regiment, Mr. Bowen?”
“Yes, I was one of the high privates of that illustrious band.”
“You are the very man for a ‘Narrow Escape’–and I am ready to take you in. So, no preliminaries but begin,” commanded the reporter.
“Well, the most thrilling one to me was in the second day’s Battle of Chickamauga, Sunday, Sept. 10th, 1863. Our regiment was in position just east of the Rossville Pike, near where we began the battle the morning before, on the right of Baird’s Division, on the edge of an open field. At about 8 o’clock a. m., we were ordered to advance across this field to support Battery H 4th Artillery, Lieut. Cushing was commanding.
Leaving our hastily constructed, temporary breastworks, made of fence rails and old logs, to be occupied by the 2nd Kentucky Infantry (here Ed Owens was shot soon afterward) while the Battery M 4th Artillery, Lieut. Russell, commanding, had position just to the left of said breastworks (Battery M was composed of four twelve-pound Napoleons and two 24 lb. howitzers). We advanced across the field and were ordered to lie down just to the right of Cushing’s Battery.
“Lieut. Cushing was ordered to throw a few shells down into the woods to “feel for the enemy,” who was supposed to be trying to flank us on our left to cut us off from communication with Chattanooga by the Rossville Pike. Battery H had thrown a few shells until the enemy replied, informing us that their “flag was still there.” One of their shells, flying over us, passed on back and exploded near Battery M, just as Col. Barnett, chief of Artillery on Rosecrans staff, rode up.
He, seeing the “puff” of Cushing’s gun, at the same time mistook us for the enemy and ordered Russell to open it on us, which he did, after protesting that it was our Battery. But Barnett, like many other officers, knew better and repeated the order. Lieut. Being educated at West Point that obedience was the first duty of a soldier, Russell let loose his dogs of war, first with shell and then with grape and canister.
He fired two or three rounds before it dawned on Cushing’s mind that Russell intended to hurt us. As soon as he fully comprehended the situation, he limped to the left flank, out into the Rossville Pike, and came around to Battery M, where he vehemently pronounced a soldier’s benediction on Lieut. Russell, who had “simply obeyed orders.”
“But in the interim, did you ask where was the 6th O. V. I. Well, we were hugging “old mother earth” as closely as possible, just spreading ourselves, “as the manner of the flying squirrel is,” I tell only my own experience as I took no pains to watch the other boys. Did you ever lay under the fire of a Battery, showering grape and canister on you? If so, I cannot edify you.
If not, you will have to draw largely upon your imagination to comprehend the fearful destruction they can handle to anything animate within range and unprotected. A can of canister for a 24 lb. howitzer is about the size of a long gallon tin bucket, and at three hundred yards range, it seems like some Sampson slushing a common wooden bucket full of bullets into a brush pile or thicket. Of course, they held us down until Cushing relieved us by ordering Russell to cease firing. We now took a long breath, swallowed our heart back to its normal position, and rose to our feet when lo, we beheld in our immediate front, about sixty yards away, a rebel line of battle, coming directly for us at a “trail arms.”
“What shall we do to be saved? At this critical junction, every man was his won tactician and had no time to trade jack knives. As for me, I took in the whole situation at a glance and formed my plans, subject, however, to future developments. My first plan was to fire one deliberate shot and then surrender. Still, just as I drew up to draw a bead on the nearest skirmisher, a ball from the rear struck about six inches above my head, making the bark fly, whereupon I looked back when I saw that our regiment was falling backfiring as they fell back and were then close to Battery M which was getting ready to turn loose on the rebs, as soon as they might appear in view.
Seeing I was sandwiched, I changed my plans. I concluded to try and escape capture, so I struck out to my right flank to get out of range of the Battery and looked over my right shoulder to see when I would be out of range of the Battery, which, as soon as I passed, I cast my eyes to the front when to my amazement, I was almost in the embrace of a battle line of the enemy, who had come through a gap in our line and had wheeled to the right and were coming for Battery M.
“I was within thirty yards of their battle line and fully expected them to call me to halt or shoot me or that Battery M would open on them with a canister and, of course, annihilate me. But the Battery being flanked, limbered to the rear, and so did I, with an accelerated speed born of the hope of liberty.
And if anybody passed me in the next hundred yards, he must have been borne on the wings of the wind. The rebels didn’t seem to care for me, for if they had and had signified their desire by a command to halt, I should have no doubt obeyed instanter. Otherwise, I pressed toward the prize of my high calling, and I am today a monument of their amazing mercy. If the rebels had shot me through the heart, the ball would have hit me just below the larynx. But I came to my own, and they received me as one who had escaped so as by fire.”
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