Edwin A. Bowen papers, 1848-1895, bulk 1861-1864

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Summary

Creators:
Bowen, Edwin A., 1831-1900
Abstract:
A collection of material related to Edwin A. Bowen, Illinois businessman and American Civil War Union officer.
Extent:
2.5 Linear Feet (2 boxes)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Edwin A. Bowen papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

A collection of material chiefly relating to Edwin A. Bowen's Civil War service and the 52nd Regiment's veterans' association. Included are a Civil War journal kept from November 1861 to February 29, 1864; regimental military records, including general and special orders, communications, dispatches, reports, muster rolls, and ordnance records; drafts and the fair copy of Bowen's "Historical Memoranda of the 52nd Regiment Illinois Infantry Volunteers," (1870s); and accounts of the Battle of Shiloh that Bowen submitted at the request of Shiloh Battlefield Commission (1895). Also included are Bowen's account of his service in New Mexico (1848), an article about slavery (approximately 1861), and the original manuscript, typescript and publication of his Pike's Peak journal (1859).

Biographical / historical:

Edwin Anson Bowen (1831-1900) was an Illinois businessman and a Union officer in the American Civil War. Bowen attended Judson College, Mount Palatine, Illinois; afterwards he settled in Lemoille, Bureau County. In 1846, he joined Stephen Watts Kerny's Division and served under Sterling Price in New Mexico, taking part in the operations against the Taos Revolt in January-February 1847. In 1859, he traveled to Pike's Peak, Colorado. At the outbreak of the American Civil War, Bowen joined the 52nd Illinois Infantry and was elected Captain of Company B., later rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. The regiment was assigned to the Army of the Tennessee from March 1862 to July 1865. Bowen took part in the battle of Shiloh, where he commanded the regiment on the second day of the battle; Siege of Corinth; operations around Vicksburg; and Atlanta Campaigns. He was mustered out in October 1864 and later was active in the regiment veterans' association.

Acquisition information:
Purchased from Mr. and Mrs. Ransdell S. Lasher, 1962.
Processing information:

Processed by Harriet McLoone in approximately 1965; in March 2025, Gayle M. Richardson created the finding aid.

Arrangement:

Arranged chronologically.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.

Terms of access:

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Edwin A. Bowen papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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