On October 7, 1780, the foundation that would forever change the world was established. Fewer than one thousand American Heroes, through skill, luck, and the leadership of cunning strategists, defeated Patrick Ferguson, a brilliant star of the British military might. Charles Bowen was one of those Heroes.

His participation in the Battle of King's Mountain was documented by S16055, his Application for Revolutionary War Pension. See the Pension below.

Charles Bowen was a member of a family of patriots loyal to the cause of freedom. The Daughters of the American Revolution documented the participation of the Bowen family members in the American Revolution. The organization designated the Bowens as:

•Bowen, Lillian, DAR Ancestor Number A012714

•Bowen, Arthur, Captain, DAR Ancestor Number A012665

•Bowen, Charles, DAR Ancestor Number A012667

•Bowen, Henry, DAR Ancestor Number A012683

•Bowen, John, DAR Ancestor Number A012707

•Bowen, Reese, Lieutenant, DAR Ancestor Number A012723

•Bowen, William, Captain, DAR Ancestor #A012747

NOTE: The above male Bowens were brothers with the exception of John, who was the son of Lt. Rees Bowen, thus nephew of the other brothers. Please reference the memorials for the other Bowen family members: the creator of the memorials has done an excellent job of providing wonderful memorials full of information and family stories.

Charles Bowen was the son of John Bowen and Lillian Lily McIlhaney, DAR Ancestor Number A012714. Mrs. Bowen was awarded her own acknowledgement by the DAR, because she loaned money to the cause. Captain Bowen married Nancy Gillespie and they had a son, Charles, who married Susan Shell. There may have been other children: Charles was documented by the DAR.

Southern Campaign American Revolution Pension Statements & Rosters

Pension application of Charles Bowen S16055 f40VA

Transcribed by Will Graves rev'd 2/09 &5/21/14

[Methodology: Spelling, punctuation and/or grammar have been corrected in some instances for ease of reading and to facilitate searches of the database. Where the meaning is not compromised by adhering to the spelling, punctuation or grammar, no change has been made. Corrections or additional notes have been inserted within brackets or footnotes. Blanks appearing in the transcripts reflect blanks in the original. A bracketed question mark indicates that the word or words preceding it represent(s) a guess by me. The word 'illegible' or 'indecipherable' appearing in brackets indicates that at the time I made the transcription, I was unable to decipher the word or phrase in question. Only materials pertinent to the military service of the veteran and to contemporary events have been transcribed. Affidavits that provide additional information on these events are included and genealogical information is abstracted, while standard, 'boilerplate' affidavits and attestations related solely to the application, and later nineteenth and twentieth century research requests for information have been omitted. I use speech recognition software to make all my transcriptions. Such software misinterprets my southern accent with unfortunate regularity and my poor proofreading skills fail to catch all misinterpretations. Also, dates or numbers which the software treats as numerals rather than words are not corrected: for example, the software transcribes "the eighth of June one thousand eighty six" as "the 8th of June 1786." Please call material errors or omissions to my attention.]

State of Tennessee,

Knox County:

Circuit Court

On the first, August Term 1832 On the 16th day of August in the year 1832 personally appeared in open court before the Honorable Samuel Powell, a Judge of the Circuit Court in said State, and now presiding in the Circuit Court of said County, being a court of record having the power of fine & imprisonment, Charles Bowen, a resident of Blount County in the State of Tennessee, aged eighty two years in September last, who being first duly sworn according to law, doth on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the Act of Congress passed June 7th, 1832, --

that he entered the service of the United States during the revolutionary war and served as follows: the particular time he is unable to say but knows that he served under the command of Captain Bowen, a brother of Declarant, under the command of Captain John Campbell and was in the battle of Kings Mountain [October 7, 1780] under the command of Captain William Edmondson [William Edmiston] who was there killed; that his brother Reese Bowen was also a Captain in the service at the time and was likewise killed in the battle of Kings Mountain, in this battle, Col. William Campbell commanded -- and Col Cleveland [Benjamin Cleveland] also was a commander --

during the action, by some means, declarant obtained information that Reese Bowen, his brother, was killed, and being much distressed and exasperated, proceeded in search of his brother hoping that he was only wounded -- in his search for his brother, he discovered his Captain William Edmondson dead or dying having been shot in the head. Declarant advanced without being sensible of his danger till within fifteen or twenty paces of the enemy --declarant stepped behind a tree, leveled his Gun and shot the first man who hoisted the flag among the enemy and immediately turned his back to the tree to reload his Gun when Col Cleveland advanced, called on declarant for the countersign, which declarant did not immediately recollect, nor could he give it. Col Cleveland instantly leveled his rifle at Declarant's breast and attempted to fire, but the Gun snapped. Declarant jumped at Cleveland seized him by the collar, drew his tomahawk, and would have sunk it in Cleveland's head if his arm had not been arrested by a soldier by the name of Beanhannon [sic, Buchanan?], who knew the parties. Declarant immediately recollected the countersign which was "Blueford," [sic, Buford] named it and Cleveland dropped his gun and clasped Declarant in his arms. The persons who hoisted the flag were twice shot down, besides the time this declarant shot; but by whom he knows not. The affiant received a discharge from Col William Campbell, but on attempting to make it answer him some valuable purpose he failed and he threw it away as he thinks.

This Declarant was afterwards commissioned a Captain by Governor Randolph [Beverley Randolph] in the State of Virginia on the 20th of July 1785,1 of 2nd Company of the 2nd Regiment of militia of the County of Washington, which commission is herewith sent. That after receiving this commission, he was engaged in various successive scouts as a spy after the Indians who were committing depredations on the Americans and with a detachment made a tour from his then residence, through Mackasin Gap [sic, 1 The commission appears on page 16 of the Footnote.com version of this application. See below

Moccasin Gap]2 through the Rye Cove, then on the head of Sandy [River] and down that River, near to Tug River and after some time he does not recollect now how long returned home and was successively at periods engaged in similar services. That at the commencement of the revolutionary war, he was living at a place called the Crab Orchard at the head of Holston [River] in Washington County, Virginia -- was then about between twenty six or seven years old having been born in the year 1749 on James River, Virginia. That his residence was in the same place, the Crab Orchard, for several years after the date of his commission and during all that time he was very often in service, in opposition to the Indians, and in scouts after them and he verily believes in all his services after his commission as Captain in active service would exceed two years. He further believes that during the revolutionary war he was in actual service for more than two years, although, the different periods of service are not recollected nor does he now believe he was in any other engagement or battle of consequence but the Battle of Kings Mountain --a portion of his services during the revolution were against the Tories, who were numerous in his section of country. When he first entered the service in the revolutionary war he was drafted but was a volunteer [illegible words] when out. He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present and declares that his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any state. S/ Charles Bowen, X his mark Sworn to & subscribed the day and year aforesaid thing the 16th day of August 1832. Test: S/ Wm Snow, Clerk [Peter Waggoner, a clergyman, and James Morrow gave the standard supporting affidavit.]

Amended Declaration State of Tennessee, Knox County:

Charles Bowen -- an applicant for a pension under the provisions of an Act of Congress passed June 7th, 1831 [sic, 1832] -- Makes oath that the reason why his application was made in the County of Knox and not in the County of Blount where he resided at the time his application was made and that his former residence had been in Knox County, and in that County his reputation and character was best known and in addition to this the Court house in Knox County was nearer to his residence then was the Court house in Blount County. That if his application had been made in Blount [County] he is not sure that he could have there produced as satisfactory and credible testimony of his character and reputation as a soldier of the Revolution as he could and did produce in the Circuit Court of Knox County & further he intended shortly after his Declaration was made to remove to, and has now removed to, and is residing in Knox County, with the widow of his deceased son, William Bowen. And hopes these reasons will be satisfactory. The departure as his residence in Blount had been but for a very short period.

S/ Charles Bowen, X. his mark

Sworn to and subscribed before made this 12th day of November 1832.

S/ Zach Boothe, J.P.

State of Tennessee, Knox County:

Personally appeared before me the undersigned, a justice of peace for the County of Knox in the State of Tennessee, Charles Bowen, who being duly sworn deposeth and saith that, by reason of old age, and the consequent loss of memory, he cannot swear positively as to the precise length of his service but according to the best of his recollection he served not less than the periods mentioned below and in the following grades: for three months as a private soldier drafted: that he then volunteered for six months as a private soldier; he afterwards volunteered for three months and served as a private soldier; he again volunteered for six months and served as a private soldier; and again for the period of 2 http://www.bigmoccasingap.com/

three months he volunteered and served as a private soldier; and was again in the service as a volunteer for three months as a private soldier; and was in the Battle of Kings Mountain as stated in his declaration; he served some other short tours as a volunteer after the Tories but the periods he does not precisely recollect, so as to give any definite time to them. He further after obtaining his commission as Captain was out in service, he feels assured as a Captain for more than two years adding the different periods together.

S/ Charles Bowen, X his mark

Sworn to and subscribed before me the 12 November 1832.

S/ Zach Boothe , J. P.

Application for a Transfer State of Indiana, County of Putnam On this third day of February 1834 before me the subscriber, a Justice of the peace for the said County of Putnam, personally appeared, Charles Bowen, who on his oath declares that he is the same person who formerly belonged to the company commanded by Captain William Edmiston in the Regiment commanded by Colonel Campbell in the service of the United States; that his name was placed on the pension roll of the East Tennessee Agency in the State of Tennessee from whence he has lately removed; that he now resides in the State of Indiana where he intends to remain and wishes his pension to be there payable in the future. The following are his reasons for removing from Tennessee to Indiana, to wit, for the purpose of living in Indiana with his son who had previously emigrated to said State of Indiana.

S/ Charles Bowen

Sworn and subscribe to before made the day & year aforesaid.

S/Isaac Mahan, J.P.

[Attested by Lewis Shell and Charles Bowen, Jr.

] [Veteran was pensioned at the rate of $80 per annum commencing March 4th, 1831, for service as a private for 3 years in the Virginia service.]

The actual burial site for Charles Bowen remains unknown: the Abstract of Graves of Revolutionary Patriots records his burial site as "Putnam Co IN". There is a cenotaph in his honor in the Cantrell Gilliand Memorial Garden. May this memorial serve as an expression of the gratitude we owe him for braving the unknown and risking his life to help build a new country: our America.