Isaac Bowman
Encyclopedia
Isaac Bowman was an 18th-century American soldier and militia officer who took part in the American Revolutionary War
and the Northwest Indian War
. His capture and eventual escape from hostile Chickasaw led him on a two-year adventure before returning to the United States from Cuba
in 1782.
His brothers, Abraham
, Joseph
and John Jacob Bowman
, were also officers during the Revolutionary War, and all four were early frontiersman who were among the first to settle in Kentucky
. Their father and grandfather, George Bowman
and Jost Hite, respectively, were also prominent pioneers in the Colony of Virginia.
One of his patrilineal descendants, Alpheus Michael Bowman
, was a successful Virginia businessman and politician during the late 19th century. Another of his descendants is William Irving Shuman
, a banker and assistant U.S. Treasurer in Chicago, Illinois.
and Mary Hite, Isaac Bowman was the youngest of four sons and grew up on the Bowman estate on Cedar Creek
, only two miles south of present-day Strasburg
. Wayland, John W. A History of Shenandoah County, Virginia. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1980. (pg. 527-528) ISBN 0-8063-8011-X He inherited part of the family estate, including the Bowman mansion, upon the death of his father in 1768. During the mid-1770s, he accompanied his cousin Isaac Hite and his brothers Abraham, Joseph and John to Kentucky where, in 1775, he and the other thirteen pioneers carved their names into a beech tree in Warren County, Kentucky
. Isaac Bowman did not become a major landowner as his brothers did, most likely due to his age.
and quartermaster
under his brother Major Joseph Bowman
. During this time, he was assigned to escort a number of high-level British officials and military officers as prisoners-of-war from Fort Vincennes to Williamsburg, Virginia
, including Governor Henry Hamilton and Philippe-François de Rocheblave
. He also delivered messages, including letters from his brother Joseph describing the progress of the expedition. Returning to Illinois, he was reportedly present at the capture of Fort Vincennes and attended the burial of his brother in August 1779. He also paid the expense of the services. He was one of the officers awarded a land allotment in Clark's Grant
, Bowman being given 2156 acres (8.7 km²) for his services. Part of his land was used to build Jeffersonville, Indiana
in 1802, the city eventually becoming the county seat
of Clark County
.
, a party which was to be escorted from Kaskaskia
to Kentucky County. Bowman was also entrusted with a number of articles belonging to the commonwealth of Virginia, which he was to deliver to the lieutenant governor. According to Todd in a letter to Governor Thomas Jefferson
on June 2, 1780, he reported,
It was long assumed that Bowman had been killed defending the party against the Chickasaw. However, he survived the battle and was, in fact, taken prisoner by his attackers. He was treated harshly and was tortured by his captors being "subjected to every torture, short of death, that the cruel savages could devise". However, he was eventually taken in by the tribe and was made an adopted son of one of the chieftains. He was later chosen as a son-in-law and, although the details of this marriage is unrecorded, there is an account of members of the Lewis and Clark expedition who, in 1804, encountered an Indian woman who had the name of a "J. Bowman" tattooed on her arm.
Bowman eventually escaped from Indian country with the help of a local Indian trader, possibly a Spaniard, who left with him for Cuba
and eventually made his way to the United States. Accounts differ as to the exact circumstances of his escape, another being that he was purchased by a man named Turnbull for a keg of whiskey and remained in his service until his debt was repaid.
on the family estate where he lived with his family until his death on September 9, 1826.
The house was located on the high bank above Cedar Creek, two miles (3 km) northeast of Strasburg and within half a mile of his birthplace, the original stone cabin built by his father in 1753. As of 1895, the house was still in existence although unoccupied.
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
and the Northwest Indian War
Northwest Indian War
The Northwest Indian War , also known as Little Turtle's War and by various other names, was a war fought between the United States and a confederation of numerous American Indian tribes for control of the Northwest Territory...
. His capture and eventual escape from hostile Chickasaw led him on a two-year adventure before returning to the United States from Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
in 1782.
His brothers, Abraham
Abraham Bowman
Colonel Abraham Bowman was an 18th century American frontiersman and American Revolutionary War military officer, who served as an officer and later commanded the 8th Virginia Regiment popularly known as the "German Regiment".He and his brothers Isaac, Joseph and John Jacob Bowman were among the...
, Joseph
Joseph Bowman
Joseph Bowman was a Virginia militia officer during the American Revolutionary War. He was second-in-command during George Rogers Clark's famous campaign to capture the Illinois country, in which Clark and his men seized the British-controlled towns of Kaskaskia, Vincennes, and others...
and John Jacob Bowman
John Bowman (pioneer)
John Jacob Bowman was an 18th century American pioneer, colonial militia officer and sheriff, the first appointed in Lincoln County, Kentucky. In 1781 he also presided as a justice of the peace over the first county court held in Kentucky...
, were also officers during the Revolutionary War, and all four were early frontiersman who were among the first to settle in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. Their father and grandfather, George Bowman
George Bowman (pioneer)
George Bowman was an 18th century American pioneer, landowner and a prominent Indian fighter in the early history of the Colony of Virginia. He, along with his father-in-law Jost Hite, was one of the first to explore and settle Shenandoah Valley...
and Jost Hite, respectively, were also prominent pioneers in the Colony of Virginia.
One of his patrilineal descendants, Alpheus Michael Bowman
Alpheus Michael Bowman
Alpheus Michael Bowman was a 19th century American politician and businessman. He was a prominent figure in the ranching and livestock industry, either belonging to or serving in important positions, on various business associations. His involvement in these organizations included promoting...
, was a successful Virginia businessman and politician during the late 19th century. Another of his descendants is William Irving Shuman
William Irving Shuman
William Irving Shuman, or simply Irving Shuman, was an American businessman, banker and political activist during the late 19th and early 20th century. A longtime member of the Democratic Party in Moultrie County, Illinois, he was an Illinois delegate to the 1912 Democratic National Convention and...
, a banker and assistant U.S. Treasurer in Chicago, Illinois.
Early life
Born to George BowmanGeorge Bowman (pioneer)
George Bowman was an 18th century American pioneer, landowner and a prominent Indian fighter in the early history of the Colony of Virginia. He, along with his father-in-law Jost Hite, was one of the first to explore and settle Shenandoah Valley...
and Mary Hite, Isaac Bowman was the youngest of four sons and grew up on the Bowman estate on Cedar Creek
Cedar Creek
-In Delaware:*Cedar Creek, Delaware*Cedar Creek Hundred, an unincorporated subdivision of Sussex County, Delaware-In Georgia:*Cedar Creek , former name for Vickery Creek, a tributary of the Chattahoochee River-In Indiana:...
, only two miles south of present-day Strasburg
Strasburg, Virginia
Strasburg is a town in Shenandoah County, Virginia, United States, which was founded in 1761 by Peter Stover. It is the largest town, population-wise, in the county and is known for its pottery, antiques, and Civil War history...
. Wayland, John W. A History of Shenandoah County, Virginia. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1980. (pg. 527-528) ISBN 0-8063-8011-X He inherited part of the family estate, including the Bowman mansion, upon the death of his father in 1768. During the mid-1770s, he accompanied his cousin Isaac Hite and his brothers Abraham, Joseph and John to Kentucky where, in 1775, he and the other thirteen pioneers carved their names into a beech tree in Warren County, Kentucky
Warren County, Kentucky
Warren County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky, specifically the Pennyroyal Plateau and Western Coal Fields regions. It is included in the Bowling Green, Kentucky, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 113,792 in the 2010 Census. The county seat is Bowling Green...
. Isaac Bowman did not become a major landowner as his brothers did, most likely due to his age.
Service during the American Revolution
In 1778, at age 21, he enlisted in the Illinois Militia and participated in General George Rodgers Clark's Illinois campaign serving as a lieutenantLieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
and quartermaster
Quartermaster
Quartermaster refers to two different military occupations depending on if the assigned unit is land based or naval.In land armies, especially US units, it is a term referring to either an individual soldier or a unit who specializes in distributing supplies and provisions to troops. The senior...
under his brother Major Joseph Bowman
Joseph Bowman
Joseph Bowman was a Virginia militia officer during the American Revolutionary War. He was second-in-command during George Rogers Clark's famous campaign to capture the Illinois country, in which Clark and his men seized the British-controlled towns of Kaskaskia, Vincennes, and others...
. During this time, he was assigned to escort a number of high-level British officials and military officers as prisoners-of-war from Fort Vincennes to Williamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg is an independent city located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, USA. As of the 2010 Census, the city had an estimated population of 14,068. It is bordered by James City County and York County, and is an independent city...
, including Governor Henry Hamilton and Philippe-François de Rocheblave
Philippe-François de Rastel de Rocheblave
Philippe-François de Rastel de Rocheblave was a soldier, businessman and political figure in Lower Canada. He was sometimes referred to as the Chevalier de Rocheblave....
. He also delivered messages, including letters from his brother Joseph describing the progress of the expedition. Returning to Illinois, he was reportedly present at the capture of Fort Vincennes and attended the burial of his brother in August 1779. He also paid the expense of the services. He was one of the officers awarded a land allotment in Clark's Grant
Clark's Grant
Clark's Grant was a tract of land granted to George Rogers Clark and the soldiers who fought with him during the American Revolutionary War by the state of Virginia in honor of their service...
, Bowman being given 2156 acres (8.7 km²) for his services. Part of his land was used to build Jeffersonville, Indiana
Jeffersonville, Indiana
Jeffersonville is a city in Clark County, Indiana, along the Ohio River. Locally, the city is often referred to by the abbreviated name Jeff. It is directly across the Ohio River to the north of Louisville, Kentucky along I-65. The population was 44,953 at the 2010 census...
in 1802, the city eventually becoming the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Clark County
Clark County, Indiana
Clark County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana, located directly across the Ohio River from Louisville, Kentucky. At the 2010 Census, the population was 110,232. The county seat is Jeffersonville. Clarksville is also a major city in the county...
.
Capture by the Chickasaw
In November 1779, shortly after the campaigns' end, he was placed in charge of a small party of settlers by John ToddJohn Todd (Virginia)
John Todd was a frontier military officer during the American Revolutionary War and the first administrator of the Illinois County of the U.S...
, a party which was to be escorted from Kaskaskia
Kaskaskia
The Kaskaskia were one of about a dozen cognate tribes that made up the Illiniwek Confederation or Illinois Confederation. Their longstanding homeland was in the Great Lakes region...
to Kentucky County. Bowman was also entrusted with a number of articles belonging to the commonwealth of Virginia, which he was to deliver to the lieutenant governor. According to Todd in a letter to Governor Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
on June 2, 1780, he reported,
It was long assumed that Bowman had been killed defending the party against the Chickasaw. However, he survived the battle and was, in fact, taken prisoner by his attackers. He was treated harshly and was tortured by his captors being "subjected to every torture, short of death, that the cruel savages could devise". However, he was eventually taken in by the tribe and was made an adopted son of one of the chieftains. He was later chosen as a son-in-law and, although the details of this marriage is unrecorded, there is an account of members of the Lewis and Clark expedition who, in 1804, encountered an Indian woman who had the name of a "J. Bowman" tattooed on her arm.
Bowman eventually escaped from Indian country with the help of a local Indian trader, possibly a Spaniard, who left with him for Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
and eventually made his way to the United States. Accounts differ as to the exact circumstances of his escape, another being that he was purchased by a man named Turnbull for a keg of whiskey and remained in his service until his debt was repaid.
Later years
Following his return to Shenandoah in 1782, he married an Elizabeth Gatewood, with whom he had four children. After her death eight years later, he married Mary Chinn and had another nine additional children. Wayalnd, John W. A History of Shenandoah County, Virginia. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1980. (pg. 694) ISBN 0-8063-8011-X He settled down on the Mount Pleasant estate and became a prosperous farmer and landowner. In 1812 or 1813, he constructed a large brick mansionMansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
on the family estate where he lived with his family until his death on September 9, 1826.
The house was located on the high bank above Cedar Creek, two miles (3 km) northeast of Strasburg and within half a mile of his birthplace, the original stone cabin built by his father in 1753. As of 1895, the house was still in existence although unoccupied.