This collection contains copies of transcriptions of the memoirs of John Malachi Bowden as dictated to his son, John Wightman Bowden. He describes the atmosphere of his hometown during the debate over secession, noting the fervor with which those opposed to secession and war were condemned as cowards. Bowden recalls his experiences fighting several major battles of the Civil War including Gettysburg, Fredericksburg, Yorktown, Spotsylvania Court House, Malvern Hall and Knoxville. The account of the Battle of Gettysburg details his involvement in charging a hill held by the Federals on July 3, 1863, and his regiment's fight and retreat in the face of defeat on July 4, 1863. He notes that the battlefield was so confusing that many times he was fired upon by members of his own regiment. His description of the Battle of Petersburg details the shells that the Union army fired at the Confederates-canisters filled with grape-shot that exploded when a fuse was ignited. He also tells about the Union soldiers filling tunnels under the Confederate camp with explosives in order to provide opportunity for an attack. Bowden describes life in a Union prison camp stating that there he "attended a high school" and created a trading business. Through this business he was able to supplement the poor rations provided to prisoners by Union soldiers. Throughout the memoirs he repeatedly mentions the religious consciousness of soldiers during the war. He also continually states that although he believed secession was doomed to fail from the beginning, he strongly believed in the righteousness of the cause.
