Donald C. Bowman

THE AUTHOR

Don Bowman grew up in the South in a family with direct connections to “The War,” as it was called. His Texas family’s service in the Civil War was extensive. His great-grandfather Bowman served in Company B of Gano’s Squadron of Texas Cavalry along with Don’s great-great uncle. Gano’s Squadron served with Morgan’s Cavalry almost from the beginning of the Civil War. It became the basis of the 3rd Kentucky Cavalry (later re-designated the 7th Kentucky) when so many volunteers flocked to Morgan in Lexington that he had to organize a new regiment. Both men were captured and interned in Camp Douglas for twenty months at the end of Morgan’s raid into the North in 1863. Exchanged in March of 1865, they are believed to have been part of the escort for Jefferson Davis during his flight from Richmond. Don heard stories of their service and captivity all of his life. Another great-grandfather served first in the 7th Texas Cavalry and later moved cattle from Texas across the Mississippi to supply the Confederacy with meat and leather. Another great-grandfather was a surgeon in Dick Taylor’s army west of the Mississippi. A great-grandfather and another great-great uncle, his older brother on the Florida side of the family, also served in the cavalry and drove cattle north from Florida for the Confederacy. Their younger brother served in the 9th Georgia Infantry in Longstreet’s Corps. He was captured during the fighting in The Wheat Field at Gettysburg.

An early interest in history planted by stories repeated by the children of these men blossomed when Don received an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point. After graduation, he served in the 82nd Airborne Division in the United States and in the Airborne Brigade of the 8th Infantry Division in Germany. In Korea, he served in the 1st Cavalry Division. After returning to West Point to serve on the staff, he rejoined the 1st Cavalry Division, now air cavalry, in Vietnam. During his service, Don commanded at every level from platoon to battalion and served on staffs at all levels from battalion to Department of the Army. During his career he taught at the Airborne School and the Ranger School where he was the deputy director. By the end of his active duty career, he had been awarded the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star Medal with V device, and the Purple Heart. He holds the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Expert Infantryman Badge, the Ranger Tab, the Master Parachutist Badge, the Pathfinder Badge, the Army General Staff Badge, and the Army Recruiter’s Badge. He is currently the treasurer of the National Ranger Memorial Foundation, Inc. and is a certified public accountant in public practice in Columbus, Georgia.

He has published articles in service journals and contributed to “Infantry Magazine” an article comparing his great grandfather’s service with Morgan’s Cavalry to his own service in the 1st Air Cavalry Division in Vietnam. This is his first full-length book. He began it while undergoing chemotherapy for cancer. The story took his mind off the treatment and gave him something to do during times of enforced inactivity. It was originally intended as a short story, but it took on a life of its own as the characters took over and began to do things that he had not planned for them to do. A life-long admirer of the writing of Colonel John W. Thomason, Jr., a fellow Texan and career marine, Don thought it was time for another story like those written by Thomason in the 1920s, 30s and 40s.

Is the book biographical? Well, not exactly. The major events are historical. The interaction of historical characters with the fictional characters is invented, but the course of history followed much as it is described in the book. Are the fictional characters real people? They exhibit the characteristics of many people and are to some extent composites of real people mixed with invented characteristics. Strangely, they became real people as the book developed. Who would not like to know Cynthia Montgomery and John McKenzie?