The Confederate Soldiers: THOMAS M. FOWLER (1834-1863) Son of Eli

I am the first to admit that I put misinformation out into the research universe. I once believed that Thomas Fowler — son of Eli Fowler — was the man who married Orpha Kennettt.

My research has led to the discovery that the son of Eli was Thomas M. Fowler who died in 1863, having neither wife nor children.

Orpha Kennett married Thomas J. Fowler on January 19, 1864, a year after the death of Thomas, son of Eli.

I have amended my research to correct my mistakes. Now, I will discuss the life and Civil War service of Thomas M. Fowler.

Elizah Fowler (1807–1874) was usually referred to as Eli Fowler. For what they are worth, on-line family trees say that he was the son of one Alfred Fowler b. ca. 1775. I do not know if that is true; I have not yet done the research.

There is little doubt that Eli Fowler was the father of a son named Thomas M. Fowler born in the mid 1830s. Those on-line trees claim Eli’s wife and Thomas’s mother was Elizabeth Louisa Simpson (1808–1896). The accuracy of these sources is uncertain.

Eli Fowler and Elizabeth had a large family, the eight sons outnumbering the two daughters by far.

Sixteen-year-old Thomas Fowler was in his father’s household in Spartanburg County in 1850:

Thomas Fowler was not in his father’s household in 1860. Elizabeth Foster’s household in the Southern Division of Spartanburg County included a twenty-five-year-old Thomas Fowler. Was this Thomas, son of Eli? My guess — without extensive research — says maybe.

Never mind that the exact location of Thomas M. Fowler in 1860 has not been proven. It is a fact that he was at the Spartanburg Court House on August 27, 1861. He was enlisting in Company C of the 13th South Carolina Infantry.

He was twenty-five years old, a private in rank, and the outfit he joined was known as Lieut. D.B. Duncan’s Company, Edwards’ Regiment of South Carolina Volunteers.

Thomas M.Fowler was mustered into military service on September 4, 1861 at Lightwood Knot Springs near Columbia. It had been a summer resort before its use as a training camp for new soldiers who would soon be marching to Virginia.

The Second Battle of Manassas was waged August 28-30, 1862. It was a decisive Confederate victory with the Northern Army sustaining almost twice the casualties of the Confederate forces. Still, over seven thousand of the Confederate boys were killed, captured, or wounded in battle. Thomas M. Fowler was one of the six thousand who were wounded on August 29.

Thomas M. Fowler died on January 15, 1863 in Haywood County, North Carolina from his injuries. His father Eli Fowler had moved there after 1860, and his son had come home to die.

Eli Fowler hired an attorney to collect the money owed to his deceased son for his military service. It was not an easy task for surviving family members to put final affairs in order. There was still a war going on around them and most were in a day-to-day struggle just to survive.