This article is from the April - June 2010 issue of the Confederate Philatelist. Posted under a prior agreement with the then journal editors in effect since the early days of this website.

5c Blue Richmond Print Pair Tarboro NC to a CS Marine assigned to the CS Steamer Columbia in Charleston Harbor. When I published my book, A Lifetime of Collecting Confederate States of America Postal  History, I received a very kind and complimentary email from Colonel Wilbert T. Waters, Jr. In addition, to my surprise and delight, Colonel Waters informed me that the addressee on the above cover, which was illustrated on page 129 of my book, was a relative of his. In particular, Henry H. (Hunter) Bowen was the brother of his great-great-grandfather George Washington Bowen from Plymouth, Washington County, North Carolina. Both Henry and George were CS Marine Corps privates on board the CSS Columbia in Charleston, South Carolina. In addition, a brother-in-law of George Bowen, George W. Oden, was also a Marine Corps private stationed on the ship. All three reported aboard together on October 6, 1864. On January 12,1865, the recently constructed ironclad ram had run on a sunken wreck off Fort Moultrie and was severely damaged. When the Union forces took possession of Charleston on February 18, 1865, they found the greatly prized CSS Columbia in jeopardy near Fort Moultrie and quickly seized her. The envelope mailed to Private Henry Hunter Bowen has a pair of 5¢ blue Scott #7 with a Tarboro, North Carolina, January 30 (1865) cancellation. The letter arrived on the CSS Columbia after the disastrous accident but before the Federals captured the crippled ship. The Navy and Marine Corps personnel, including the three relatives, were ordered to abandon the vessel and escape to Drewry's Bluff, Virginia, to join other Navy and Marine Corps forces assembled there under the command of Commodore John R. Tucker, CS Navy. All three  f the relatives survived the war. Just think. This wonderful example of Navy and Marine Corps postal history was saved and hand-carried by Private Henry Hunter Bowen from the CSS Columbia to his home in Plymouth, North Carolina. It is truly amazing the cover survived for us to appreciate 145 years later. Finally, about a half dozen envelopes are known that have been mailed to a member of the CS Marine Corps (both officer and enlisted). They are quite rare.

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