Grave moved to Holy Trinity Cemetery in Bowie, Maryland.
The son of a lawyer and respected plantation owner, Wat, as he was called, practiced law in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. He was an accomplished horseman who was tall, handsome and wore a heavy drooping moustache. In 1861 when the civil war broke out, he was 23 years of age. He was among many who went south to Richmond when Maryland would not join the new Confederacy. He was commissioned as a Captain in the Confederate Provisional Army and took on the role as a spy for the Confederate Secret Service. On October 14, 1862 he was arrested in lower Prince George's County by the Union detective while he was recruiting. Charged with espionage, he was taken to the Old Capitol Prison in Washington, D.C. Prison guards were bribed by friends of the Bowie family and he and a friend, C. F. Ford, escaped on November 17, 1862. He was again captured on May 20, 1863 along with Charles Hume as they were crossing the Potomac into Virginia. He had on him stolen fortification plans for Washington, D.C. and not wanting to spend his lifetime in prison or hung, he shot and killed the guard. Walter escaped but Hume was killed. He showed up at his cousins house where the soldiers tracked him down. He once again was able to escape by putting on a dress, kerchief and had soot rubbed on him to give him the appearance of a slave woman. He handed the plans to his cousin, in which she burned later, as he walked out the back door and past the soldiers. Once back in Virginia it was realized that he was to notorious to work undercover as a spy. He approached John S. Mosby, commander of the forty-third Battalion of Virginia calvary, Mosby's Rangers. He was also a family friend of the Bowie's and signed Wat up as a Lieutenant. He became Mosby's eyes and ears during forays in Maryland's countryside. His demise didn't come from the Union soldiers but from a group of angry Quaker's who were fed up with troops from both sides raiding and foraging from their town. A posse of 15 citizens caught up with him and his men when they stopped outside of Rockville, Maryland to rest and graze their horses. He saw them coming, straddled his horse and attacked the citizens head-on taking a shotgun blast to his face by a carriage maker named William Ent who was hiding behind a tree. He was the only casualty of what became locally known as the Battle of Ricketts Run. The posse was run off by the remainder of the rangers and they took him to a farmhouse. His brother Brune stayed with him while the raiders headed back to Virginia safely. He died a short time later and his brother was arrested. He was laid to rest at the family property of Willow Grove.
bio by Charlotte
The son of a lawyer and respected plantation owner, Wat, as he was called, practiced law in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. He was an accomplished horseman who was tall, handsome and wore a heavy drooping moustache. In 1861 when the civil war broke out, he was 23 years of age. He was among many who went south to Richmond when Maryland would not join the new Confederacy. He was commissioned as a Captain in the Confederate Provisional Army and took on the role as a spy for the Confederate Secret Service. On October 14, 1862 he was arrested in lower Prince George's County by the Union detective while he was recruiting. Charged with espionage, he was taken to the Old Capitol Prison in Washington, D.C. Prison guards were bribed by friends of the Bowie family and he and a friend, C. F. Ford, escaped on November 17, 1862. He was again captured on May 20, 1863 along with Charles Hume as they were crossing the Potomac into Virginia. He had on him stolen fortification plans for Washington, D.C. and not wanting to spend his lifetime in prison or hung, he shot and killed the guard. Walter escaped but Hume was killed. He showed up at his cousins house where the soldiers tracked him down. He once again was able to escape by putting on a dress, kerchief and had soot rubbed on him to give him the appearance of a slave woman. He handed the plans to his cousin, in which she burned later, as he walked out the back door and past the soldiers. Once back in Virginia it was realized that he was to notorious to work undercover as a spy. He approached John S. Mosby, commander of the forty-third Battalion of Virginia calvary, Mosby's Rangers. He was also a family friend of the Bowie's and signed Wat up as a Lieutenant. He became Mosby's eyes and ears during forays in Maryland's countryside. His demise didn't come from the Union soldiers but from a group of angry Quaker's who were fed up with troops from both sides raiding and foraging from their town. A posse of 15 citizens caught up with him and his men when they stopped outside of Rockville, Maryland to rest and graze their horses. He saw them coming, straddled his horse and attacked the citizens head-on taking a shotgun blast to his face by a carriage maker named William Ent who was hiding behind a tree. He was the only casualty of what became locally known as the Battle of Ricketts Run. The posse was run off by the remainder of the rangers and they took him to a farmhouse. His brother Brune stayed with him while the raiders headed back to Virginia safely. He died a short time later and his brother was arrested. He was laid to rest at the family property of Willow Grove.
bio by Charlotte
Grave moved to Holy Trinity Cemetery in Bowie, Maryland.
The son of a lawyer and respected plantation owner, Wat, as he was called, practiced law in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. He was an accomplished horseman who was tall, handsome and wore a heavy drooping moustache. In 1861 when the civil war broke out, he was 23 years of age. He was among many who went south to Richmond when Maryland would not join the new Confederacy. He was commissioned as a Captain in the Confederate Provisional Army and took on the role as a spy for the Confederate Secret Service. On October 14, 1862 he was arrested in lower Prince George's County by the Union detective while he was recruiting. Charged with espionage, he was taken to the Old Capitol Prison in Washington, D.C. Prison guards were bribed by friends of the Bowie family and he and a friend, C. F. Ford, escaped on November 17, 1862. He was again captured on May 20, 1863 along with Charles Hume as they were crossing the Potomac into Virginia. He had on him stolen fortification plans for Washington, D.C. and not wanting to spend his lifetime in prison or hung, he shot and killed the guard. Walter escaped but Hume was killed. He showed up at his cousins house where the soldiers tracked him down. He once again was able to escape by putting on a dress, kerchief and had soot rubbed on him to give him the appearance of a slave woman. He handed the plans to his cousin, in which she burned later, as he walked out the back door and past the soldiers. Once back in Virginia it was realized that he was to notorious to work undercover as a spy. He approached John S. Mosby, commander of the forty-third Battalion of Virginia calvary, Mosby's Rangers. He was also a family friend of the Bowie's and signed Wat up as a Lieutenant. He became Mosby's eyes and ears during forays in Maryland's countryside. His demise didn't come from the Union soldiers but from a group of angry Quaker's who were fed up with troops from both sides raiding and foraging from their town. A posse of 15 citizens caught up with him and his men when they stopped outside of Rockville, Maryland to rest and graze their horses. He saw them coming, straddled his horse and attacked the citizens head-on taking a shotgun blast to his face by a carriage maker named William Ent who was hiding behind a tree. He was the only casualty of what became locally known as the Battle of Ricketts Run. The posse was run off by the remainder of the rangers and they took him to a farmhouse. His brother Brune stayed with him while the raiders headed back to Virginia safely. He died a short time later and his brother was arrested. He was laid to rest at the family property of Willow Grove.
bio by Charlotte
The son of a lawyer and respected plantation owner, Wat, as he was called, practiced law in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. He was an accomplished horseman who was tall, handsome and wore a heavy drooping moustache. In 1861 when the civil war broke out, he was 23 years of age. He was among many who went south to Richmond when Maryland would not join the new Confederacy. He was commissioned as a Captain in the Confederate Provisional Army and took on the role as a spy for the Confederate Secret Service. On October 14, 1862 he was arrested in lower Prince George's County by the Union detective while he was recruiting. Charged with espionage, he was taken to the Old Capitol Prison in Washington, D.C. Prison guards were bribed by friends of the Bowie family and he and a friend, C. F. Ford, escaped on November 17, 1862. He was again captured on May 20, 1863 along with Charles Hume as they were crossing the Potomac into Virginia. He had on him stolen fortification plans for Washington, D.C. and not wanting to spend his lifetime in prison or hung, he shot and killed the guard. Walter escaped but Hume was killed. He showed up at his cousins house where the soldiers tracked him down. He once again was able to escape by putting on a dress, kerchief and had soot rubbed on him to give him the appearance of a slave woman. He handed the plans to his cousin, in which she burned later, as he walked out the back door and past the soldiers. Once back in Virginia it was realized that he was to notorious to work undercover as a spy. He approached John S. Mosby, commander of the forty-third Battalion of Virginia calvary, Mosby's Rangers. He was also a family friend of the Bowie's and signed Wat up as a Lieutenant. He became Mosby's eyes and ears during forays in Maryland's countryside. His demise didn't come from the Union soldiers but from a group of angry Quaker's who were fed up with troops from both sides raiding and foraging from their town. A posse of 15 citizens caught up with him and his men when they stopped outside of Rockville, Maryland to rest and graze their horses. He saw them coming, straddled his horse and attacked the citizens head-on taking a shotgun blast to his face by a carriage maker named William Ent who was hiding behind a tree. He was the only casualty of what became locally known as the Battle of Ricketts Run. The posse was run off by the remainder of the rangers and they took him to a farmhouse. His brother Brune stayed with him while the raiders headed back to Virginia safely. He died a short time later and his brother was arrested. He was laid to rest at the family property of Willow Grove.
bio by Charlotte
Inscription
Stone reads: Captain; C.S.A.; killed near Rockville, Md. aged 27 years. Son of W.W.W. & A. Bowie. (Walter William Weems Bowie. His mother was Adeline Snowden Bowie)
Family Members
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