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Mercer County · Frontier · 1775 – 1779

Maj. Joseph Bowman

Virginia-born Joseph Bowman came to Kentucky by 1775, signed the 1776 Harrodsburg county petition, and in 1778 raised a company for George Rogers Clark.

AI illustration of Maj. Joseph Bowman, Illinois campaign, about 1778
Joseph Bowman AI illustration · Kentucky History Drive; no known likeness exists

As Clark’s second-in-command he took Prairie du Rocher, St. Philippe, and Cahokia after Kaskaskia fell, kept a day-by-day journal of the flooded winter march to Vincennes, and was promoted major just as a celebratory powder explosion burned him badly. He died at Fort Patrick Henry on about August 14–15, 1779 — the only American officer lost in the Illinois campaign.

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Published . Last revised .

Chicago

Snowden, Shannon. "Maj. Joseph Bowman." Kentucky History Drive. Published September 16, 2026. Last revised September 16, 2026. https://kyhistorydrive.com/stories/maj-joseph-bowman/.

MLA

Snowden, Shannon. "Maj. Joseph Bowman." Kentucky History Drive, published 16 Sept. 2026, last revised 16 Sept. 2026, https://kyhistorydrive.com/stories/maj-joseph-bowman/.

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