Bugle book review…
Bush’s new book on Andrew Cowan
has to rank as one of his best efforts

“Colonel Andrew Cowan, Union Soldier, Louisville Citizen, Peacemaker,” by Bryan S. Bush, 191 pages, including endnotes, references and index; Acclaim Press, 2015. $24.95.

Reviewed by
ED FORD
Bugle Editor

Bryan Bush probably knows more prominent Kentucky Civil War luminaries than any other War-Between-the-States specialist. And, he has written more than 13 books and innumerable magazine articles about them.

He continues that string with his latest book, Colonel Andrew Cowan, Union Soldier, Louisville Citizen, Peacemaker.

Bush traces the life of this remarkable Scottish immigrant from his arrival in Auburn County, N.Y., with his parents through his service in the Civil War and a successful business career in Louisville. But, Andrew Cowan was not just a heroic citizen soldier.   Following his career as an artillery commander, he amassed a fortune in the leather industry and used that wealth in a variety of philanthropic activities. In addition, he was a prominent force in healing the wounds between the North and South and bringing peace to a fractured nation.

The author unravels Cowan’s illustrious Civil War action by telling his story through the many Eastern Theater battles in which he participated. That totaled some 18 major actions including Fredericksburg, Antietam and Gettysburg. It was at Gettysburg that Cowan was cited for his action against Confederate Gen. George Pickett’s charge as he and his artillery crew successfully defended the “Bloody Angle.”

Throughout the war, Cowan was recognized for his calm and efficient manner under fire. The success of his artillery crew was based on the Colonel’s insistence to make sure every shot counted and to “never get excited.”

Cowan’s guns were utilized one last time in the Appomattox Campaign. He also was present at the signing of the surrender on April 9, 1865. Unfortunately, the U.S. field artillery and staff largely were overlooked where promotions were concerned, as artillery chief Gen. Henry Hunt pointed out in a letter to Cowan.

Otherwise, he noted, Cowan would have received a general’s commission.

The Colonel relocated to Louisville in 1866 and entered into a business supplying leather goods, railway and mill products. He soon became president of a leather goods firm and was instrumental in forming a Southern Exposition that brought national recognition to Louisville and the South for its industrial growth and services. He also was part of a Louisville committee that helped raise funds for the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty.

The Louisville and Jefferson County park system, one of the oldest in the nation, was initiated under Cowan’s leadership. He was one of the first elected park commissioners and secured the services of Frederick Law Olmstead, considered one of the country’s greatest park architects.

Cowan’s philanthropic endeavors were many and he did much to mend the nation’s Civil War wounds. As Bush notes, Cowan founded the “Blue and Gray Reunion” at Gettysburg in 1887 and was a key organizer of the 50th Anniversary Reunion at Gettysburg. He was entertainment director for the 1895 Grand Army of the Republic reunion in Louisville, helped organize the 1905 and 1917 Confederate Veterans reunions in that city and raised funds and helped organize festivities for the unveiling of the Abraham Lincoln Memorial in Hodgenville.

Upon Cowan’s death in 1919, former Kentucky Gov. Augustus Willson noted in a tribute that the Colonel’s “most valuable trait and best remembered characteristic was his unshakable will to be just – a faith he kept until his death.”

Bush’s books have recognized a number of Kentucky Civil War veterans, but his latest effort is an overdue tribute to a modest Scotsman who brought honor and understanding to his city and country. The reader will be well rewarded in learning about this citizen soldier.