Mitchell:
I must not be holding my mouth right; I can't ever get these obscure graves to come up on my Google or other searches. But thanks. It appears that this is the man I am looking for. I had to go and look at my endnotes. Bowen is mentioned in the biographical sketch of his older brother, Robert Esli Bowen (COL of the 2 S.C. Rifles) in the S.C. Volume (# V) of Confederate Military History, and also gets a mention in a genealogy of the Field Family of S.C., to whom he was related. But my birth date, and date and place of death came from a genealogy of the Bowen Family by John McGowan Bowen, Sr., The Bowen Family (With McGowan and Brooks) Lineage of George's Creek, Pickens County, South Carolina, at page 95. Even though that author gives Nov 1919 as his date of death, I am convinced that the man buried in Bosque County is the man who served in the Hampton Legion. The year of birth on the tombstone, 1841, is very close to the reported birthdate of 20 July 1840. He may have been living with a relative or friend in Palestine when he died, or it may be that the family genealogist was simply wrong. Or its not beyond the realm of possiblity that the year of death on the tombstone is wrong. I've learned that what's written in stone ain't necessarily so -- but mostly it is. I am going to try to rustle up an obituary for him, but for the moment I am reasonably confident that the Bosque County Bowen is the man I am looking for. Again, thank you very much.
Lee