Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1917-08-23
B. WEIGH OWENS DIES
At SOLDIERS HOME
Confederate Veteran of 81 Years
Was Well Known Here
BROTHER OF JAS. W. OWENS
Deceased Saw Active Service With
First Maryland Artillery Was a
Deputy Clerk at Court House

b. Welch Owens, Confederate vet
eran died at the Confederate Soldiers
Home, Pikesville, on Monday, August
goth, aged 81 years and 5 months His
funeral took place on Tuesday and the
body was buried in the Soldiers sec
ton of Loudon Park Cemetery.
He was in active employment up to
IS months ago when he received a
shock from a fall on the concrete
pavement at the Home which disabled
him and from which he suffered Sc
verely. He was the son of Nicholas
and Mary (Welch) Owens of West
River.
He was twice married and leaves a
son and stepdaughter surviving him.
also three brothers, viz: James W.,
Franklin and Arthur, and sister,
Mrs. Mary w. Davidson, all residing
in Anne Arundel county.
When the discussion between the
North and South began in 1861 he
was intensely Southern in his feelings,
and on the 10Th of April, '61 at
the corner of Gay and Water streets,
Baltimore, he saw a car being drawn
by horses loaded with the 9th Massa-
chusetts Regiment At the same time
time he saw a cart on the railroad
track loaded with building sand, when
he Immediately pulled out the tail
board and pintle hook and dumped
the load on the track. He was indict-
ed in the Criminal Court of Baltimore
for rioting, was tried in the Anne
Arundel Circuit Court and acquitted.
He was also indicted in the u. S.
Court for treason. CHIEF Justice Taney
sat in the case and quashed the indict-
ment. This was in May, 1868, and on
the 3rd of June he enlisted in the First
Maryland Artillery, where his brother,
James W. Owens, was serving. On
the 4th he had one days drilling in
the manual of the piece. On the 5th
the line of march for Gettysburg was
begun and on the 18th he had his bap-
tism of fire at Stevenson's depot,
near Winchester Thirteen of sixteen
men at the two pieces were killed or
wounded, when the two detachments
were consolidated on the No gun.
Coming up with a shell he found
one man there. He placed the she'll
in the mouth of the cannon and called
on the other man to ram il home.
When the other men went away from
the No l gun they carried the thumb
stall and laniard. He used his felt
hat as thumb stall and his handker-
chief as a laniard, and Lieutenant
John A. Morgan of N. c. and Lieuten-
ant Randolph H. McKim of Gen.
George H. Stewards staff, assisted at
this gun until the Stonewall Brigade
came in on Milroy's right flank and
bagged the whole outfit.
General Stewart, in his report, es-
pecially mentioned him by name This
was regarded as the most brilliant ar
tillery achievement in the war in
Virginia; so brilliant indeed that
Major General Edward Johnson. COM
manding the Divisions directed Col. r.
Snowden Andrews to furnish the
names of the men of the 1st section
of the 1st Maryland Battery serving
there; reported them to Lieutenant
General Ewell who reported them to
General Lee, and he reported to the
Adjutant Generals Office in Richmond
to be placed on Roll of Honor.
His health broke OWN in the ga
campaign, and after recovering he was
made Chief Clerk to the Provost Mar
shal General of the A. ~ " He was
engaged after the war in several mer-'
camille and political employments. all
of which he filled creditably. He was
a brilliant conversationalist, warm
hearted and companionable.
Mr.. Owens was well known in An
napolis, having served several years
as deputy clerk in the County Court
Clerks Office.