Susan Delson.... Not having huge sucess on biographical information on Lt. Col. John F. Bowles but did confirm he is, indeed, the author of "Stormy Petral". In the Kansas Historical Collections, Volume XVII, page 156-7 in an article on "Kansas in Fiction" there is a brief paragraph on Lt. Col. John Bowles being both the Lt. Colonel of the 1st Kansas Colored and the author. The paragraph summarized the book and did not leave any information beyond Bowles being from Lawrence, Kansas.

Lawrence was definitely seen as the bastion of abolitionism, but I have not seen any references to Lt. Col. Bowles. Another mention of Bowles in another Kansas State Historical Publication - P2 about Eldridge Shaler references John Bowles being among defenders of Lawrence in 1856.

Most of the material I have on the 1st Kansas Colored (79th U.S.C.T.) concerns Colonel James M. Williams. I briefly looked at Burke's History of Kansas Regiments, the Adjutant General's Report, 1864-5, an excellent phamphlet on the 1st Kansas Colored at the Battle of Island Mound. There were some references to Bowles military activities in commanding the regiment in battle, etc. but very little about the man.

Needless to say, I will keep looking.

Thanks,
Howard Mann