William W. Owen enlisted as a private in Company B, 8th Missouri State Militia Cavalry in Jefferson City on December 29, 1861; he was promoted to captain in May 1862 and reassigned to Company F. He was slightly wounded in the thigh at the Battle of Lone Jack, Missouri in August 1862 and resigned from the service on October 17, 1862. The following is inscribed on the reverse of the photograph:

“Oh week & fight and pray the Battle ne,er giv ore
Renew it loudly every day and help abe to implore
So mote it be”
“Loutitia Thurman”

The inscription appears to be the second stanza of a song written by Presbyterian minister George Heath in the 1700s, entitled, “My Soul, Be On Thy Guard.” The second stanza as written reads:

“O watch, and fight and pray; The battle ne’er give oer.
Renew it boldly every day, And help divine implore.”

Owen reentered the army as captain of Company K, 12th Missouri Cavalry in April 1864, but was discharged that June by order of the War Department, presumably for incompetency.

Twenty-five officers of the regiment signed a private testimonial expressing their support for Owen and their opposition to his removal, explaining that his dismissal was the result of a conflict between Owen and the regiment’s commanding officer.

Carte-de-Visite by J.W. Hutchinson, Jefferson City, Mo.

Image Courtesy Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield; WICR 11801