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Maj. Gen. William B. Bate

 

 

 

 

Born: October 7, 1826

Castalian Springs, Tennessee

Died: March 9, 1865

Washington, D.C.

 

 

April 1861: Enlisted as a Captain

May 1861: Elected Colonel

October 2, 1862: Brigadier General

February 24, 1864: Major General

Maj. Gen. William B. Bate

1849 - 1852: Tennessee House of Representatives

April 1861: After the Battle of Fort Sumter, enlisted in a private company and was elected Captain

May 1861: Elected Colonel after Tennessee aligned with the Confederacy

May 30, 1861: Battle of Aquia Creek

July 21, 1861: 1st Battle of Bull Run - was in a reserve brigade

February 1862: Requested transfer to the Western Theater

2nd Tennessee was placed under the command of Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston's Army of the Mississippi

April 6, 1862: Battle of Shiloh - wounded in the leg. Surgeon stated the leg would have to be amputated, but Bate pulled a pistol and kept his leg. He walked with a limp for the rest of his life.

October 2, 1862: Promoted to Brigadier General

Requested a return to duty and Gen. Bragg created a brigade for him

Tallahoma Campaign

June 24, 1863: Battle of Hoover's Gap

Was offered the gubernatorial nomination, but turned it down to stay on the front lines

September 19-20, 1863: Battle of Chickamuaga, 3 horses were shot out from under him

After the battle, the Army of Tennessee was reorganized. Was given command of a division.

October 25, 1863: Battle of Missionary Ridge

February 24, 1864: Promoted to Major General

May 1-September 8, 1864: Atlanta Campaign

May 13-16, 1864: Battle of Resaca

June 25, 1864: Battle of New Hope Church

June 27, 1864: Battle of Kennesaw Mountain

July 20, 1864: Battle of Peachtree Creek

July 22, 1864: Battle of Atlanta

August 10, 1864: Wounded in the knee at a skirmish at Willis' Grist Mill. Was bedridden for weeks.

Rejoined his division in late 1864.

November 30, 1864: Battle of Franklin and had another horse shot out from him.

December 15-16, 1864: Battle of Nashville commanding Gen. Cheatham's right flank

January 1 - April 26, 1865: Carolina's Campaign

March 19-21, 1865: Battle of Bentonville

April 26, 1865: Surrendered at Bennett Place near Durham, North Carolina

January 15, 1883 - January 17, 1887: Governor of Tennessee

March 4 1887 - March 9 1905: U.S. Senator from Tennessee

Is believed to have caught pneumonia while attending President Theodore Roosevelt's inauguration and dies March 9, 1905

Boatner, Mark M. III. The Civil War Dictionary. New York: David McKay, 1967. p 49-50

Warner, Ezra J. Generals in Gray The Lives of the Confederate Commanders. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State, 1992. p 19-20

William B. Bate. 8 July 2023. web. 23 April 2024

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