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
​