10/07/2026
Confederate Brigadier-General and Tennessee politician William Brimage Bate was born on October 7, 1826 in Sumner County, Tennessee. He served as a Confederate brigadier-general during the American Civil War and later as the 23rd Governor of Tennessee.
He had a highly volatile and distinguished military career, transitioning from a Mexican-American War volunteer into a Confederate Major General who commanded key divisions in the Western Theater.
In 1846, while working as a steamboat clerk, he learned of the war and immediately enlisted in a Louisiana regiment.
When that short-term enlistment ended, he reenlisted as a First Lieutenant in Company I of the 3rd Tennessee Volunteer Infantry, participating in the pursuit of Mexican General Santa Anna. A fierce advocate for secession, Bate enlisted as a private when the Civil War broke out but quickly became the Colonel of the 2nd Tennessee Infantry. His career nearly ended on April 6, 1862, at the Battle of Shiloh.
Bate was severely shot in the leg, a minié ball shattering his limb. Army surgeons insisted on an emergency amputation to save his life. Bate refused, reportedly ordering his slave to retrieve his personal pistol, which he kept in bed to threaten any surgeon who attempted the operation. He kept his leg but walked with a cane and a severe limp for the remainder of his life. Shiloh proved devastating for Bate; several of his relatives—including his brother—were killed in the battle, and his horse, Blackhawk, was shot out from under him.
Following a slow recovery, Bate became a Brigadier General in October 1862. After participating in the Tullahoma Campaign, his strong performance at the Battle of Chickamauga led to his promotion to Major General on February 24, 1864.
He subsequently led his division through intense Western Theater engagements. He fought at Resaca, New Hope Church, and Kennesaw Mountain, used a successful deception at Utoy Creek, and was wounded in the knee at Willis' Grist Mill. He joined Hood's invasion, suffering heavy division casualties at the Battle of Franklin and commanding the right flank at the Battle of Nashville. After retreating into the Carolinas and fighting at the Battle of Bentonville, Bate surrendered with General Joseph E. Johnston’s forces at Bennett Place in April 1865, choosing to surrender alongside the survivors of his original 2nd Tennessee Infantry. Overall, Bate finished the war having been wounded three times with six horses killed beneath him.
