William Calvin Oates(either November 30 or December 1, 1835 – September 9, 1910) was acolonelin theConfederate States Armyduring theAmerican Civil War,the29th GovernorofAlabamafrom 1894 to 1896, and abrigadier generalin theU.S. Armyduring theSpanish–American War.
William C. Oates | |
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| 29thGovernor of Alabama | |
| In office December 1, 1894 – December 1, 1896 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas G. Jones |
| Succeeded by | Joseph F. Johnston |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromAlabama's3rddistrict | |
| In office March 4, 1881 – November 5, 1894 | |
| Preceded by | William J. Samford |
| Succeeded by | George Paul Harrison, Jr. |
| Member of theAlabama House of Representatives | |
| In office 1870–1872 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 30, 1835 Pike County, Alabama,U.S. |
| Died | September 9, 1910(aged 74) Montgomery, Alabama,U.S. |
| Resting place | Oakwood Cemetery (Montgomery, Alabama) |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | |
| Branch/service | |
| Years of service |
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| Rank | |
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| Battles/wars | |
Early life
editOates was born inPike County, Alabama,to William and Sarah (Sellers) Oates, a poor farming family. All of his ancestors came toNorth Americaduring thecolonial era,and all of them came from the two countries ofEnglandandWales.[1]At the age of 17, he believed that he had killed a man in a violent brawl and left home forFlorida.Oates became a drifter, settling inTexasfor a couple of years before returning to Alabama at the urging of his younger brother John, who the family had dispatched to locate him. He studied law at the Lawrenceville Academy inLawrencevilleand passed the bar examination, and then opened a practice inAbbeville.[2]
Civil War
editWilliam C. Oates joined theConfederate States Armyin July 1861 and entered the army as captain, 15th Alabama Infantry Regiment, and eventually became the commander of the15th Alabama Infantry Regimentin the spring of 1863. He fought in theBattle of Gettysburg,leading his troops in a series of charges onLittle Round Top,where his brother John was killed. Oates believed that if his regiment had been able to take Little Round Top, the Army of Northern Virginia might have won the battle and marched on to take Washington, D.C. Oates later stated that if even a single additional Confederate regiment had joined the assault, the attack could have succeeded, turning the U.S. flank and threatening the entireArmy of the Potomac.[3][4]
Oates stated:
His [Col.Chamberlain's] skill and persistency and the great bravery of his men saved Little Round Top and the Army of the Potomac from defeat. [If one more Confederate regiment had stormed the far left of the Army of the Potomac with the 15th Alabama,] "...we would have completely turned the flank and have won Little Round Top, which would have forced Meade's whole left wing to retire." He concluded, philosophically, that "great events sometimes turn on comparatively small affairs."[3][dead link][4]
Oates later participated in the battles ofChickamauga,the Wilderness,Spotsylvania Court House,andCold Harbor.After losing command of his colonelcy of the 15th Alabama because of a political move, he was made colonel of the48th Alabamaby Confederate PresidentJefferson Davis.Oates was wounded during the Battle of Fussell's Mill on the outskirts of Richmond, losing his right arm, which ended his active service. [5]
Postbellum career
editOates resumed his law practice inHenry County, Alabama,and served as a delegate to the 1868 Democratic National Convention. From 1870 to 1872, he was a member of the Alabama House of Representatives. In 1880, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, serving seven consecutive terms. Oates married Sarah Toney ofEufaulaon March 28, 1882, and they had one son, William Calvin, Jr., who eventually joined his father in the law practice.
Oates was elected governor of Alabama in 1894 in a bitter campaign. Two years later, he unsuccessfully tried to secure his party's nomination as a candidate for theUnited States Senate.PresidentWilliam McKinleycommissioned Oates as abrigadier generalin 1898, and he served in theSpanish–American War.He returned to his law practice and speculated in real estate. He tried unsuccessfully to have a monument erected at Gettysburg to his comrades in the old 15th Alabama, including his fallen brother.
Oates died inMontgomery,and was buried inOakwood Cemetery.[6]
References
editThis article includes a list of generalreferences,butit lacks sufficient correspondinginline citations.(May 2023) |
- LaFantasie, Glenn W."The Inimitable William C. Oates."National Park Servicewebsite, accessed 10/26/07.Archived2011-04-03 at theWayback Machine
- ^William C. Oates: Quintessential Bourbon Democrat and Unreconstructed Confederate by Jeffrey Neal Seymour Jacksonville State University, 2000
- ^Michael A. Dreese (2007).Torn Families: Death and Kinship at the Battle of Gettysburg.McFarland. p. 156.ISBN978-0-7864-2824-3.
- ^abLaFantasie, np.[dead link]
- ^abOates, William C.The War Between the Union and the Confederacy and Its Lost Opportunities.Dayton, OH: Morningside Bookshop, 1974.OCLC1199018.First published 1905 by Neale Publishing Co. pp. 216, 219.
- ^Desjardin, Thomas (1995).Stand Firm Ye Boys Of Maine: The 20th Maine and the Gettysburg Campaign.Oxford, MS: Oxford University Press.ISBN0-19-514082-6.
- ^Allardice, Bruce S. (2008).Confederate Colonels: A Biographical Register.University of Missouri Press. pp. 292–93.ISBN9780826266484.
Further reading
edit- LaFantasie, Glenn W.Gettysburg Requiem: The Life and Lost Causes of Confederate Colonel William C. Oates.New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.ISBN978-0-19-517458-8.
- Oates, William C.The War Between the Union and the Confederacy and Its Lost Opportunities.Dayton, OH: Morningside Bookshop, 1974.OCLC1199018.First published 1905 by Neale Publishing Co.
External links
edit- United States Congress."William C. Oates (id: O000005)".Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- William C. OatesatFind a Grave