Archive Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Delevan Bates Letter |
Dates of Creation |
July 9, 1892 |
Scope & Content |
Lieutenant Bates (later a General) was appointed Colonel of the Thirtieth U.S. Colored Troops. Their first charge was made in front of Petersburg, and Bates led the colored division. Colonel Bates was shot through the head inside the Confederate lines. After the war (1873), he went West, and eventually became Mayor of Aurora, Nebraska. He also was vice-president of the First National Bank of Aurora. Bates informs Bernard that he thinks Colonel McMasters is more correct than Bernard as regards the time of the advance of Mahone's Brigade on the Union troops at the Crater, and he gives the reasons why. The order for the Division of colored troops to advance was given at 7:30 o'clock. The Division of 4,300 men was made up of two brigades. It took time to get the column started, and more time to get over the Union breastworks and more time to reach the Confederate lines. Then came a pause as they reached the crater and found it full of white troops which made it difficult to get through. Bates was at the head of his regiment which was at the head of the advance. Confederate guns were firing on them. Part of the regiment, and the other regiments of the brigade, went to the right and rushed over the breastworks, capturing flags and prisoners, as described by Colonel Van Buren. Bates saw the stand of colors while it was still in the possession of the Confederate color bearer, but did not stop to take them. Bates wished to continue down the line of breastworks but they were built so that the his union troops had to fight for every inch. The Confederates were well covered and at each advance his troops were exposed. All this was taking up time and twenty minutes went by before an order was received from the division commander, who had not left the Union lines. The order was to advance at once toward the Confederate second line. The commander of the First Brigade could not be found, and as Bates was senior colonel, the order was given to him. Upon reaching the open plain, a volley took every third man and almost all the officers, including Bates. No troops could advance in the face of such fire. Those not shot down, fell back to the breast works. It was about 8 o'clock when Bates commenced the move and nearly nine o'clock when he was shot. The second brigade which would have started with the first brigade at the last advance had the division commander been present, now made a charge. They also met with the same reception and fell back to the crater and the bombproofs mixing all up with the First and white brigades. It was at that time that Bates understands that Mahone made his first advance, not a charge in earnest, but to find out what was left of the Union troops. It must have been near 10 o'clock. He asks Bernard if his volume will be illustrated and if so Bates offers to pay for the expense of inserting a picture of himself. He thinks the readers would like to see how true an aim the Southern marksman drew on that occasion. |
Year Range from |
1892 |
Creator |
Delevan Bates |
Year Range to |
1892 |
Subjects |
Advance African Americans Afro-Americans Aim Bombproof Breastworks Brigade Charge [military] Civil War Civil war battles Colonel Color bearer Colored (Negroes) Column, [military] Confederate Army Confederate officers Confederate soldiers Confederate veterans Division Division commanders Duty Explosions Fire (weapons) Flag bearers Flags Guns Illustrations Killings Marksmanship Opinion Orders, military Photographs Pictures Plains Prisoners Regiments Shot Troops Union Union officers Union soldiers Volley Volume Yankee |
Search Terms |
Aurora, Nebraska Battle of the Crater Civil War Confederacy, the Confederate Army Confederate Veterans Crater (Petersburg) First National Bank Petersburg, Virginia War Between the States War Talks of Confederate Veterans |
People |
Bates, Delevan Bernard, Geo. S. Bernard, George S. Leeke, [unknown] (Major) Mahone, William McMaster, [Fitz William] Van Buren, [unknown] (Colonel) |
Event |
Civil War |
Collection |
George S. Bernard Collection |
Imagefile |
027\200975213.JPG |
Number of images |
6 |
Object Name |
Letter |
Object ID |
2009.75.213 |
Extent of Description |
6 pages, size 6" x 9 1/2" |