Chapter 3 - The Bates Agreement

Brigadier General John Coalter Bates (1842-1919)

    His father was Edward Bates, the Attorney General in Abraham Lincoln's cabinet. Enlisting after Ft. Sumter, Bates served in the Army of the Potomac throughout the Civil War, participating in nearly all its great battles, including Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg. He remained in the Army after the war, serving most of his time in the West, from Washington state to the Mexican border. Bates commanded an independent brigade in the invasion of Cuba and the assault on El Caney. In addition to being the first commander of the Department of Mindanao and Jolo, he was promoted to command of the 1st Division in the Philippines following the death of General Lawton. He was promoted to Lt. General and became Army Chief of Staff for three months before his retirement in April, 1906.

(Photo: U.S. Army Military History Institute)