William Gates (soldier)

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William Gates

William Gates (born April 6, 1788 in Gloucester , Massachusetts , † October 7, 1868 in New York City ) was an officer in the United States Army who was in active service from 1801 until his death in 1867. He was involved in the British-American War , Seminole War , Mexican-American War and the Civil War .

Early life

Gates' father was Captain Lemuel Gates, a veteran of the Revolutionary War .

Military career

Gates was one of the first cadets to attend the West Point Military Academy. He was at the academy between 1801 and 1806. In 1806 he became a second lieutenant in the US Army in an artillery regiment. He was the 11th graduate of West Point and the top of the class of 1806.

He was stationed in various forts on the Atlantic coast and was promoted to First Lieutenant in 1807 .

War of 1802

In the war of 1812 he was the adjutant of an artillery regiment and aide-de-camp of Brigadier General Moses Porter. He was involved in the conquest of Toronto on April 27, 1813. In 1813 he was promoted to captain .

On May 27, 1813, he was involved in the capture of Fort George.

He was in command of Fort Independence, Massachusetts, between 1813 and 1815. At the same time, the British conquered Maine, fearing that all of New England could be the focus of British attacks, but Massachusetts was never attacked.

Further

Gates was stationed in Fort Niagara , New York between 1815 and 1820. He was stationed in various locations in New York for several years.

He was promoted to major in 1823 .

His next assignments were in Fort McHenry , Maryland in 1827 , in Fort Madison, Florida from 1817 to 1829 , in Fort Moultrie in Charleston , South Carolina in 1829, and in Fort Marion, Florida from 1829 to 1832.

Gates was appointed commander of the first artillery regiment. He was stationed at Fort Monroe , Virginia , then Charleston, South Carolina, and again Fort Moultrie from 1833 to 1835.

Seminole War

He was stationed in Fort Washington, Maryland from 1835 to 1836 and then served in the Seminole War between 1836 and 1838. He was involved in the defense of Fort Barnwell on April 12, 1836. In June 1836 he was tried in a military tribunal for cowardice for failing to collect the bodies of killed soldiers outside of his position, which resulted in them being mutilated by Indians.

Gates was transferred to the Second Artillery Regiment and then later promoted to Lieutenant Colonel .

Gates arrested the Indian commander on October 21, 1837 during peace negotiations at Fort Marion. He was later involved in skirmishes against the Cherokee Nation . He returned to Florida in 1839.

War with mexico

He was stationed at Fort Moultrie between 1842 and 1843 and in Savannah, Georgia . On October 13, 1845 he was promoted to colonel and was given command of the third artillery regiment. Thus he was one of the highest ranking officers at the time. He served as governor of Tampico , Mexico , during the war with Mexico . Between 1848 and 1853 he was in command of Fort Adams in Newport , Rhode Island .

Fall of the SS San Francisco

In 1853 Gates and his regiment were posted to California. Gates and hundreds of his soldiers were on board the SS San Francisco steamship when it went down in a storm on December 24, 1853. Since Gates was held responsible for this, he was no longer in command of a unit until 1861.

Civil war

With the outbreak of the civil war in April 1861, the Union needed more manpower and therefore gave Gates a command despite his increased age. In December he was given command of Fort Trumbull , Connecticut . He retired in 1863 but remained in command of Fort Trumbull due to army shortages. In 1864 he was transferred to Fort Constitution , New Hampshire . He stayed there until he finally left the army in 1867 after 66 years of service.

After the Civil War, Gates was promoted to Brigadier General for his long service.

death

General Gates died on October 7, 1868 at the age of 80.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ General Braxton Bragg, CSA - Samuel J. Martin - Google Books
  2. ^ Army and Navy Chronicle - Google Books
  3. ↑ Osceola and the Great Seminole War: A Struggle for Justice and Freedom - Thom Hatch - Google Books
  4. ^ Niles' National Register: Containing Political, Historical, Geographical ... - Google Books
  5. ^ Congressional Serial Set - Google Books
  6. ^ Journal of the Executive Proceedings of the Senate of the United States - United States. Congress. Senate - Google Books
  7. ^ Congressional Serial Set - Google Books
  8. ↑ California Bound | SS San Francisco Disaster
  9. ^ The Papers of Jefferson Davis: 1853-1855 - Jefferson Davis - Google Books
  10. ^ A manual of pensions, bounty, and pay - Google Books
  11. ↑ http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Places/America/United_States/Army/USMA/Cullums_Register/11*.html
  12. ^ Gen William Gates (1788-1868) - Find A Grave Memorial
personal data
SURNAME Gates, William
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American officer, brigadier general in the United States Army
DATE OF BIRTH April 6, 1788
PLACE OF BIRTH Gloucester , Massachusetts
DATE OF DEATH October 7, 1868
Place of death New York City