William Brimage Bate

William Brimage Bate , 1826-1905, U.S. politician and Confederate general, b. Castalian Springs, Tenn. He served in the Mexican War and was involved in Tennessee politics before entering the Confederate army in 1861. In a spectacular career Bate rose from private to major general and served with distinction in six major campaigns. He was elected governor of Tennessee in 1882 and reelected in 1884. He served in the U.S. Senate from 1887 to 1905.

Bate, William Brimage (1826–1905) Confederate general, governor, and U.S. senator, born in Bledsoe's Lick (now Castalian Springs), Tennessee. Bate served in the Mexican War (1846–48) as a first lieutenant in the 3rd Tennessee Volunteer Infantry and in the Civil War as a colonel in the 2nd Tennessee Volunteer Regiment. He was a division commander at Missionary Ridge (1863). In 1864 he was promoted to major general and fought with the Army of Tennessee in the Atlanta campaign, and the Franklin and Nashville that same year. A courageous front-line commander who reportedly had six horses killed under him, Bate declined the nomination for the governorship of Tennessee in June 1863, saying that while an armed force threatened Tennessee, he would rather defend his state than govern it. He was eventually elected governor in 1882 and reelected in 1884.