New, Updated Military Timeline for John Bates
Following is the updated timeline of John Bates’ final years in the military. This is the timeline I’m currently working with after finding better information online than what I was working with last week.
10 Nov 1861 Initial enlistment
19 Jan 1862 Battle of Mill Springs (KY)
11-16 Feb 1862 Battle of Fort Donelson (TN)
March 1862 Confederate President Jefferson Davis discusses drafting men 18- 35 years old
10 May 1862 John re-enlists
16 May 1862 John reported for duty/joined service/Mustered in
September 1862 Confederate Congress passes legislation requiring men 18-35 to enlist for a period of 3 years
8 Oct 1862 Battle of Perryville (KY)
16 Oct 1862 Battle (?)- Lexington, KY
31 Dec 1862- 2 Jan 1863 Battle at Murfreesborough, TN (Battle of Stones River?)
2 Jan 1863 Battle (?)- Tullahoma, TN
Between 2 Jan-10 Sep 1863 Captured at Tullahoma, TN- Prisoner of War
Between 2 Jan-10 Sep 1863 POW- Rock Island Military Prison, Rock Island, IL (information obtained from the Murray County Museum, Murray County, GA. They got it from info in a book at the courthouse there. This info differs from military records.)
31 Aug 1862-18 Jan 1863 Last paid by Captain Gibbons to 31 Aug 1862 PRESENT
31 Dec 1862-30 Apr 1863 Undated/non-information military document (perhaps they didn’t know where he was?)
6 May 1863 Unit was reorganized into Company A, 37th GA Volunteer Infantry Regt. while John was imprisoned
19-20 Sep 1863 Battle of Chickamauga (GA)
15-25 Oct 1863 Battle of Philadelphia (TN)
20 Oct 1863 Captured in Monroe County, Tennessee, during Battle of Philadelphia
14 Nov 1863 Appears on a descriptive roll of Prisoners of War at Camp Chase, Ohio from Camp Nelson, KY received by Colonel S. G. Griffin.
31 Dec 1863 Muster Roll: 30 Apr-31 Dec 1863 dated 31 Dec 1863; last paid 30 Apr 1863 ABSENT FROM DUTY
Jan & Feb 1864 Undated; last paid by Captain J. L. Gibbons to 30 Apr 1863 ABSENT
22-27 Feb 1864 Battle of Dalton (GA) occurred while John was a POW.
29 Feb 1864 Transferred from Camp Chase, OH to Fort Delaware, DE
4 Mar 1864 Received at Fort Delaware, DE from Camp Chase, Ohio
7 May 1864 Skirmish (?)- Tunnel Hill (GA) occurred while John was a POW.
14-15 May 1864 Battle of Resaca (GA) occurred while John was a POW.
4 July 1864 Pay May & June 1864; Last paid by Captain Gibbons to 30 April 1863 ABSENT
14 Oct 1864 Admitted (notes don’t say where- maybe Point Lookout, MD?)
30 Oct 1864 Discharged/”paroled” at Fort Delaware in prisoner exchange
31 Oct 1864 Other record says date of arrival at Fort Delaware is 31 Oct ; Exchanged on this date.
14 Nov 1864 John must have died en-route to Venus Point as his tombstone says this date.
15 Nov 1864 Received at Venus Point, Savannah River, Savannah, GA from Point Lookout, MD. Delivered by Lt Col. John E. Mulford & Assistant Agent for Exchange- 3,023 paroled Confederate Prisoners of War including 4 citizens and 4 surgeons & 74 officers. W. H. Hatch asst agent of exchange. Note: Venus Point is attributed to both Jasper County, South Carolina and to Savannah, Chatham County, Georgia.