 Erastus Newton Bates papers
Collection DescriptionBiographical NoteErastus Newton Bates (1828-1898) was born in Plainfield, Massachusetts on February 29, 1828 and became a lawyer, Union Army officer, and Christian Science clergyman. He graduated from Williams College in 1898 and attended Union Theological Seminary. During the Civil War, he was commissioned Major of the 80th Illinois Volunteer Regiment, spent fifteen months in Libby Prison, Richmond, Virginia from 1863 to 1865, and was breveted Brigadier General after the war ended. In the 1880's, he converted to the Christian Science religion and became active in the church. He died in Minneapolis, May 29, 1898 and was buried in Springfield, Illinois. Scope and ContentThe collection consists of the papers of Erastus Newton Bates from 1834-1898. Includes correspondence to his wife Lucy, pertaining to his Civil War service with the 80th Illinois Volunteers in Kentucky and Tennessee. Bates' letters discuss the battles of Perryville, Kentucky (1862) and Murfreesboro, Tennessee (1862) and his subsequent imprisonment in Libby Prison, Richmond, Virginia (1862-1864). Also contains certificates, deeds, commissions, and a few missionary letters from India and Ceylon written by Lucy Bates' brother. Administrative InformationPreferred CitationErastus Newton Bates papers, ms6, Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, The University of Georgia Libraries. General NotesDonated by Lucy Bates in 1966, Estate of Miss Bates in 1971, and Staton Forbes in 1972. Related Materials and SubjectsSubject TermsRelated Collections in this RepositoryRelated collections in other repositories: The First Church of Christ, Scientist Archives of the Mother Church, Boston, Massachusetts; Bates, Erastus Newton (1828-98), Letters and other materials, 1862-1904, Illinois History and Lincoln Collections, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Related collections in this repository: Lucy Bates papers. | ||||||||||||||||||