Montgomery in Montgomery County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
Governor William Calvin Oates / Colonel W. C. Oates, CSA at Gettysburg
Photographed By Mark Hilton, March 8, 2014
1. Governor William Calvin Oates Marker
Inscription.
Governor William Calvin Oates, also, Colonel W. C. Oates, CSA at Gettysburg. . (Side 1)
Governor William Calvin Oates. Born in Pike County into a poor Alabama family in 1835, Oates practiced law in Abbeville when the War began. Elected Captain of the "Henry Pioneers," Co. G, 15th Alabama Infantry. He saw service in Jackson's Corps and was appointed Colonel of the 15th Regiment in 1863. Given command of the 48th Alabama infantry in July 1864, Oates' right arm was shattered by a minie ball at Petersburg in August 1864. He later served Alabama as a legislator, Congressman, and Governor. Oates served stateside as a Brigadier General, USV in the Spanish-American War.
(Continued on other side).
Sponsored by the Montgomery Chamber of Commerce. (Side 2)
Colonel W. C. Oates, CSA at Gettysburg (Continued from other side). July 2, 1863: General Law's Alabama Brigade of Longstreet's Corps arrived on the field, having marched 23 miles in 11 hours. The 15th Alabama Regiment commanded by Oates became the extreme right flank of Lee's Army. It made five charges up Little Round Top against withering fire of the enemy and engaged in fierce hand-to-hand combat with Col. Joshua Chamberlain's 20th Maine Regiment and other Federal troops before being driven off the hill by a final desperate bayonet charge from the high ground against its flank and rear. Oates always attributed his regiment's failure to take its objective on the shortage of water and fatigue from the forced march.
Sponsored by the Montgomery Chamber of Commerce.
(Side 1)
Governor William Calvin Oates
Born in Pike County into a poor Alabama family in 1835, Oates practiced law in Abbeville when the War began. Elected Captain of the "Henry Pioneers," Co. G, 15th Alabama Infantry. He saw service in Jackson's Corps and was appointed Colonel of the 15th Regiment in 1863. Given command of the 48th Alabama infantry in July 1864, Oates' right arm was shattered by a minie ball at Petersburg in August 1864. He later served Alabama as a legislator, Congressman, and Governor. Oates served stateside as a Brigadier General, USV in the Spanish-American War.
(Continued on other side)
Sponsored by the Montgomery Chamber of Commerce
(Side 2)
Colonel W. C. Oates, CSA at Gettysburg
(Continued from other side)
July 2, 1863: General Law's Alabama Brigade of Longstreet's Corps arrived on the field, having marched 23 miles in 11 hours. The 15th Alabama Regiment commanded by Oates became the extreme right flank of Lee's Army. It made five charges up Little Round Top against withering fire of the enemy and engaged in fierce hand-to-hand combat with Col. Joshua Chamberlain's 20th Maine Regiment and other Federal troops before being driven off the hill
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by a final desperate bayonet charge from the high ground against its flank and rear. Oates always attributed his regiment's failure to take its objective on the shortage of water and fatigue from the forced march.
Sponsored by the Montgomery Chamber of Commerce
Erected 1994 by the Alabama Historical Association.
Location. 32° 23.083′ N, 86° 17.658′ W. Marker is in Montgomery, Alabama, in Montgomery County. Marker can be reached from the intersection of Stella Street and Clarmont Avenue, on the right when traveling north. Marker is inside East Oakwood Cemetery just to the west of Clarmont Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1244 Upper Wetumpka Road, Montgomery AL 36107, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 30, 2020. It was originally submitted on March 8, 2014, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 1,265 times since then and 71 times this year. Last updated on July 25, 2015, by J. Makali Bruton of Accra, Ghana. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on March 8, 2014, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
