Zimri Barber Bates, a native of New York and a farmer in Sangamon County, Illinois in 1860, listed his residence as Elkhart, Logan County, Illinois when he joined Company G, 10th Illinois Cavalry in November 1861. Commissioned a first lieutenant, Bates was promoted to captain of the company in 1862. The regiment saw extensive service in the Trans-Mississippi Theater, including the skirmish at Cotton Plant, Arkansas in July 1862, the capture of Arkansas Post in January 1863, and the capture of Little Rock in September 1863. In January 1865, the veterans and recruits of the regiment were consolidated with the soldiers of the 15th Illinois Cavalry and designated the 10th Illinois Veteran Volunteer Cavalry.

Bates died in Blackwell, Oklahoma, in February 1917.

Tintype by Unknown Photographer

Image Courtesy Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield; WICR 30170