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John Thomas Nates of Dentsville

Writer's picture: Dentsville HistoricalDentsville Historical

John T. Nates was the son of Daniel Wade Nates and Rebecca Coogler. John Nates served as a private in Company C, of the 20th South Carolina Volunteer Infantry. He enlisted December 24, 1861 in Lexington, SC and was discharged from duty on May 2, 1865 in Greensboro, NC.


John Married Amanda Geiger in 1878. They moved from the "Dutch Fork" in the St. Andrews area of Columbia, SC, after he purchased land in the Dentsville community in the mid 1880's. His brother James Wade Nates also served with him in the 20th SC.


John was born in 1941, on his wife Amanda's widow pension claim she has his death in 1904 but on Find A Grave it has John Nates death listed in 1905.


Below is the Widow Pension Application that Amanda Nates submitted and it was approved.




James siblings were Mary, James, and Carolina. John and Amanda had five children which included: Sarah, Willie, Thomas, Emma, Mamie.


According to Find-A-Grave there is a memorial marker for John Nates placed at the Jackson Creek Church Cemetery. It was thought that he had to be buried at Jackson Creek since he owned land near Jackson Creek but his wife Amanda along with other family members were buried at Jackson Creek Church Cemetery.




The 20th South Carolina was organized on January 11, 1862 in response to the call for an additional 12,000 troops from South Carolina. Ten companies were formed in the central part of the state. The regiment departed for Charleston on January 13th. Unlike many units that were rushed to the front, this unit remained in camp drilling for several months. While many units fought themselves out in the middle years of the war, the 20th South Carolina lost more of their men in relatively obscure battles in the last year of the war. Morris Island, First Deep Bottom, Hupp's Hill, Cedar Creek, and Bentonville. The men in Company C was from the Lexington and Dutch Fork area, Company C was lead by Captain G. Leaphart and later by G.T. Haltiwanger.


On March 4, 1862 the unit moved to James Island near Secessionville and served on guard and picket duty. At an unknown date they relocated on Sullivan's Island and four companies manned the siege guns on Battery Marshall. On April 7, 1863 they under went bombardment from Union ironclads. By October 20, 1863 their headquarters was at Mt. Pleasant.


During the long period of fighting on Morris Island that summer, they would take their turn at picket duty, coming over by steamer after dark and returning the next morning. Picket Duty consisted of a soldier, or small unit of soldiers, placed on a line forward of a position to provide warning of an enemy advance.


On July 14, they lost 4 killed and 8 wounded. On the night of August 30 while returning from Morris Island, the steamer was forced into the main shipping channel because of low water. The ship was mistaken for an enemy ironclad and came under heavy bombardment from the Confederate batteries. Many of the panic stricken men leaped off the steamer as the captain tried to beach it. Luckily, the water was shallow enough that most of the jumpers could touch bottom and waded to shore. The regiment lost 16 killed, either injured by the shells or drowned. Between the 31st and August 7, they lost 1 killed and 6 wounded and between the 15th and 23rd they lost another 2 killed and 11 wounded.


On May 25, 1864, the regiment departed for Richmond to join Kershaw's Brigade. They arrived on the lines on the 30th, the next evening, May 31st, Yankee cavalry captured the important crossroads at Cold Harbor. The regiment lost 10 killed, 44 wounded and 6 missing - their worst losses of the war.


Lieutenant Stephen Madison Boykin was promoted to colonel and took command of the regiment. After spending two weeks in the trenches at Cold Harbor, the army shifted to Petersburg. Between June 5 and 24, they lost 7 killed and 18 wounded. On July 27-29, they were again heavily engaged at Deep Bottom north of the James River losing 5 killed, 46 wounded, and 11 missing. In early August the brigade was shifted to the Shenandoah Valley where they were only slightly engaged, but lost several key officers. The bloodiest week of the war occurred between October 13 and 19. At Hupp's Hill on the 13th they lost 14 killed and 55 wounded. Six days later at Cedar Creek, after an initial Southern success, the Union counterattacked. Outflanked, the Confederates began to fall back. They lost 11 killed, 76 wounded.


In early December the brigade returned to the Richmond area and a month later had the honor of being sent to defend their native state against Sherman. For the rest of January and most of February the brigade alternated between the front lines along the Salkehatchie River and Charleston. After a brief stand near Cheraw, the brigade was engaged at Averasboro and Bentonville where the depleted ranks of the 20th South Carolina lost seven men. They were part of general Joe Johnston's surrender at the Bennett House near Durham, North Carolina on April 26, 1865. On May 2nd the survivors received their paroles at Greensboro, NC and returned home.


Engagements that the 20th SC Infantry were involved:


Ironclads Bombardment while on Sullivan's Island, SC, April 7, 1863.

Battery Wagner, SC, July-August, 1863

Steamer bombarded by own batteries in Charleston Harbor, SC, August 30, 1863.

Cold Harbor, VA, June 1-12, 1864

Petersburg, VA, June 19, 1864

Deep Bottom, VA, July 26-28, 1864

Charlestown, WV, August 26, 1864

Berryville, VA, September 3, 1864

Berryville, VA, September 13, 1864

Hupp's Hill, VA, October 1, 1864

Cedar Creek, VA, October 19, 1864

Salkehatchie River Line, SC, January-February, 1865

Averasboro, NC, March 16, 1865

Bentonville, NC, March 19-21, 1865

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