Charles Francis Bates, born December 25, 1862, in Monroe, Michigan, received a law degree from Columbia University in 1892. He served in the Spanish-American War and commanded Camp MacArthur in Waco, Texas during World War I. After twenty-four years of service, he retired with the rank of colonel and began practicing law in Bronxville, New York. His fascination with the life and career of George Armstrong Custer, inspired his collection of wide and varied research materials and resulted in the publication of several works, including Custer's Indian Battles (1936). He became friendly with Elizabeth Bacon Custer, General Custer's widow, and retired Brigadier General Edward S. Godfrey, a participant in the Little Big Horn Battle. These relationships resulted in a wealth of correspondence relating to Custer's life; Mrs. Custer and Brigadier General Godfrey even loaned and donated primary materials to Bates to assist in his work. Bates died in 1943, survived by his second wife, Mary George White Bates of Baltimore, their daughter Frances Bates, and Roger Wolcott Bates, the son of Bates and his first wife, Charlotte Augustus Wolcott Bates, who died in 1911.
This collections is comprised of materials created and collected by Colonel Charles F. Bates in the course of his research on General George Armstrong Custer and the Battle of Little Bighorn, and includes correspondence (1885-1942), including transcripts of letters between Elizabeth Custer and Brigadier General Edward S. Godfrey; research journals and notebooks; printed material and scholarly articles, including copies of the Little Big Horn Newsletter for 1968; subject files; miscellany; and clippings. Of special interest are letters written to Colonel Bates by Elizabeth Custer, and transcripts of letters between Brigadier General Edward S. Godfrey and Mrs. Custer from the late 1880s to 1930s. Colonel Bates took copious and comprehensive notes, and was clearly in the process of working on a manuscript, though this particular work was never published. Colonel Bates also collected research material on other characters of Western Americana, including Wild Bill Hickok.
This collection is arranged into six series: General correspondence (1885-1942); Diaries (undated); Printed Material (1964-1977, undated); Subject Files (1862-1965, undated); Miscellany (1862-1967, undated); and Clippings (1881-1924, 1936-1977, undated).
Collection open for research.
Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of the Montana Historical Society Library & Archives. The Library & Archives does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collection. In some cases permission for use may require additional authorization from the copyright owners. For more information contact an archivist.
[item description and date]. Name of Collection. Collection Number. [box and folder number]. Montana Historical Society Library & Archives. Helena, Montana.
Acquisition information available upon request.
Processed in 2013.
Additional materials created and collected by Colonel Charles F. Bates are located at Yale University's Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (call number: WA MSS S-1314). These additional materials were donated to Yale by Bates's son, Roger Wolcott Bates, in 1980, and also document Colonel Bates's Custer research.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the Montana Historical Society Library & Archives catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search under these terms.