John Yates (1825-1864)

Read the Chronology of John Yates
Civil War service and death.

Pvt. John Yates of Kilo Company, 38th Indiana Infantry Volunteers appears to be wearing what is called a 4-button sack coat, the typical navy blue jacket worn by enlisted men in the Union Army.

The framing of the picture, with all the extras, clearly indicates that this print was made as a memorial for the man shown on it. This approximate (5x7 +/-), was known as a "cabinet card". It was probably prepared by the photographer from a "carte de viste" 2x3 that John had taken of himself. With close inspection it does appear that this man has a spot on the skin of his forehead, although with all the other blemishes and stains on the print, it is hard to be definitive.

This photo was found by James R. Yates with other Yates family memorabilia, which just doubly reinforces our conclusion that this is indeed John Yates because of the inscription of his children's names on the back.

John Yates' official military papers describe him as "a private serving with Company K of the 38th Indiana Infantry Volunteers. His description shows him as "Age 36 Yrs., Height 6 feet 0 inches, Complexion Fair, Eyes Dark Blue, Hair Dark Brown.

Born Crawford Co., Indiana, Occupation Cooper (COOPER or CUPER - maker of barrels) & Merchant. (Another occupation Listed in other areas is Farmer). In the "special marks" section it is noted "dot in middle of forehead, extra nail in left big toe". He is buried in the Marietta Georgia National Cemetery. This is the exact location of his gravesite.