Editing Gates County, North Carolina (section)

===Civil War and Reconstruction===
Prior to the [[American Civil War]], most of Gates County was covered with virgin timber. In 1861, A. J. Walton was chosen as Gates County's representative to the North Carolina secession convention. After North Carolina voted to secede, the "Gates Guard" [[company (military)|company]] was formed raised to protect its borders. It was soon joined by a second company, the "Gates Minutemen". However, Gates County's greatest contribution was in supplying food to the [[Confederate States Army]]. General [[William Paul Roberts|William P. Roberts]] would become the youngest general.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Branch, Jr. |first=Paul |year=1994 |editor-last=Powell |editor-first=William S. |title=Roberts, William Paul |url=https://www.ncpedia.org/biography/roberts-william-paul |access-date=September 16, 2023 |website=NCpedia |publisher=University of North Carolina Press}}</ref> Brigadier General [[Laurence S. Baker]], another Gates County native, lost his right arm in the war.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Branch, Jr. |first=Paul |year=1979 |editor-last=Powell |editor-first=William S. |title=Baker, Laurence Simmons |url=https://www.ncpedia.org/biography/baker-laurence-simmons |access-date=September 16, 2023 |website=NCpedia |publisher=University of North Carolina Press}}</ref><ref name= medlin/>

Jack Fairless of Gates County was dishonorably discharged from the Confederate army for stealing. He returned home and formed an outlaw band known as the "Buffaloes". Made up of draft dodgers, Confederate deserters, and renegades from both armies, Fairless's Buffaloes terrorized the old men, women, children who were trying to keep their farms going. Fairless was finally killed by his own men when they turned on him.{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}}

[[Fort Dillard]] was a Confederate post in Gates County, though the county was sometimes subject to Union raids. The story of the "Ellis Girls" is told even today. While fishing in the Chowan River, the sisters saw a [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] gunboat on its way upriver to attack [[Winton, North Carolina|Winton]]. Union soldiers from the gunboat seized the girls and kept them prisoner on until they had finished burning down the town.{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}}

In 1878, Jethro Goodman introduced peanuts into Gates County. [[Thad Eure]], a Secretary of State, was born here in 1899.{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}}