Joshua Hall Bates (March 5, 1817 – July 26, 1908) was a lawyer, politician, and Ohio militia general in service to the Union during the early part of the American Civil War.

He was a leading recruiter and organizer of many of the first regiments of Ohio troops who volunteered after President Abraham Lincoln's call to arms in the spring of 1861.

He subsequently served five years in the Regular army, including spending time in Florida in 1837-38 during the Seminole Wars.

Along with two other militia generals, he helped establish Camp Dennison, a sprawling military complex north of Cincinnati.

Believing that he was too old at age forty-four to go into combat, Bates resigned his commission as brigadier general of Ohio militia on August 27, 1861.