William Barksdale was born in Smyrna, Tennessee, the son of William Barksdale and Nancy Hervey Lester Barksdale. Barksdale was the older brother of Ethelbert Barksdale, who would serve in both the antebellum U.S. Congress and then join the Confederate States Congress during the American Civil War. The Barksdales were of English ancestry and came to America during the 1600s.[1]
Barksdale graduated from the University of Nashville and practiced law in Mississippi from the age of 21, but gave up his practice to become the editor of the Columbus [Mississippi] Democrat, a pro-slavery newspaper.[2]
After the war, Barksdale became active in politics, advocating for the Compromise of 1850. His political visibility and recent military service gave him a strong profile as a political candidate. In 1852, he successfully ran for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Barksdale would win re-election, serving four terms from 1853 to 1861.[3]
Tenure
Representing Mississippi, a state with among the most rampant slavery, Barksdale quickly immersed himself in the national debates over slavery, weighing in on the side of enslavers. Barksdale was also a strong supporter of low tariffs, another hotly debated issue of the day.[4]
Temperament and controversies
Barksdale was considered to be one of the most ardent of all the "Fire-Eaters" in the House and became known as one who would quickly resort to fisticuffs when the temperature of the debate grew hotter.[5] Barksdale allegedly stood by the side of Representative Preston S. Brooks as Brooks attackedMassachusettsabolitionistSenatorCharles Sumner in the Senate chamber with a cane, although he was not one of the members that the House tried to censure after the incident.
Before the American Civil War, Barksdale inadvertently helped stop one of the most notorious incidents of violence in U.S. legislative history. On February 5, 1858, a brawl between pro- and anti-slavery legislators started on the House floor. During the melee, Barksdale swung at Illinois congressman Elihu Washburne. Washburne's brother Cadwallader, a Wisconsin congressman, grabbed at Barksdale such that it knocked his wig off. An embarrassed Barksdale put it back on backward, causing both sides to break out laughing and stopping the fight.[6]
Personal wealth
Barksdale was an enslaver. His legal and newspaper work and marriage to a wealthy family made Barksdale relatively wealthy. Contemporary reports indicate that by 1860, he enslaved 36 people and owned a large plantation.[7]
At the Battle of Chancellorsville in May 1863, Barksdale's brigade was one of the few units in James Longstreet's Corps that was present at the battle; most of the corps was detached for duty in Suffolk, Virginia. Once again, Barksdale's brigade defended the heights above Fredericksburg, this time against his previous adversary, Sedgwick, whose VI Corps was over ten times the size of the brigade. Sedgwick's assault was successful, and Barksdale pulled back after delaying the U.S. forces, but he rallied the brigade and retook the lost ground the next day.
At the Battle of Gettysburg, Barksdale's brigade arrived with McLaws's Division after the first day of battle, July 1, 1863. The plan from General Robert E. Lee was for Longstreet's Corps to maneuver into position and attack northeast, up the Emmitsburg Road, to roll up the U.S. left flank on July 2. Barksdale's sector of the attack placed him directly at the tip of the salient in the U.S. line anchored at the Peach Orchard, defended by the U.S. III Corps. At about 5:30 p.m., Barksdale's brigade burst from the woods and assaulted the line, described as one of the most breathtaking spectacles of the war. A U.S. Army colonel said, "It was the grandest charge that was ever made by mortal man."[9] Although Barksdale ordered subordinate commanders to walk during the charge, he rode on horseback "in front, leading the way, hat off, his wispy hair shining so that it reminded [a Confederate staff officer] of 'the white plume of Navarre'."[10]
Death
The Confederates attacked the U.S. Army brigade defending the Peach Orchard line, wounding and capturing the brigade commander himself. Some of Barksdale's regiments turned to the north and shattered Maj. Gen. Andrew A. Humphreys's division. Others of Barksdale's regiments went straight ahead. By the time the Confederates had gone as far as Plum Run, a mile into the assault, a brigade under U.S. Colonel George L. Willard counterattacked. Barksdale was wounded in his left knee, followed by a cannonball to his left foot, and finally was hit by another bullet to his chest, knocking him off his horse. Barksdale told an aide, W.R. Boyd, "I am killed! Tell my wife and children that I died fighting at my post."[11] Barksdale's troops left him for dead on the field, and he died the next morning in a U.S. field hospital (the Joseph Hummelbaugh farmhouse).
Barksdale is also featured in the 2011 History Channel film Gettysburg.
The streets in the Potomac Crossing subdivision in Leesburg, Virginia, are named (in part) after the regimental commanders of the Battle of Ball's Bluff (October 21, 1861). Barksdale Drive, named for Barksdale, is the primary east-west conduit in the development, running just short of a mile to either end of the neighborhood.
Tucker, Phillip T. Barksdale's Charge: The True High Tide of the Confederacy at Gettysburg, July 2, 1863. Casemate Publishers, 2013. ISBN9781612001791.
Warner, Ezra J. Generals in Gray: Lives of the Confederate Commanders. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1959. ISBN0-8071-0823-5.
