16 Facts About William Barksdale

William Barksdale was an American lawyer, newspaper editor, US Representative, and Confederate general in the American Civil War.

William Barksdale served four terms in the US House of Representatives from 1853 to 1861.

William Barksdale was born in Smyrna, Tennessee, the son of William Barksdale and Nancy Hervey Lester Barksdale.

William 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.

William Barksdale was a strong supporter of low tariffs, another hotly debated issue of the day.

William 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.

An embarrassed William Barksdale put it back on backward, causing both sides to break out laughing and stopping the fight.

William Barksdale assumed command of the brigade and led it in a bloody and futile charge at the Battle of Malvern Hill.

At the Battle of Fredericksburg, William Barksdale's brigade defended the waterfront of the city from US soldiers attempting to cross the Rappahannock River, sniping at infantry and engineers from buildings that had been turned into rubble by US artillery.

At the Battle of Chancellorsville in May 1863, William 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, William 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 William Barksdale pulled back after delaying the US forces, but he rallied the brigade and retook the lost ground the next day.

Some of William Barksdale's regiments turned to the north and shattered Maj.

William 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.

William Barksdale's remains were interred in the William Barksdale family plot of Greenwood Cemetery, Jackson, Mississippi, with no marker, but he has cenotaphs in both Greenwood Cemetery and in Friendship Cemetery, Columbus, Mississippi.

William Barksdale Drive, named for William Barksdale, is the primary east-west conduit in the development, running just short of a mile to either end of the neighborhood.