Book Review: Robert E. Lee’s Reluctant Warrior: The Life of Cavalry Commander and Railroad Businessman Brigadier General Williams Carter Wickham

Robert E. Lee’s Reluctant Warrior: The Life of Cavalry Commander and Railroad Businessman Brigadier General Williams Carter Wickham. By Sheridan R. Barringer. Columbia, SC: Fox Run Publishing, 2024. Hardcover, 255 pp. $32.95.

Reviewed by Gregory A. Mertz

A distinguishing aspect in the life of Confederate General James Longstreet was his post-war position that ex-Confederates should embrace the reconstruction practices of the victors of the Civil War. Other former Confederate leaders heralded similar positions, and author Sheridan R. Barringer has written about two such Confederate generals among the four biographies of Confederate cavalry leaders that he has authored, including his latest book on Williams C. Wickham.

About half of the volume is a biographical sketch of Wickham, and about half highlights Eastern Theater cavalry actions during the span that Wickham was associated with the Confederate cavalry. The biographical portion of the book does a nice job of emphasizing the beliefs and experiences of a man whose story has unique aspects worthy of the coverage that Barringer has revealed.

Wickham belonged to one of the first families of Virginia and was related to the Lees; his mother was a first cousin of Robert E. Lee. Like many Virginians, Wickham opposed secession, but also like many who held such a stand, he was completely loyal to his state and immediately offered his services to the military when the Commonwealth of Virginia left the Union.

Serving as an officer in the 4^th Virginia Cavalry in a brigade led by J. E. B. Stuart and later by Fitzhugh Lee, the regiment was recognized for its discipline and Wickham distinguished himself through his bravery and leadership. While Wickham’s behavior in the field demonstrated his devotion to the cause, he was personally disenchanted with the war. On the eve of the battle of Fredericksburg, in December 1862, Charles Minor Blackford recalled Wickham complaining, “it’s a damned shame I should have to suffer so much now and probably be killed tomorrow for a cause of which I do not approve. . .if I am killed tomorrow, it will be for Virginia, the land of my fathers, and not for the damned secessionist movement.” (81)

Wickham felt that not enough effort was being devoted to trying to end the exceedingly bloody conflict. Accordingly, he ran for the Confederate Congress, for the purpose of working to end the war. He won his race and tendered his resignation of his colonel’s commission, but his request was denied. Stuart declared Wickham the best colonel in the cavalry and that his services were desperately needed, with a subsequent promotion to brigadier general eventually coming his way instead of a prompt transition to Congress.

Wickham would not take his seat in the Confederate Congress until November of 1864, where his efforts were focused on war-related efforts easing the hardships of both civilians and soldiers as well as peace. At war’s end, Wickham took the unpopular position of urging the populous of the former Confederate States to abide by the policies of the Federal government. When his friend and former commander Fitzhugh Lee advised Wickham not to share his controversial views in public and thus avoid harsh criticism, Wickham responded, “My judgement may be in error. . .but my whole effort is to benefit our people.” (199)

While Barringer does a good job in his primary mission of letting us see the distinctive aspects of this interesting historical figure and providing a fine biography, it does contain some shortcomings that make portions of the book difficult to follow. The chapter explaining Virginia’s secession votes was evidently meant to conclude with a letter to the editor of a newspaper Wickham submitted in April 1861, but his April 1865 letter to the same newspaper was inserted instead. In many places where block quotes were intended to be indented and in bold type, that formatting was only followed in the first paragraph, making it difficult to know just where quotes ended and where the author’s own words resumed. Several times nearly identical paragraphs or sentences are duplicated, sometimes leaving the reader confused over the proper chronology of events.

The biggest weakness of the book is that the battle descriptions are difficult to follow. Too many landmarks are mentioned, and those landmarks that ought to be retained are not provided enough orientation; very few distances between landmarks or compass directions are provided. While some maps are included, none of them show all of the landmarks mentioned in the narrative, and some do not contain the troop positions of Wickham’s unit. More maps with the narrative limited to mentioning only landmarks shown on the maps with a focus on placing the battles in context would have greatly improved the book. Despite these issues, the strong biography portion of the book is a valuable contribution to Civil War literature.

Greg Mertz earned a bachelor’s degree in Recreation and Park Administration at the University of Missouri and a master’s in Public Administration from Shippensburg University. He recently retired from Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park where he worked for 36 years — 27 of them as the Supervisory Historian, managing the park’s visitor services and training hundreds of seasonal employees, interns, and volunteers in the art of interpretation. His interests in public history and preservation include service in several organizations outside of his 40-year career with the National Park Service. Greg is the founding president and a current board member of the Rappahannock Valley Civil War Round Table and is the vice president of the Brandy Station Foundation. In addition, Greg is the author of Attack at Daylight and Whip Them: The Battle of Shiloh, April 6-7, 1862, published by Savas Beatie in 2019.