“Forty-two years old, Barksdale was one of the Confederacy’s most inspirational brigadiers, and his brigade of big, rangy, straight-shooting Mississippians was second to none. Barksdale was a political general, and couldn’t be asked to achieve anything tactically sophisticated, but as a charismatic leader of a brigade of fellow Mississippians, he could work wonders in either attack or defense.”

More here in an interesting word portrait of the 13th Regiment’s original colonel.