Walker, William Henry Talbot

Walker, William Henry Talbot (1816–1864) Confederate army officer. Born in Augusta, Georgia, Walker graduated from West Point in 1837 with a commission in the infantry. He saw considerable action against the Seminoles in Florida before earning brevets for gallantry at Contreras and Molino del Rey during the Mexican War (1846–48). He resigned from the army in December 1860 and accepted an appointment as major general of Georgia volunteers four months later. In May he became a brigadier general in the Confederate army, but he had to resign for health reasons in October. He reentered Confederate service in March 1863 and commanded a division that year in Mississippi, Georgia, and Tennessee. He was promoted to major general in January 1864. Commanding a division in the Army of Tennessee during the Atlanta campaign, Walker led a sortie out of the city against besieging Union forces and was killed at Peachtree Creek.