William Barksdale Tabb
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Martha Cocke Masters (m. 1872; d. 1923)
William Barksdale Tabb | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 11, 1840 |
| Died | December 4, 1874 (aged 34) |
| Spouse(s) | Emily Sherrard Rutherfoord (m. 1864; d. 1868) Martha Cocke Masters (m. 1872; d. 1923) |
| Children | 4 |
| Relatives | John B. Tabb (brother) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Confederate States of America |
| Branch/service |  Confederate States Army |
| Years of service | 1862–1865 |
| Rank |  Colonel |
| Commands | 28th Virginia Infantry Battalion 59th Virginia Infantry |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
William Barksdale Tabb (September 11, 1840 – December 4, 1874) was an American lawyer and military officer in the Confederate States Army.
Tabb graduated from both Virginia Military Institute (VMI) and the University of Virginia, and thereafter practiced law. During the Civil War, Tabb first served as a captain on the staff of General Henry A. Wise. On November 1, 1862, Tabb was promoted to colonel of the 59th Virginia Infantry. He was the commander of his regiment and is mainly known for being in the Battle of Sayler's Creek in which the Confederate States sustained over 7,000 casualties.
On May 9, 1873, Tabb served as a second in a duel in Richmond, Virginia, involving pistols, during which both principals—John B. Mordecai and W. Page McCarthy—were injured.[1][2] The two principals and four seconds, one being Tabb, were subsequently arrested.[1][3] After Mordecai died, McCarthy was charged with murder, with each of the seconds considered an accessory before the fact.[4] Tabb and the other seconds spent several days in jail before a judge ruled they could be freed on bail.[5][6] In January 1874, McCarthy was convicted of involuntary manslaughter, and charges against the seconds were dismissed.[2] The following month, Governor James L. Kemper granted McCarthy executive clemency.[7]
