He was influential in convincing a veteran United States Army general to peacefully abandon Federal-held military installations to the Confederacy before the start of the war, providing the fledgling nation with much needed arms and munitions.
He volunteered as the physician for the famed Texas Rangers, serving the company commanded by Captain John "Rip" Ford for most of the decade of the 1840s.
Along with land baron Samuel A. Maverick and Thomas J. Devine, Luckett met on February 8, 1861, with United States Army General David E. Twiggs to arrange the surrender of the Federal property in San Antonio, including the military stores being housed in the old Alamo mission.
William Luckett of the 3rd generation was notable for his military service in the Revolution and for his being one of the "12 Immortal Justices" who combined on a decision striking down the Stamp Act on November 23, 1765, an event since commemorated officially as Repudiation Day in Maryland.
Following the bombardment of Fort Sumter in South Carolina, Dr. Luckett was appointed as the Quartermaster General of the newly organized Confederate forces in Texas.
Luckett and his 648 men were initially assigned to Colonel Ford's Western Subdistrict of Texas and encamped along the Rio Grande for several months, starting in December.
After spending the winter on the frontier manning a defensive line near the Brazos River just southwest of Houston, the 3rd Texas moved from Brownsville to Galveston, arriving in the coastal town on July 12, 1863.
During the Camden Expedition, Luckett's regiment participated in the climactic Battle of Jenkins' Ferry, where Walker's "Greyhounds" helped repulse a Federal force under Maj. Gen. Frederick Steele.