He was also a senior officer of the Confederate States Army who commanded cavalry in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.

Having served with distinction during regimental operations in North Carolina, but with no formal military training, he was promoted to second lieutenant on August 30, 1861.

On November 13, 1863, Roberts was promoted to captain and then major before the spring of 1864, when he fought in the North Carolina brigade of William Henry Fitzhugh Lee's division.

He was promoted to colonel in June 1864 and during the Siege of Petersburg, he was given command of the 2nd Regiment NC Cavalry.

[1] In 1889, President Grover Cleveland appointed him United States Consul for Victoria, British Columbia.