Pike was commissioned in the Confederate army as a brigadier general, but his wartime career lasted less than two years. His men were accused of scalping Union troops, and he was eventually forced to resign. He received a reprieve from President Andrew Johnson and moved to Washington, D.C., where he died in 1891.

The National Park Service announced that the controversial Albert Pike Confederate statue will be reinstalled in October. The statue was toppled by protesters in June 2020 amid national protests following the murder of George Floyd.