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He was in the performance of his duty as chief of artillery, and was riding toward his general, when a regiment of cavalry swept by him in a charge. He was waving his hat aloft cheering them on, when a ball from a carbine struck him on the head, mortally wounding him.
He lingered until after midnight, on the morning of the 18th, when General Stuart telegraphed to Mr. He was killed in action yesterday. His remains will be sent to you to-day. How much he was beloved, appreciated and admired, let the tears of agony we have shed, and the gloom of mourning throughout my command, bear witness. His loss is irreparable.
The body of the young officer was sent to Richmond—laid in state in the capital of Virginia—and we are told that "some tender hand deposited an evergreen wreath, intertwined with white flowers, upon the case that contained all that was mortal of the fallen hero. You well know how, though young in years—a mere stripling in appearance—remarkable for his genuine modesty of deportment—he yet disclosed on the battle-field the conduct of a veteran, and displayed, in his handsome person, the most imperturbable coolness in danger.
His eye had glanced over every battle-field of this army, from the first Manassas to the moment of his death, and he was, with a single exception, a brilliant actor in all. His record has been bright and spotless; his career brilliant and successful.
He fell—the noblest of sacrifices—on the altar of his country, to whose glorious service he had dedicated his life from the beginning of the war. He lost no time in offering his services to the South, and reoeived the appointment of first lieutenant in the Confederate States army.
Proceeding to Harper's Kerry, when General Johnston was in command there, he was assigned to duty a. He speedily attracted the attention of the other generals of the armj, and General J K. Stuart entrusted him with the organization of the battalion of Horse Artillery which he Subsequently oommanded is nearly every battle of the war upon Virginia soil.
Here I knew him first mettl when he took command of that now famous corps, a new ry fighting seemed to be inaugurated. The rapidity, the rash, the in the cavalry were grafted on its more deliberate brother. It was ever at the point where the line was u.. His career was a brief one, but how glorious!
How crowded with great events that are history now. Let us glance at it: When our forces fell back from Manassas in , his batteries had their part in covering the movement, and guarding the fords of the Rappahannock. During the campaign of the Peninsula, his Blakely was as a sentinel on post next tho enemy; and at the battle of Williamsburg his courage and skill transformed raw militia into veterans.
Tn the seven days' battles around Richmond he won fade- less laurels. With one Napoleon, he engaged three heavy batteries, and fought them with a pertinacity and unfaltering nerve which made the calm face of Jeneral. After that work in the Peninsula, the young man was famous.
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His L'reatest achievements were to come, however; and he hastened to record them on the enduring tablets of history. Prom the moment when his artillery advanced from the Rappahannock, to the time when it returned thither, to the day of Fredericksburg, the path of the young leader was deluded with the bltod of battle.
At Mauassaa ho rushed his guns into the very columns of the enemy almost: At Shaipsburg be had command sf nearly all the artillery on our left, and d ir e c ted it with the hand of the matter. In the beautiful Autumn forests; by the -t ream with: But work called him. The fiat had gone forth from the imperial closet at Washington, that another "On to Richmond should be attempted — and where the vultures of war hovered, there was the post Off duty for the Horse Artillery.
The cavalry crossed the Rluc Hidge, and met the ad valuing column at Aldic — and l'elham was again in his clement, hurling destruction upon the ranks of General Bayard. Thenceforward, until the banks of the Kappahaunock were reached by the cavalry, falling back in order, ad was designed — from that instant the batteries of the BOOM Artillery disputed every step of ground.
It was the eye of the great soldier, the hand of the born artillerist which was evident in his work, during those days of struggle. He fell back neither too soon nor too late, and only limbered up his guns to unlimber again in the first position which he reached. Initially thought dead, Pelham still lived and was eventually hauled by horse and later ambulance to the Shackelford house in Culpeper.
There, about twelve hours after his wounding, John Pelham died. In his dress uniform, his body lay in state in Richmond before it was taken to his family for burial in Jacksonville, Alabama. Posthumously, Pelham received promotion to Lieutenant Colonel. As a West Point cadet, he faced a serious and difficult decision. As a young officer, he seemed initially nervous to find his place and leadership role as he trained and commanded older men.
As an artilleryman, he faced and rained death on numerous battlefields and skirmish grounds, reacting fearlessly until one day the shell fragments struck him. A comrade remembered Pelham, giving a glimpse of this young artilleryman as his friends knew him:.
I never knew a human being of more stubborn nerve, or shrinking modesty… His color never faded in the hottest hours of the most desperate fighting but a word would often confuse him, and make him blush like a girl…it was impossible to know him and not love him… Quick to resent an insult, or to meet defiance with defiance, he was never irritable, and had the sweetness and good-humor of a child…. His modesty did not change after Fredericksburg…. He was still the modest, simply, laughing boy — with his charming gayety…his sunny smile.
He never spoke of his own achievements. His own achievements were many. Almost single-handedly organizing a light artillery battery.
Pelham was the third of seven children, with five brothers and a sister Betty, [3] born to Dr. No such privilege had ever been given any other of General T. The University of Alabama Press. I never knew a human being of more stubborn nerve, or shrinking modesty… His color never faded in the hottest hours of the most desperate fighting but a word would often confuse him, and make him blush like a girl…it was impossible to know him and not love him… Quick to resent an insult, or to meet defiance with defiance, he was never irritable, and had the sweetness and good-humor of a child…. I adid, how rich in ' the an? I do not know a spot among the hills and dales of the Confederacy that has not heard of the Pelham-Breathed Battery, Stuart's Horse Artillery. This page was last edited on 23 March , at
Dueling enemy batteries with unlikely odds. Driving back Union gunboats. Supervising flank defense for one of the most particular commanders in the Confederacy. Fearlessly dominating battlefields with foolish gallantry. Winning the admiration of superior officers in almost countless conflicts. John Pelham helped to reinvent light artillery, using his innovative ideas to score victories. The fast-moving, rapid fire tactics he employed were copied and expanded by others during the Civil War and in future conflicts. Though legendary, John Pelham did not seem to want the fame and glory.
The University of North Carolina Press. The University of Alabama Press.
The Life of Gallant Pelham. Glad you enjoyed it, George. I have all of the Biography Books that have been written about him so far. Starting with the book where he is mentioned on one page called Valor in Glory written by Greg Clemmer. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. White Lee White Eric J. Davis, and Kristopher D. White, and Daniel T. Wittenberg and Daniel T. Pfanz, and David R. Chapter One Turning Points: Chapter Two Turning Points: Chapter Three Turning Points: Chapter Four Turning Points: Chapter Five Turning Points: Chapter Six Turning Points: Chapter Seven Turning Points: Chapter Eight Turning Points: Chapter Nine Turning Points: John Pelham, age When sharing history, I try to keep the facts interesting and understandable.
History is about real people, real actions, real effects and it should inspire us today.
June 30, at 2: Excellent story — all new to me. George in Kitty Hawk Loading Sarah Kay Bierle says: October 17, at Leave a Reply Cancel reply. Subscribe in a reader. Emerging Civil War Topics:. The Way They Saw It? Andy Papen on Question of the Week: