The 13 December 1862 Battle of Fredericksburg began with Confederate Major John Pelham, commander of J.E.B. Stuart's horse artillery, advancing a single cannon more than a mile beyond his lines and firing into the left flank of the Union Army's Left Grand Division. The combination of an early morning ground fog and Pelham quickly moving his gun after each shot preserved the fearless Major and his crew from the storm of counter-battery fire that came from a host of Union guns. Ultimately, Stuart ordered Pelham to pull back, but not before Robert E. Lee had seen enough to deem the young Alabamian "gallant." And Lee's description stuck. Just as the Civil War produced "Fighting Joe" Hooker, "Stonewall" Jackson, and "The Beast" Butler (a/k/a "Spoons"), it produced "The Gallant" Pelham. And Fredericksburg was only one of several engagements in which he had displayed both fearlessness and an innovative use of artillery. During the ensuing winter, stories of his exploits were told and re-told around thousands of Confederate campfires.
In March 1863 Pelham decided he would like to visit Orange, both to check on one of his batteries posted there and to enjoy the company of some young ladies he had gotten to know during earlier visits to the town. On the evening of 14 March at the headquarters camp in Culpeper, Pelham asked Stuart for a leave of several days to go to Orange. The trip would not begin as Pelham put it, "until sometime the next day." Stuart grandly voiced approval and had an aide prepare the necessary leave papers.
Pelham knew Stuart's penchant for canceling leaves, so in the very wee hours of the next morning, the 15th, he saddled his horse and quietly slipped out of camp. En route, he paused only briefly to secure a cup of coffee at another camp before pressing on. As he neared Orange in the early morning light, sure enough, a courier came galloping up to say that Stuart had changed his mind and wanted the Major back in camp. Pelham sent the courier back with a response that his horse was badly broken down and that he would return the next day. He then visited his battery, began calling on his various lady friends, and ended the day enjoying a dinner with several of them. Local lore has it that among his companions were the Bull sisters of Rebel Hall, a residence still standing near the railroad crossing on May-Fray Avenue.
The next day, 16 March, a train from Culpeper arrived in Orange, sent to pick up ammunition stored there. Pelham learned that a body of Union cavalry had crossed into Culpeper County at Kelly's Ford and appeared determined not to leave voluntarily. He helped load the ammunition and then rode the train back to Culpeper. There he joined with Stuart to plan the next day's battle.
The next day, 17 March 1862, St. Patrick's Day, Stuart's troops attacked. The Union force outnumbers the Confederates, and they were strongly posted behind a stone wall. In addition to directing his artillery, Pelham joined in the effort to get Confederate cavalry behind the wall. Pausing at a gate, he exhorted the men to force their way through. Then a shell exploded overhead, and Pelham fell to the ground. A small fragment of the shell had struck him at the base of his skull. He never regained consciousness and died later that night. The memory of "The Gallant" Pelham and his brave deeds quickly slipped into legend.
Read about this incident and many others in Jerry H. Maxwell's new book, The Perfect Lion, The Life and Death of Confederate Artillerist John Pelham, (Tuscaloosa, Univ. of Alabama Press, 2011).As you would expect, this biography focuses primarily on the Civil War portion of Pelham's life, and the many "most" and "-est" quotes of friend and foe are typical of that era. Maxwell's words flow easily, and the pages turn. It's a good read.
