War and its Heroes/Major John Pelham

MAJOR JOHN PELHAM

The "gallant Pelham," as he was styled by his commanding general, was a native of Alabama, and commanded the horse artillery attached to the cavalry division of General J. E. B. Stuart. He entered the army at the commencement of the war and was engaged in every battle fought in Virginia from the first Manassas, in 1861, to the battle of Keysville, March 17, 1863, where he fell mortally wounded, with the battle-cry on his lips and the light of victory beaming from his eye. The army correspondent of the "Illustrated News" thus notices the sad event:

On the morning of the 17th of March, Averill's Federal cavalry, three thousand in the saddle, crossed the Rappahannock at Kelly's Ford and attacked about eight hundred of General Fitzhugh Lee's command, who faced, without shrinking, these great odds, and fought them stubbornly, at every point, throughout the entire day.

When the sun set on that tranquil evening—sinking slowly down behind the quiet forest, unstirred by the least breath of wind—the long and desperate struggle was decided. The enemy was retiring "badly hurt;" and General Stuart added in his dispatch, "We are after him. His dead men and horses strew the road."

No harder battle has been fought during the entire war; and never have the enemy reeled back in greater confusion before the Southern steel than here. Our heroes won the day by hard and desperate fighting, in charge after charge; but lost in the struggle some of the most valiant hearts that ever beat. Pullor, Harris and Pelham were among the number—the "gallant Pelham" of the battle of Fredericksburg. 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. Curry, of Alabama:

"The noble, the chivalric, the gallant Pelham is no more. 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." His family received the soldier's remains; they were taken to his Southern home; Virginia, the field of his fame, had surrendered him to Alabama, the land of his birth.

In a general order issued on the occasion, General Stuart said:

"To you, his comrades, it is needless to dwell upon what you have so often witnessed—his prowess in action—already proverbial. 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.

"The memory of the 'Gallant Pelham,' his many virtues, his noble nature and purity of character, is enshrined as a sacred legacy in the hearts of all who knew him. 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.

"In token of respect for his cherished memory, the Horse Artillery and division staff will wear the military badge of mourning for thirty days; and the C,2 THE WAR AND ITS BMtOHg, officer of >taff, Major Von Borcke, will place his remains in the posses- sion of hi*- bereaved family, to whom is tendered, in behalf of the division, the nan trance of heartfelt sympathy in this deep tribulation. " !n mourning bin departure from his accustomed post of honor on the field, let in strive to imitate hie ibUwi, and trait that what is loss to us, may be man than pain to him." When killed, Pedum wa> but twenty-four year> of age, but he had made for If a "greet immortal name." The correspondent of the " Illustrated News," above alluded to, famished that paper with the aunexed particulars in regard to his short but brilliant career : A - • • . greet Star, of Alabama, and descended from an old and honorable family then . he had more than the courage of his race and clime. Be chose arms a> his profession, and entered West Point, where he graduated just as the Wat commenced. 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.* drill-officer of artillery, and in the battle of Manassas commanded a battery, which he fought with that obstinate and daring courage which afterwards rendered him so famous. He speedily attracted the attention of the other generals of the armj, and General J K. J>. 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. Not once, i itedly, has the Horse Artillery of Pelham given chase at full spee 1 i I Bying enemy ; and far in advance of all infantry support, unlimbered and hurled its thunders on the foe. It was ever at the point where the line was u ..,; however headlong the -barge of the cavalry, the whirling gtt»* ft de it, all ready for their part. "Trot, march!" had yielded to "gallop!" the battalion — it was rushed into position, and put in action with a rash 3 and 'wand out among the guns where the bolts fell thickest was the tillerist ; cool and self-possessed, but, as one of his officers bsM as gay a* a schoolboy at B frolic." He loved his profession for itsotn and often spoke to the officers above alluded to of the h< would have in the present campaign ; but 1 anticipate my subject ( '"' the command of General Stuart, he secured the warm SI d ' mited confidence of that general, who employed his services upon every occasion Thenceforth their fortunes seemed united, like their hearts; and the name of the young man became noised abroad as one of the most des- perate fighter? of the whole army He was rightly regarded by General Jacksou THE WAR AND ITS HEROES. 63 and others as possessed of a very extraordinary genius for artillery; and when any movement of unusual importance was designed, Pelham was assigned to the artillery to be employed. 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 1801, 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 .lack son L r low ; and the pressure of that heroic hand, warm and eloquent of unspoken admiration Soon afterwards, at the "White House," he engaged a gunboat, and driving it away, after a brief but hot encounter, proved how fanciful were the terrors of these "monsters," as they were then called. After that work in the Peninsula, the young man was famous. 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 : fighting their sharpshooters with canister, amid a hurricane of balls. 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. When the arm y orossed hack into Virginia he * : pardstown, and guarded the f rd with an obstinate valor, which spoke in the regular and nn sensing ref er b eration of hie •mouthed N ■ they roared on, hour after hoar, driving bw k th*' uy. Of tho 'lay- whir' 1 that excitiog period, many persons will long hold tho memory U was io an h wu • a/hither tl war bore him I forth in all its In the old hall on I mnded !•■ s*ho reminded him - bin own in far Alabama; there, D the trampi , ,tnn, in that b< in- try I I to pa-s some of hit kin-: n — with meat, his courtesy, his hieh br< ill almost — blushing like a girl ftl times — and • with all aroun I I thai regal 1 nun an<l women which ■ the pre**: rossessor. In the beautiful Autumn forests; by the -t ream with :»ll oakt> of the lawn, he thus w . r a time — an • Alabama, but lo?ed, admired and cbemhed by warm hearts in alia. When he left the haunts of the old " bower " I think he regretted it. 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 Blue Ridge, and met the advancing column at Aldie—and Pelham was again in his clement, hurling destruction upon the ranks of General Bayard. Thenceforward, until the banks of the Rappahaunock were reached by the cavalry, falling back in order, ad was designed—from that instant the batteries of the Horse Artillery disputed every step of ground. The direction of the artillery was hit with unhesitating confidence to the young officer ; and those who witnessed, during that arduous movement, the masterly handling of his guns, can tell how this confidence was justified. 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. Thus fighting every inch of the way from Aldie, round by Paris and Markham's, he reached the Rappahannock, and posted his artillery at the fords, where he stood and bade the enemy defiance. That page in the history of the war is scarcely known; but those who were present know the obstinacy of the contests, and the nerve and skill which were displayed by the young officer. That may be unknown, but the work done by Pelham on the great day of Frderieksburg is a part of history now. All know how stubbornly he stood on that day—what laurels encircled his young brow when night at last came. This was the climax of his fame—the event with which his name will be inseparably connected. With one Napoleon gun, he opened the battle on the right, and instantly drew upon himself the fire, at close range, of four batteries in front, and a heavy enfilading fire from 30-pOUnjd 1'arrois across the river. Rut this did not daunt him. That Napoleon gun was the same which he had used at the battle of Cold Harbour — it was taken from the enemy at Seven Pines — and, in the hands of the young officer it had won a fame which must not be tarnished by defeat ! Its grim voice must roar, however great the odds; its reverberating defiance must roll over the plain, until the bronze war dog was silenced. Bo it roared on steadily, with Pelham beside it, blowing up caissons and continuing to tear the enemy's ranks. General Lee was watching it from the hill above, and exclaimed, with eyes filled with admiration, " It is glorious to see such courage in one so young!" It was glorious, indeed, to sec that one gun, placed in an important position, hold its ground with a firmness so unflinching and heroic — to see a beardless boy sternly standing in that horrible hurricane of shell, with iron resolution and a soul as immovable as rock. Not until his last round of ammunition was shot away did Pelham retire, and then only after a peremptory order 6ent to him. He afterwards took command of the entire artillery on the right, and fought it until night with a skill and courage which were admirable. He advanced his guns steadily, and at nightfall was thundering en the flank of THE WAT? AND : 05 the retreating foe, who no longer r< ; lied No tins ir came back from those batteries he had fought with 1p> Napol g — he had triumphed* That triumph was complete an 1 placed forevei uj a record, when the commander-in-chief, whom he loved and admired i him the name, in his report, of the "gallant Pelham." Supreme tribute to his courage — immortalizing him in history ! To he the none mentioned in all that host of heroes, and mentioned as the "gallant Pelham !" Thenceforward there was little f<>r him to desire. He had never cared fur rank, only ]<.> ; anil now his nam,' was deathless. It i« true that he had sometimes said, with modest and noble pride, that lie thought it some- what hard to be considered I 2 for promotion, when they gave him great commands — as at Sha lied on him when the hardest work w 1 in< . But he never d sired a mere title he had not won, and did hi* soldier's duty thoroughly, trusting to time. So noble and important, however, had been his recent services that promotion was a n of course. The President had appointed him a Lieutenant-Colonel, and it only awaited the formal confirmation of the Senate when he fell on tl 'ian- n"<-k. Ui- f.ill was a | unity to the nation, but none to him. It wa3 tit that such a spirit should lay down his irreat work the hard life of the world had dimmed the polish of the good kni| lie wai no promoti in at the 1 men. He had won, if not worn boo inished his ta^k, the ■ world. I adid, how rich in ' the an? ; n a ■■ with the leader tn combats, and fought hi of his h I ■ II — intuit - ; and th

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from the hands of the well known young leader. What terrified the foe was the guage of success to our own men. The roar of Pelham's Napoleons was a welcome sound. When the deep-mouthed thunder of those guns was heard, the faintest took heart, and the contest assumed a new phase to all

for that sound had proved on many a field the harbinger of Victory. At Manassas, Williamsburg, Cold Harbour, Groveton, Oxhill, Sharpsburg, Sheppardstown, Kearneysville, Aldie, Union, Upperville, Markham, Barbee's, Bazel River and Fredericksburg—at these and many other places, he fought his Horse Artillery, and handled it with heroic contempt of danger! One day, when I led him to speak of his career, he counted up something like sixty battles, great and small, which he had been in, and in every one he had borne a prominent part. Talk with the associates of the young leader in those hard-fought battles, and they will tell you a hundred instances of his dauntless courage. At Manassas, he took position in a place so dangerous, that an officer, who had followed him up to that moment, rode away with the declaration, that "if Pelham was fool enough to stay there, he was not." But General Jackson thanked him, as he thanked him at Cold Harbour, when the brave young soldier came back covered

with dust from fighting his Napoleon — the light of victory in his eyes. At Markham, while he was fighting the enemy in front, they made a circuit and charged him in the rear; but he turned his gun about, and fought them, as before, with his "French Detachment," singing the loud, triumphant Moensacilois as that same Napoleon gun broke their ranks and drove them back. All that whole great movement was a marvel of hard fighting, however, and Pelham was the hero of the stout, close struggle, as he was of the hot contest on the right at Fredericksburg. Any other chief of artillery might have sent his men in, leaving the direction of the guns to such officers as the brave Captain Henry; but this did not suit the young chieftain. He must go himself with the one gun forward, and beside that piece he remained until it was ordered back - directing his men to lie down, but sitting his own horse, and intent solely upon the movements and designs of the enemy, wholly careless of the "fire of hell" hurled against him. It was glorious, indeed, as General Lee declared, to see such heroism in the boyish artillerist and well might General Jackson speak of him in terms of "exaggerated compliment" and ask General Stuart "if he had another Pelham, to give him to him!"

Modest, brave, loving and beloved—the famous soldier, the charming companion, passed away from the friends who cherished him, leaving a void which no other being can fill. Alabama lent him to Virginia for a time; but, alas! the pale face smiles no more as he returns to her. Many mourn his early death here where his glory was won, as in the southern land from whence he came. To these

the wile circle who loved him for his great qualities, and his kind, good heart—his loss is irreparable, as it is to the whole land. The "breed of

noble minds" like his is not numerous, and, when such forms disappear, the gap is hard to fill—the struggle for our liberties is more arduous than before.

But the memory of this threat young soldier still remains with us—his name is immortal in history as in many hearts which throbbed at his death.

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GENERAL JOSEPH EGGLESTON JOHNSTON

This distinguished officer is a native of Prince Edward county, Virginia, where he was born about the year 1808. His father was the late Judge Peter Johnston, of the General Court of Virginia, distinguished alike at the bar and on the bench, for sound practical sense and solid legal acquirements. He had been a soldier in his youth-had been one of Greene's officers in his celebrated campaign of 1781, in North and South Carolina-had borne himself honorably and bravely at Guilford, Camden, Eutaw, and Ninety-Six-and retained, to the day of his death, a predilection for his early profession, which not all his subsequent success in a profession of a very different character, could entirely obliterate. It is worthy of record, that he was the First Lieutenant of the company in which the celebrated Peter Francisco served as a private, and that the latter, scarcely less remarkable for his gigantic strength and undaunted