Colonel John Pelham: Lee's Boy Artillerist

Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 1989. Fourth printing of this reprint. Orig. copyright 1960. Hardcover. Very good/very good. King, Sidney E.. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. xiii, [1], 198 p. Illustrations. Glossary. Suggestions for Further Reading. Index. William Woods Hassler was President of Indiana University of Pennsylvania and the author of A. P. Hill: Lee's Forgotten General; Confederate Heroes and Heroines and other books. In 1993, inspired by Dr. Hassler's special example, the Hassler Award was inaugurated to honor individuals who make especially meritorious contributions to the field of Civil War education. Even before the end of the Civil War Colonel John Pelham had become a legendary figure of the Confederacy. General Lee called him "the gallant Pelham, " and on seeing the young artillerist employ but a single gun to hold up the advance of three Union divisions and over a hundred guns at Fredericksberg, he exclaimed: "It is glorious to see such courage in one so young." "Stonewall" Jackson, who relied implicitly on Pelham in tight situations said: "It is really extraordinary to find such nerve and genius in a mere boy. With a Pelham on each flank I believe I could whip the world." "Jeb" Stuart, the dashing cavalry chief, claimed that "John Pelham exhibited a skill and courage which I have never seen surpassed. I loved him as a brother." Major John Esten Cooke, a fellow-officer and tent-mate, wrote: "He is the bravest human being I ever saw in my life." And one of Pelham's veteran gunners asserted: "We knew him--we trusted him--we would have followed him anywhere, and did." Shortly after the outbreak of hostilities in the spring of 1861, Cadet Pelham slipped away from West Point to join the Confederacy. Following the fierce Battle of First Manassas, in which he fought side-by-side with "Stonewall" Jackson, Pelham was assigned to "Jeb" Stuart's command with orders to organize the Stuart Horse Artillery. This mounted unit--dashing from action to action on the battlefield--provided General Lee's army with invaluable mobile firepower which saved many desperate situations. In over sixty battles Pelham's blazing guns saw furious action against Union infantry, cavalry, artillery, gunboats and even locomotives. Although he fought against tremendous odds, Pelham never lost an artillery duel or a single gun! Colonel Pelham was an outstanding figure on the battlefield and off. The modest, boyish-looking commander of the Horse Artillery was as calm and popular with his gunners under fire as he was with beautiful Southern belles in the ballroom. This action-packed book fully describes the incredible feats of the adventurous, romantic artillery genius of the Confederacy. From Wikipedia: "John Pelham (September 7, 1838 March 17, 1863) was an artillery officer who served with the Confederate cavalry under J.E.B. Stuart during the American Civil War. Dubbed "The Gallant Pelham" for his military prowess and personal courage, Pelham revolutionized the usage of light artillery as a mobile arm of the cavalry. Pelham was the third of seven children, with five brothers and a sister Betty, born to Dr. Atkinson and Martha Pelham (nee McGehee) at his grandparents' home along Cane Creek near Alexandria, Alabama. He grew up on the family's 1, 000-acre (400 ha) plantation, and learned to raise horses at a young age. On one occasion, he rode a neighbor's milk cow until it ran dry, prompting a lecture to only ride bulls in the future, if he were feeling adventurous. In 1856, local Congressman Sampson Willis Harris secured an appointment for Pelham to the United States Military Academy at West Point (N.Y. ), at the request of A. J. Walker. Already in 1860, rumblings of Southern secession were affecting Pelham, his concerns that he would not be able to graduate expressed in letters he wrote home. In 1861, with graduation approaching and war breaking out, Pelham wrote to the new leader of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis, inquiring as to whether he should leave West Point. Ultimately, Pelham resigned from West Point, just a few weeks before his planned graduation, in order to accept a commission in the militia of his home state of Alabama. He soon went to Virginia, where he joined the army of Joseph E. Johnston as a lieutenant in the artillery.