Editor’s Note: The following article about Confederate artillery officer John Pelham was winner of the third place award in the 1997 U.S. Field Artillery Association History Writing Contest. It was published in that year’s September-October issue of the FA Journal, a Professional Journal for Redlegs.
Lt. Col. John Pelham, first commander of Gen. J.E.B. Stuart's Horse Artillery during the Civil War, epitomized the meaning of "dedication." In examining his short but illustrious career, he serves as a role model for today's artillerists. He was brave, intelligent, displayed an inordinate concern for his soldiers and was extremely effective in combat.
One hundred and thirty years after his death, his exploits have taken on a mythical quality. At the core of the legend, however, is the real John Pelham, the young artilleryman who lived and breathed as we do.
As the first commander of Stuart's Horse Artillery, Pelham developed doctrine on how to employ his force. He was a strict disciplinarian who molded his soldiers into a synchronized and highly mobile cohort. He drilled his crews at every opportunity, and their proficiency paid handsomely in combat.
He also was skilled at protecting his force. In more than 60 engagements, some within yards of Union skirmishers, he never had a gun captured by the enemy. He quickly could determine the best terrain for his battery but frequently moved to avoid enemy counterfire.
John Pelham possessed high personal standards of courage, bearing and integrity. He led his men from the front and by example. The military qualities that made Pelham successful in battle and immortal in the hearts of Southerners were undefined in his lifetime. Today we recognize that he regularly used the principles defined as the tenets of Army operations.
FM 100-5 Operations (1993) lists the base tenets of the United States Army to be initiative, depth, agility, versatility and synchronization. These tenets are the foundation for doctrine and guide the development of tactics.
Examination of his actions during the Peninsula Campaign; during Stuart's raid to Chambersburg, Pa.; and at Fredericksburg illustrate Pelham's abilities and underscore his application of the modem tenets of military operations.
John Pelham was born Sept. 7, 1838, and grew up near Alexandria, Ala. He entered the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1856 where he was an exceptional athlete, a renowned horseman and well liked by his fellow cadets. He earned the nickname "Sallie" because of his youthful appearance.
As the Civil War loomed, Pelham was reluctant to leave the academy before graduation. In letters to his mother and Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy, he wrote of his wish to graduate. But the pressure on Southern cadets was great after Southern states started seceding. In April 1861, because of rumors of the possible detainment of Southern cadets, Pelham and Tom Rosser (later a cavalry brigadier general) left West Point and made their way to Alabama.
Pelham offered his services to the Confederate Army and first served under Gen. Joseph Johnston in Virginia. He undertook the task of training the Wise (Arburtis) Battery on the proper procedures for cannon drill. By all accounts, he was a strict taskmaster and soon drilled his artillerists into a disciplined team.
A Richmond newspaper, the Virginia Republic, complimented Pelham's battery and gave him credit for molding it into a proficient team: "It is justly regarded as amonst [sic] the most efficient components of the artillery corps, for which it is indebted to Lieutenant John Pelham.” He soon had the opportunity to put the long weeks of drill to use.
On July 20, 1861, Pelham, who was in temporary command of the battery, arrived at Manassas Junction. Around noon, he wheeled his guns into position beside the lines of General Thomas (Stonewall) Jackson near the Henry House. As other batteries withdrew to replenish their caissons, Pelham exclaimed, "I'll be dogged if I'm going any farther back." Pelham was able to quickly move his battery to ward off a flank attack by Col. William Sherman's brigade.
In September 1861, Pelham became commander of C Company, Grove's Culpeper Battery, during a drive to create more artillery units following the success at Bull Run.
In August 1861, Stuart reorganized the cavalry. Stuart envisioned a mobile horse artillery force to support his cavalry operations. In November, Special Orders 557 from General Johnston's headquarters assigned Pelham's battery to Stuart's command. His battery became the nucleus for the cavalry horse artillery in the Eastern Theater. The Confederates used the horse artillery extensively in the Eastern Theater throughout the war.
Stuart's Horse Artillery initially, on paper, had six cannons, 110 horses and 150 men in each battery. In reality, rarely were there enough mounts, men or cannons to fill any complete battery. During most actions, Pelham's batteries consisted of two or three operational cannon. The battery used Napoleons (his favorite weapon); 12-pdr. howitzers; and 6-pdr. Blakely, Whitworth and Parrott guns. The men in the battery were from Virginia, Louisiana and his home state of Alabama.
During the Peninsula Campaign in 1862, Pelham demonstrated all five of the tenets of military operations: agility, synchronization, initiative, versatility and depth.
During the Battle of Williamsburg, Pelham's battery displayed agility by rapidly moving across the entire battlefield to provide fires when needed. At the conclusion of the battle, they had fired 360 rounds, 290 from two howitzers, and were instrumental in checking the Federal Army's advance.
Gaines' Mill is a good example of the effectiveness of the tenet of synchronization. Pelham used two guns, a Napoleon and a Blakely, in support of attacking infantrymen to repel two Federal batteries (eight guns) that threatened Gen. Stonewall Jackson's flank.
During the Seven Days’ Battle, Pelham demonstrated the tenet of initiative by setting the terms of the battle. Acting independently, his battery repeatedly stopped Federal advances and disrupted cavalry charges.
Throughout the campaign, the horse artillery practiced the tenet of versatility to creatively engage unusual targets. In one instance, Stuart received orders to seize a Federal supply depot at White House Landing. The USS Marblehead, a Union gunship carrying 11-inch naval guns, guarded the depot. Pelham's solution was to use spherical case rounds to clear the ship's deck and force it to retreat from the area.
On July 3, 1862, Pelham used the tenet of depth to support cavalry operations. Stuart ordered Pelham to reconnoiter the location of the Federal Army. Pelham located and reported that Gen. George McClellan's force was at Harrison's Landing. Stuart led a legion of cavalry against McClellan, and Pelham took one 12-pdr. howitzer to Evelington Heights, which overlooked the plain at Harrison's Landing.
He positioned the howitzer behind a church and began shelling the Federal Army. For approximately four hours, he fired on the entire army until he ran out of ammunition.
Throughout the campaign, Pelham led his battery to provide critical covering fires for Stuart, often within yards of the Union forces. His tactics were innovative and daring and were critical to the cavalry's freedom of maneuver.
On Oct. 8, 1862, Stuart ordered Pelham to prepare four of his best pieces and crews to participate in a raid with 1,800 cavalrymen into Pennsylvania. The raid had three purposes: to determine McClellan's actions, capture prominent citizens to be exchanged for captured Virginians and disrupt the Federal communications. During this raid, Pelham used four of the tenets of operations: agility, depth, versatility and initiative.
Pelham's force demonstrated agility by sustaining the rapid pace of the cavalry during the raid. He arranged his guns to cover Stuart's column's front and rear during movements. He also provided a classic supporting fire for a river crossing for Stuart's return to Virginia.
The integration of Pelham's artillery with the cavalry gave Stuart the ability to project fires in depth. The raid began in Martinsburg, Va. Stuart crossed through western Maryland into Pennsylvania. Stuart's force raided the towns of Mercersburg and Chambersburg. He then moved south back through Maryland on a circuitous 130-mile route.
McClellan dispatched cavalry troops commanded by Generals Pleasonton and Stoneman to fix Stuart long enough for infantry forces to reach and destroy the Confederates. Stuart reached White's Ford on the Potomac River where he intended to cross back into Virginia.
Pelham exhibited the tenets of versatility and initiative in his classic support of a river crossing. He used his artillery to provide supporting fires to cover Stuart's river crossing. He projected two guns forward and displaced a Federal artillery battery protecting the river.
Col. Rooney Lee's cavalry division then moved forward against 200 Federal soldiers guarding the ford. Pelham's guns and Colonel Lee's cavalry division forced them from the area. Pelham then took one of his guns across the 400-yard wide river to provide far-side security for Stuart's men.
Pelham provided nearside security for two hours with his remaining guns while the main body crossed. He demonstrated versatility through the creative way he provided continuous support fires. The tactic he used to accomplish this was to maintain a constant fire while moving his guns individually, thus giving the impression of having more firepower. While two of his guns forded the river, his remaining gun executed a mobile retrograde to the river, thus keeping a route open for the cavalry rear guard that had not yet crossed.
Pelham faced fires from Federal batteries north at Hauling's Ford and south at Edward's Ferry when he reached the Potomac. He demonstrated his initiative by using his gun to hold the passage open by alternating fires against both Federal batteries. Near noon, the rear guard force crossed. Stuart then ordered Pelham to cross, which he accomplished under fire. The raiding force returned to Martinsburg on Oct. 11.
The raiding party, which had traveled 130 miles in three days through enemy territory, returned to Martinsburg on Oct. 11. It had captured 1,200 horses and 30 political hostages while destroying $250,000 worth of supplies and equipment. Support from Pelham's horse artillery was instrumental in the success of the raid.
On Dec. 13, 1862, Gen. Ambrose Burnside poised to attack the Confederate Army of Virginia, across the Rappahannock River at Fredericksburg. Burnside intended to destroy Lee's army before capturing Richmond, the capital of the Confederacy. Pelham supported Lee's defense using the tenets of depth, agility, initiative and synchronization.
Lee entrenched his army on a ridgeline overlooking the river. On the morning of Dec. 13, 1862, a fog across the river bottom obscured the Union forces. Stuart ordered Pelham to advance with two guns to determine the Federal Army's strength and location. Pelham moved his guns, a Napoleon and a Blakely, forward of the line to Hamilton's Crossing where the Richmond Stage and Massaponax Roads intersected. He chose a grove of cedar trees as his fighting position. Pelham was able to provide depth to Lee's defense from this forward position.
At approximately 0900, the fog suddenly lifted and Maj. Gen. George Meade's division stood lined up in battle formations. Pelham began an enfilade fire on the ranks of soldiers.
Meade's men sustained heavy casualties, so Meade called up the batteries of Simpson, Cooper and Ransom to silence Pelham. Soon two more batteries from Abner Doubleday's division joined the counterfire. Twenty-four guns dueled with Pelham. Enemy fire struck and disabled the Blakely, but Pelham continued directing the fire of his single Napoleon against the Union Army. Pelham used agility to protect his small force by moving his piece frequently to avoid Federal fires.
Thousands of soldiers and leaders watched the lopsided battle. In lulls between firing, the spectators heard Pelham's Napoleon crew, all from Louisiana, singing "Marseilles." Lee remarked to Stuart, "It is glorious to see such courage in one so young.”
Stuart, fearing the loss of Pelham, sent a courier to advise Pelham to withdraw when he deemed it advisable. Pelham answered, "Tell the general [Stuart] I can hold my ground." His ability to determine the situation and hold his position in the face of superior firepower demonstrated Pelham's initiative.
Pelham's gunners continued to fire on the Federals while snipers from Stuart's cavalry kept the infantry at bay. A bursting shell killed one of the Napoleon's gunners and wounded several others. Stuart sent another courier to Pelham ordering him to withdraw. Pelham told the courier, Churchill Cooke, "Tell General Stuart that I'm getting on fine and I've only lost one man so far.”
Finally, General Jackson sent a courier with orders for Pelham to withdraw. The courier, Capt. James Smith, later remarked, "I remember my ride across the field under fire to bear orders to Pelham to retire his guns and how cool and quiet he was as he sat on his horse in the open field in the center of the converging fire of a hundred guns." Pelham drove the Federal columns back three times, delaying the attack for two hours.
When Doubleday's and Meade's divisions began their advance, Jackson again called upon Pelham. He attached guns from six other batteries to Pelham's command. In essence Pelham was in command of all artillery on the right wing (Jackson's Corps) of the Confederate Army.
He had a total of 13 guns under his command. Although he had never commanded such a large force, he demonstrated synchronization by massing fires on the Federal attackers. Pelham placed his force in a position forward of Jackson's trenches and directed enfilade fire on advancing Federal infantry and artillery. Eventually, the attack stalled and the battle ended.
Lee's general orders following the battle of Fredericksburg record Pelham's courage. Lee specifically reported on Pelham's brave actions, thus immortalizing him as "the gallant Pelham."
Maj. John Pelham died on March 17, 1863, at Kelly's Ford, Va. He had been conducting inspections at Culpeper when he heard of an impending cavalry battle. He borrowed a horse and rode with Stuart to attempt to repel the Federal cavalry.
Ironically, cannon shrapnel struck him in the back of his head as he participated in a cavalry charge. After being evacuated from the battlefield, he died during the night. Confederates transported his body to Richmond for public viewing in the Capitol. He received a posthumous promotion to lieutenant colonel and was buried in Jacksonville, Ala.
Pelham's death was a tremendous loss for the Confederacy. His contributions to the Confederate's military effort and his performance brought recognition from his superiors. Robert E. Lee personally commended Pelham's bravery for his actions at Fredericksburg. At the battle of Second Manassas, Gen. Stonewall Jackson gave Pelham rare discretion to employ his mobile artillery anywhere on the battlefield.
Praise for his accomplishments continued after his death. The correspondent for the London Times wrote of Kelly's Ford that, "The shell that killed Pelham extinguished one of the purest and bravest spirits which have been yielded up in this desolating war.”
People throughout the Confederacy mourned and eulogized Pelham. But one of the greatest tributes to John Pelham may have been when General Stuart named one of his daughters Virginia Pelham Stuart.
Pelham's artillery contemporaries also admired him as a leader and skilled Redleg, particularly those who served under him. P.P. Johnston, last commander of Pelham's original battery, praised him: "Under his eyes, with his example, men who had merely been good soldiers became the greatest heroes equal to the highest achievement.” H.H. Mathews served under Pelham and wrote, “Pelham was dashing and, at the same time, courageous to a very high degree … he was a genius in the handling of the Horse Artillery.”
John Pelham skillfully used mobile horse artillery to support cavalry operations. Clearly the concept was not new, even in the United States Army. However, Stuart’s cavalry relied on and was successful largely because of Pelham’s batteries.
Pelham’s sterling reputation and model character that inspired his men serves today as a shining example for artillerymen. Jennings C. Wise, an artilleryman who also served with Pelham, wrote, “It is impossible to define the extent of his moral ascendancy.”
A monument was erected in honor of John Pelham near Kelly’s Ford. The inscription reads, “In memory of Major John Pelham. Like Marshall Ney, One of the Bravest of the Brave.”
(About the author: In 1997 Capt. Douglas G. Leese was Brigade Chemical Officer in the 35th Signal Brigade, XVIII Airborne Corps, at Fort Bragg. He had previously served with the 41st Field Artillery Brigade and had 10 years in military intelligence.)