John Pelham
was born on September 7, 1838 in Calhoun County,
Alabama. He would become one of Alabama's most gallant sons in the War Between
the States. His father
was a doctor and prosperous farmer and the family was deeply Presbyterian in their faith. He grew to nearly six feet tall but weighed a reedy 150 pounds and grew strong
working on the family farm.
He was accepted to West Point in 1856 at the age of 17. He was one of 71 plebes.
John was a very good athlete and was popular
at West Point. He struggled mightily with math and did incur several disciplinary tours. He was often sick.
At the end of 1860 and beginning of 1861 southern
cadets began resigning their positions and going south to their home states. Pelham was an ardent secessionist, but was torn by his love of West Point. In late March 1861, he was given a commission as a First Lieutenant in the C.S.A. He fought to stay on to graduation
in May but left the USMA two weeks before graduation
. Pelham was one of the last two Southerners to leave the academy.
John had a tough time traveling through
the North enroute to his home as tensions were. Upon arriving, he stayed home for a brief time and then joined his unit in May. Pelham took two family slaves with him as servants to Virginia. John joined a green unit, the Alberta
Battery consisting of men from all over the South. Pelham's
first combat was the Battle of First Manassas in July 1861,.
He commanded outdated
artillery and untrained men.
From the beginning, Pelham showed great courage and competence in battle at Manassas as his battery repelled
Sherman's counter-attack. In this battle,
the CSA captured
28 cannons and 37 caissons, which helped them to modernize
their artillery. Manassas
established Pelham as a fearless
officer and a skilled artillerist. He was horrified
by the casualties though and learned war was not glo rious. Battle was a combination of exhilaration and repugnance.
General J.E.B. Stuart wanted Pelham for horse artillery. Pelham briefly went back to Alabama to recruit
for the horse artillery. John emerged as a taskmaster and perfectionist . He taught his men to rapidly fire their artillery pieces.
Pelham's artillery became an
integral cog in Stuart's cavalry
. He had 8 cannons of varying types.
In March 1862, Pelham was made a captain. By April 1862, he commanded 158 men and 130 horses.
Pelham became
a close friend
with Jeb Stuart.
Both Pelham and Stuart were excessive risk takers .
At the beginning
of McClellan's Peninsula campaign, Pelham covered the Confederate retreat from Williamsburg. He showed great calm and courage on the battlefield. He depended on captured Yankee artillery and was
able to slow McClellan down.
At the Battle of Gainesville, Pelham with one cannon engaged two Union batteries. Often he was outnumbered in artillery duels . Pelham was a key part of the Confederate victory at Gaines Mill. This ended the Union
advance towards Richmond
. During this campaign
he drove back a Union gunboat and prevented Yankee
troops from landing
on the River Bank . Pelham was quite adept at counter-battery fire.
By August, Pope was in command of the Union
Army and Robert
E. Lee was in charge of the CSA Army. Soon Pelham was part of Stuart's raids and destroyed Yankee locomotives . He was given a second battery
and promoted to Major. In combat he would sometimes personally man the guns. Pelham always aggressively brought
his guns to the front lines.
At the Battle
of Second Manassas,
his battery was reduced to one gun. He fought Yankee infantry at 60 yards away with canister
. His unit was almost over-run
. Stonewall Jackson had great confidence
in him and allowed him to place his guns where he elected to do so. He reserved
re-enforcements of men and guns but ran out of ammunition.
Pelham fired enfilading canister
into retreating Yankee troops . At Second Manassas, he fought 48 hours
without sleep. He had great stamina and his men loved him.
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| Dr. Dean with Dragoons Commander Waldo |
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