The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-12-15

King eulOgy, rum
away tears and humping heart beats in
the presence of n gathering of the mothers
wives daughters, sisters and friends of the
living and Of the dead members of Pc
grams artillery battalion Confederate.
The gift of the relic to the Survivors as
ISOLATION was made by Mrs. Pegram, the
mother of Col. William johnson Pegram
who fell under that flag The speech of
presentation on behalf of the donor was
from the lips of the old battalion adiutant,
Capt. w. Gordon McCabc, n boon comrade
OF Col. Pegram Mt college and in camp
His words eulogizing the band of gray
coats who carried the banner from Bull
Run to AppomattoX, as was natural,
counted two for the dead warriors to every
one for the lucky living ones, and, as was
natural again, the chief among the dead in
the minds of the speaker and hearers was
the boy colonel, Willie Pcgram. who han
died single piece of artillery at First Bull
Run, aud was killed at Five Forks while
commanding battalion of six light bat
teries, a position corresponding in rank to
that of brigadier general of infantry
Capt. McCabc and Col. Pegram left
school together to become soldiers; they
served together in every battle of the Army
of Northern Virginia, and when the boyish
chieftain fell in the last ditch nortally
his last moments and give him a rough
soldier burial on the field swarming with
victorious enemies. A story from lips SO
qualified is seldom rehearsed outside of fic-
tion. Seldom in real life is there such q
story to tell.
Pegram was the son Of soldier Gen.
j. w. Pegram, and was Il lad attending
the University of Virginia during the
heated political campaign that preceded
the war-1s60 While his boysh mates
talked war talk he was silent. but when
the storm BURST" said his eulogist, "his
voice was in his sword" He went to the
front in the first batch of college BOYS rs
private in II crack military company COM
posed of the "gilded YOUTH of Richmond.
In the camp mt Aqua creek he was APP
pointed drillmaster for the foot soldiers in
Walkers legion and was elected lieuten-
ant of the legion artillery-the Purcell
battery In the First Bull Run the battery
shellcd the hill at the Henry House Mt the
time of the Union defeat there, and then
was galloped to Lewis ford, across Bull
Run, to cut of fugitivcs. An artillery
duel took place across the stream between
Pegram's guns and those of Capt. Car
isles regular battery.
Soon after the battle the company was
reorganized for the Confederate service,
pendent fight with the battery was on
June &c, 1862, i'll front of Richmond, an af-
fair known as Mechanicsville, and Beaver
Dam Creek. The Union infantry and bat
teries were ON n wooded hill OH the cast
bank of the creek, and the Confederates
advanced across open ground beyond eX-
posed to bullets and shell for Il mile. Pc
gram ran his guns upon crest in IN angle
where the creek bends, and in short order
drew the fire of five Union batteries-thirty
guns. His nearest opponents were Capts
De Hart and Smead's companies-Fifth
United States artillery He fought over
five hours, or until darkness came on, and
his battery then consisted of 9 serYiceable
guns, officer and 30 men Four guns had
been disabled and 60 officers and men killed
and wounded.
During the night the young captain
pulled his remnant together and reported
to his division chief Gen. a. r. Hill.
for assignmentto II place in the attack on
the Union lines.at Gaines Mills next day.
The Seven Days Battles" followed At
Malvern Hill, after all the batteries aiding
Gen. Magruder's column in the famous
charge had been knocked to pieces, Pc
grams two cannon were called in to help
cover IL brigade attack. The men at one
piece were speedily disabled, and the other
P'S.c' WIN icSrdui uctlHS us cannOneer,
continued the fight against terrible odds
until the assault was stopped by orders
from Gen. Lee
The fame Of the boy captain spread
through the camps and to Richmond. One
night mt the thcater player, hitting off
the times, said that the reason why Can't
Willie Pegram's guns always fought Mt
close quarters was that the young leader
was nearsighted and wouldn't let his men
fire until he could see Hhe game. The sol