The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1892-12-23

tNNNAk ~ - iih'
MkM Of battle" TWAS
&NW placed there with
w the usual accom-
panimcntS of cilO-
King culOgy, run
away tears and humping heart beats in
the presence Of a gathering Of the mothers.
wives, daughters, sisters and friends of the
living and of the dead members of Pc
grants artillery battalion Confederate.
The gift of the relic to the Survivors as
ISOLATION WAS made by Mrs. Pccram, the
mother of Col. William Johnson Pegram.
who fell under that flag. The speech of
presentation on behalf of the dunor was
from the lips of the old battalion adiutant,
Capt. W. Gordon McCabe, 1t boon comrade
of Col. PegraIn at college and in camp.
His words culOgizing 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
.5a minds of the speaker and hearers was
the boy colonel, Willie Pegram. who hair
died Il single piece Of artillery at First Bull
Run, and was killed at Five Forks while
commanding a battalion of six light bat
teries, n position corresponding in rank lc
that OF Il brigadier general Of infantry.
Capt. McCabc and Col. Pcgram left
school together to become soldiers; they
served together in every battle of the Army
Of Northern Virginia. and when the boyiSll
chieftain fell in the last ditch morally
wounded his friend stood by to soothc
his last moments and give him a rough
soldier burial on The field swirming with
victorious enemies. \ story from lips 50
qualified is seldom rchcar>ed oui ,idc of fc-
tiCn. Seldom N real life j. there Nuch "A
story to tell.
PegTam was the sou of II soldier. Gen
J. W. pegranl, and was II lad attending
the University of Virginia during the
heated political campaign that preceded
the wsr-1sG0. While his boyish mates
talkcG rtaik hc was silent. "But when
the Storm burst. said his cuiogi-t. "hi~
voice wa, in his sword" lie went to the
front in the first batch Of college boys a.
private in a crack military company com.
posed of I'll" "gilded youth Of Richmond.
In the camp at Aqua creek he was ap
pointed drillmastcr for the foot soldiers in
Walkers legion ana was elected l%irulcu-
ant of the legion artillcry-the PARCEL
battery. In the First Bull Runthc battery
shelled the hill at the Henry House at the
time of the Union defeat there, aud then
wa gallopcd to Lewis ford. across Bull
Run, to cut off fucitivco. An artillery
duel took place across the stream between
Pegram's guns AM those of Capt. Car
isles regular battery.
Soon after the battle the company WIS
recognized FOR the Confederate service.
with Prgram a. captain. Iii, first iuGr-
pendent fight with the battery va, ON
Jt,n. 81. 1870 "a, fr,,, ,f B;,I,,,I a., AZ
fair known a. McchaniCsyillc, and beaver
Dam Creek. The Union infantry and but
teries We're Oh = wooded hill on the east
bank of the creek, and the Coufrderatcs
advanced across open ground beyond, cX-
posed to bullets and shell for a mile. Pc
gram ran his guns upon acres; in an angie
where the creek bends, ami il short order
drew the fire of five | BiCu battcrics-thirty
guns. His nearest opponents were Capts.
De Hart and SmcHd's Compauics-Fifth
United States artillery. He fought over
five hours, or until darkness came ON. and
his battery then consisted Of = scrviccabic
guns. l officer and 30 men. Four guns had
been disabled and O. Officers and ''r, killed
and wounded.
During the night the yopI- captain
pulled his remnant together ana reported
to his division chief, ten \. J.. Hi,
for assignment TO Il place in the attack on
the tniOn lines at G"incs Mills next day.
The "Sevcn 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. Tn men at che
piece were speedily disabled, and the other
piece. with Pcgram acting as "A c%annonccr.
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 at the theater a player, hitting of
the times, said that the reason why Capt.
Willie Pegrar'S guns always fought al
close quarters was that the young leader
was n~cHrsi9htcd and wouldn't let his men
fire until he could see the came. The sol
y ~
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