The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1902-11-30
lSOME PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS OF THE
FAMOUS ARTILLERIST. JOHN PELHAM

Within nine days Gen. Stonewall jack
son fought four separate and distinct
armies, each army containing more men
and more artillery than his own; COM
manded by the following named federal
generals: John G. Fremont, Nathaniel
p Banks. Shields and Milroy. The bat
ties were fought at Harrisonburg. Va.
June 6-7, Cross Keys. 8; Port Republic.
o. and winchester, 1S-15, 1852, completely
routing the enemy. capturing many pris-
oners. many pieces of artillery and large
quantities of small arms and many sup
plies Banks and Shields were called
Jackson's commissaries.
The distance from Harrisonburg, Va,
to winchester is about eighty-five miles.
There was never an achievement in mod
ern warfare that was comparable to it.
unless it was the easy capture of Metz
and Sedan. by the army of Won Moltke.
So well arranged were the armies Of
this German soldier that all of his troops
were moving in one solid phalanx, upon
the enemys positions at the very same
hour.
Gen. George B. Mcclellan, the hero of
Rich Mountain. w. Va, where our be-
loved Gen. Robert S. Garnett was killed
July ID, 1861. had massed In front of
Richmond one of the largest and best
equipped armies (officered by trained
soldiers) that the world ever saw, and
there was an army commanded by GEN
eral Mcdowell marching from Freder-
icksburg to form junction with McClel-
lan's right flank. The victories of jack
son in the valley frightened the admin
-istration, and Mcdowell was recalled to
protect Washington. General Lee, seiz-
ing the opportunity while the enemy
were in CONSERVATION, wondering where
to Lees left flank. Although 200 miles
away jackson marched up the valley
to Rock Fish Gap, on the Blue Ridge,
where, with the aid of the Central rail-
road, he landed his army on Lees left
flank, and commenced the seven days
battles around Richmond on June 25th.
and by July l. with the united forces of
General Lee had driven Mcclellan under
the cover of his gunboats on James river.
Speaking of gunboats reminds me of an
incident 1 cannot refrain from relating.
A young, brave. mischievous. soldier lad.
after the battles were over and every
thing quiet, except now and then the
gunboats fire was kept up, had his IA
Their to pay him visit. The father was
a good looking old man. except that he
was corpulent and rotund and had very
small legs, shaped very much like
Shakespeare's Jack Falstaff. The young
man invited his father to go with him
to the old field near Malvern Hill. on the
James river. The old gentleman asked
his son If there was any danger. mot
bit in the world" the boy replied. Many
of the old soldiers will remember now
the shrieking futter. fiutter. screeching
sound of those gunboat shells. We used
to call them mail kegs"-they were just
hideous, After the old gentleman and
the boy had gotten inside the gate, near
which, during the Malvern Hill fight, a
cannon ball passed through a small white
oak and cut mans head off. the boy
gunboats shoot off their cannons, and
when they do you must lie down" The
old man said: LET us go back" The
boy said: mo, there Is no danger. If you
Just lie down" While they were talking
the enemy let off a whole battery; the
boy said: Fall, pa; lie fiat pa; hug the
ground, pa-you must fatten out or they
will get you" Before they got out of
that field this was repeated. When they
got to the boys camp he said to his fa-
Their, eve will go by and get something
to eat The old man said: mo. goi
durn you, I am going to Richmond"
Without resting his army Jackson
marched to Culpepper Court House, met
General Pope with headquarters in the
saddle. fought him ON July u at Culpep-
per Court House. Cedar Mountain on Au-
gust 9, and the second battle of Manas-
ses, at which place the whole army was
together on August 30. Promptly leaving
Manassas, jackson marched to Harpers
Ferry and captured that place with Mil
roy's army, and on September 10 and 10
fought the battle of Antietam or Sharps-
burg In these two last battles both
armies were about equally crippled. We
retired across the Potomac and rested on
| the Opequon creek and around Shep-
! herds town and Winchester. Finally in