The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1902-11-30
BY J. w. BUSH.

| October. we began to fail back TO the
south bank of the Rappahannock river,
to our old winter home in Culpepper
county.
1t was of the hero of this retreat, if it
might be called a retreat, that In the
! beginning of this paper I intended par
ticularly to write about He lies buried
in the cemetery of the modest city of
Jacksonville, Ala, without monument.
and his name is John Pelham I knew
him well as soldier. l belonged to a
body of sharpshooters that supported
his batteries on many hard fought bat
| tie. I was near him on the 18th day of
| December, 1862. at Fredericksburg; saw
one of his caissons blown up by the en-
emy's shell, just as he was whirling his
batteries into line, at a gallop. on the
right of Jackson; saw how hard and
steadily his batteries fought from the
time he went into action until the enemy
| began to waiver. He was the admiration
of all who saw and watched his conduct
in that fight. -StonewaH Jackson said of
shim;a "Everysarmy should have John
Pelham on it's right flank, and a John
| Pelham on its left flank" want to sup
plement this by saying, that every re-
treating army should have John Pei
ham in its rear.
When our army began to retreat from
Opequon creek we knew we would be
closely pressed by one of the most alert
and bravest cavalry generals in the fed
eral army. General Pleasanton was up
early and gave us no rest. fighting some
times three or four battles in day. The
last fight ON this retreat was at Hazel
creek or run. This stream was ordinarily
so low that any one could leap across it,
but the rains had swollen it to that ex-
tent that many horses had to swim,
thus delaying the crossing at the ford.
North of the ford about one half mile,
begun quite an abrupt depression some
think like an inverted horse hoof. and
stewart with his cavalry was down in
the hollow; upon the crest of the bill
Major Pelham had placed battery of
four guns. In his front was a slightly
undufating field about 1000 yards across
to piece of woods, my company was on
his right, and in the rear, lying down
close to the ground. The other company
of the squadron was on the left the wind
was blowing from the northwest directly
| In our faces, and there was an occasional
| rift of snow, Pelham was mounted on
a black horse, long and raksh, with
keen round legs, and beautiful neck
| and fiery eyes-every now and then he
| would put out first one foot paving the
air and then the other. Pelham was
dressed in high top boots, close-fitting
! gray overcoat, with bright brass buttons,
and buckskin gauntlets; small sword
hung by his side. his cheeks as rosy as
maiden, with every appearance of a
boy about sixteen years old. AS weFlay
on the ground we looked up at him with
the greatest admiration, because we
knew he was every inch soldier. His
| right and two on his left. We had not
long to wait-the enemy emerged from
| the woods along the road which we had
| travelled; their artillery in gallop, one
| gun would go TO the right and one to
the left. alternately until eight pieces
were thrown intos line and unlinbered.
| This was a beautiful artillery movement.
| The enemy was under Pelham's fire
| from the moment the first piece hove in
sight, nevertheless this artillery line was
| formed without a break. Imagine this
boy soldier fighting four pieces of artil-
lery against eight Just as cool and calm
| as was Leonidas at Thermopylae, Bona
parte at the Bridge of Lodi or Picket
| scaling the heights of Gettysburg; shells
! bursting, round shot whizzing, schrap-
| nell ringing, his men falling around him
| killed and wounded. and in his anxiety
he cried out: "Ter General Stewart for
| Gods sake to cross his men, or l will
| not have a man left to work gum He
| leaped from his horse, aimed gun and
] fought his pieces with his men.
| General Rosser succeeded after a while
| in getting a battery across the creek and
opened an enhlading fire on the enemy
and with the aid of the sharpshooters
! Pelham's guns were saved. Sometimes
when the federal batteries would fire,
would throw my face>to the ground, ex-
pecting when I looked up to see Major
/ Pelham shot into fragments. Although
| 1t has BEEN more than forty years since
J that day, / have vivid recollection Of