Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1904-11-03

| Virginia Cavalry, conceived ana Wfigluh-
ted the idea Of battery q Hofs krtil-
Iery, the cannoniere mounted % sorsea
II was bis constant Thought from dawn
to dark. AtInst, aifer many ue4A petit
tionsa land personal visits lfanI StuAtt
to She aecretnky Is War az II bss
d6at, The request was granted organ
lee bastery 81 guns, 70 be kap@n -
chr Stuart Horse Artillery Whll these
negotiations were going on, Col, Staaft
was promoted 10 Brig Gen If Gdyalfy
Sept "a, 1861 commanding the III. Ind.
ard, Ath and 9Th Va Cavalry, LEA North
Carolina and the jeff Davis Legion irvna
Mississippi. Gen. Stuart having resolved
authority 10 name the commanded oitbe
battery, hia eyes Immediately tuspcd 70
that gallant youth who at lst Mbnnaa
nns. in command 81 4 section d artillery
| tAIberttus) displayed such great mIIlta
~ genius and ability in handling HE ses
ton, considering bic youth, thai nasu
rally Gen. Stunrte eyes turned " the
young artilIerist John Pelham a. that
time was First Lieutenant 81 ARTILLERY,
or Ordinance. Id the Provisional Army 81
the COnfeirrnts States. Ic wa ~ Old
Kentucky stock. being born 10 AicxaB
dria, Ky, Sept. Z IsA0 His pargnta
moved 70 Calhoun county. Ala. whils
be was a small boy. He was appointed
a. Cadet to the Weat Point Military
Academy IN 1856 BY she Hon s " fIar
ria, member o. Congress from che Tale.
dega district u Ala Lt Pelham npun
che accommodation "a Brig fiea j VI
y. stuart. was promoted u capialn u
artillery. with Instructions 10 os9ns'lse
and equip (at oncel a battery ofEloFae
Artillery. How well DO dis hiewBrk the
unparalleled history 81 this peerlese ilat
terry tells the story. The hAtiers Wmaor.
ganiacd ~ Censeryllle. VA, Nov ~ 1861
Tie lsrut men TO report Tor duty d Capt
Pelham were from chr iseaurrgapi III
aas. II Washington. y. G Thiseompa.
ny had been attached to the lst ka In
fansry ~ 60 Z but owing 10 SONS usle
understanding they had with oue esthev
officers, IA. Edmund Cummings itkg b.
came vnxy mneh sliasatirsed, ansl made
every effort % igave the eommnpd II.
nally, when Il was known that gIin has
terry was going u b oFganiasi, they
again made a similar request, and wefe
allowed the prisilegp a going n kblH hat.
terry. A great many 81 tfiem dif a. the
writer Of this article being uno III them.
This was tho nucleus upon which the IA
NOUS battery was orgnnixed--a battery
that stood second % none n the q i.
Army whoae deeda 81 yaior and ball
dog tennrlty have been t0ld II prose- and
verse the entlre world ovef, Capt PEI
ham afterwards had men transferred
Iron Alabama regiments 81 Infantry and
from q Few Va commands Upon n
ceising our iusl complement 81 mcn ne
were ordered % proceed 70 an election n
officers, which we did, selecting the fol-
flowing brave soldiers ~ our leaders
John Pelham. 81 Alahama, Captain JaA.
Breathed 1.-THE pcerlessl 81 Maryland. Let
Lieutenant VIM. N. McGngor. ~ Ala.
bama, End Lfeutenants Chas n Ford.
81 Pairiax Court Honse. Va. Ard Licu.
tenant, and r, Elston orderly sergeant
The equipment 81 this battery WAS q 2
ID. smooth.b0fe brasr guns aud 2 Q N.
mountaia howitzers The Founders
had formerly been the property u the
Kcwtown battery, commanded 81 the
gallant Frank Beckam, who 10 ably sue.
cecied Maj Pelham upon llIn heing killed
March tx, 1853. This State % Virginia
afterwards 10 The early partOitheapring
Of 1862 gave a. Ii brass hcwiszern Ia
| lieu 81 our oldworthIssa6 poundesa. BE-
fore we had quite received our quota
there came u ~ a soldier nv tfaneierl
from CO. o. Istya Cavalry Capt. Pei.
ham wna struck and impFaezedwilll pFl-
yate James Breathed's high personality
aud hIa nense o. great moraleoufage that
makes the true man aud the IDEAL aoId.
Ter. He personally requested us 20 elect
Jim Breathed e. first Lieut., which ge
did, and from chat day the glorious his
tory 81 this battery beRnn history
| that Is not equalled BY any other similar
Organization In the late unpleaeantneaa.
| In the spring Of s02ltwna manifest that
Mcclellan was withdrawing lrom our
front and transporting his troops IN the
vicinity Of Yorktown, on the Pininsnla
81 va. Gen. j Il. Johnston, al soon IL
Mcclellan began this move, made his Ar.
raugementa TO move his army 80 az 10
interpose his command between Rich
mond and McCleIIan's line u operations
that he was establishing near Yorktown
I'm theearly part d March Capt Pelham
with his young and untried battery, amid
snow, rain and mud. started with Stu
arts command ofcayalry on our long and
tedious march to the vicinity Of York
town. The march was q most intense
y disagreeahIe one. The roads wereinp
horrible condition, caused by The spring
thaw and constant rains The entlss
army had preceded is. The roads wefs
necessarily cut up BY the heavy wagons
49,