Colonel John Pelham: Lee's Boy Artillerist

Even before the end of the Civil War Colonel John Pelham had become a legendary figure of the Confederacy. General Lee called him “the gallant Pelham,” and on seeing the young artillerist employ but a single gun to hold up the advance of three Union divisions and over a hundred guns at Fredericksberg, he exclaimed: “It is glorious to see such courage in one so young.”

“Stonewall” Jackson, who relied implicitly on Pelham in tight situations said: “It is really extraordinary to find such nerve...