RARE SALT PRINT CDV OF JOHN PELHAM – “THE GALLANT PELHAM” - IN HIS WEST POINT UNIFORM; CHIEF OF JEB STUART’S ARTILLERY; MORTALLY WOUNDED AT KELLY’S FORD

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Item Code: 846-587

A rare image copied from the original ambrotype taken by Mathew Brady in 1858. Somewhat light in contrast, with scattered light soiling. No photographer’s marks.  In period ink on the reverse is, ““Major Pelham – Chief of Stuart’s Artillery – Killed at Kelly’s Ford – the first young officer in the Confed. Service called by Gen. Lee in his official report of the battle of Fredksbg “The Gallant Pelham.”

Pelham is depicted in his single breasted, nine button front, West Point furlough frock coat, with USMA buttons. He holds his Hardee hat at his side with the bullion embroidered insignia on the side incorporating U S C C (US Corps of Cadets) around an engineer castle.

John R. Pelham (born September 7, 1838 near Alexandria, Calhoun County; died March 17, 1863 at Kelly's Ford, Virginia) was an artillery officer who served with the Confederate cavalry under J.E.B. Stuart during the Civil War. Dubbed "The Gallant Pelham" for his military prowess and personal courage, Pelham revolutionized the usage of light artillery as a mobile arm of the cavalry.

In 1856, local Congressman Sampson Willis Harris secured an appointment for Pelham to the United States Military Academy, at the request of A. J. Walker. In 1861, with graduation approaching and war breaking out, Pelham wrote to the new leader of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis, inquiring as to whether he should leave West Point. Ultimately, Pelham resigned from West Point, just a few weeks before his planned graduation, in order to accept a commission in the militia of his home state of Alabama. He soon went to Virginia, where he joined the army of Joseph E. Johnston as a lieutenant in the artillery. Pelham's well-drilled and disciplined battery caught the eye of J.E.B. Stuart, who provided horses for the men and transformed the battery into "horse artillery", more mobile than conventional artillery.

Pelham was commissioned into 1st Co. Virginia Stuart Horse Light Artillery on 10/15/61, and listed as Commanding Battery. Promoted to Captain of Pelham’s Horse Artillery on 3/23/62. Promoted to Major on 8/9/62.

Pelham was involved in every major military engagement of Stuart's cavalry from the First Battle of Bull Run to Kelly's Ford, more than 60 encounters. He particularly distinguished himself as the Chief of Stuart's Artillery in the Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg) and the Battle of Fredericksburg. At Sharpsburg, Pelham's guns, positioned on a rise known as Nicodemus Hill, repeatedly harassed the flanks of oncoming Union lines, causing numerous casualties and breaking up battle formations. Lieutenant General Stonewall Jackson said of him in his report on the battle, "It is really extraordinary to find such nerve and genius in a mere boy. With a Pelham on each flank I believe I could whip the world."

At Fredericksburg, Pelham's guns, positioned well in advance of the main Confederate lines, held up the entire flank of the Union Army of the Potomac for several hours, enabling the Confederates to repel a series of strong attacks. General Robert E. Lee commended Pelham in his official report for "unflinching courage" while under direct fire from multiple Union batteries. Pelham was, at the time, commanding only two guns that were in service, but with those batteries for a time enfiladed the entire advancing Federal lines of battle. At Kelly's Ford on March 17, 1863, Pelham participated in a cavalry charge, his artillery not being engaged. Standing up in his stirrups, he urged his men to "Press forward, press forward to glory and victory!" Not long afterwards, he was struck in the head by a fragment of an exploding Federal artillery shell. He was carried six miles away from the battlefield to Culpeper Courthouse, and died the following morning without having regained consciousness. Major John Esten Cooke, a fellow officer and tentmate of Pelham's, wrote: "He is the bravest human being I ever saw in my life." Pelham was posthumously promoted to Lt. Colonel, back dated to 3/2/63.

This image was once a part of the Bill Turner portion of the Ray Richey collection of images, which is noted by the modern pencil notation along the upper trim, which reads: “CDV-4058 / I-BT-1149.”

This image comes housed in a clear plastic frame with black trim that allows the viewer to see both front and back, making the inscription fully visible. The frame measures 12.75 inches by 6.75 inches. [ld/cla] [ph:L]

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