Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 38.djvu/395

rained like hail around us, but he never quailed, but kept his battery in position, returning shot for shot with the enemy's artillery until his battery became so crippled that General J. E. B. Stuart's quartermaster had to supply horses to remove the battery from the field. He and his celebrated battery flashed like a meteor from battlefield to battlefield; always in the advance, fighting on the skirmish line until it seemed at times that nothing but Providence would save that devoted band of heroes from capture or certain death, but just as the overly confident Federals were certain of the prize, Pelham's ringing voice would be heard, "Limber! rear! Gallop!" and away we would go, laughing at the disappointment of the enemy. I could enumerate many instances of this character, but lack of space forbids. General R. E. Lee commended him for promotion as Lieutenant-Colonel of Artillery only a few days prior to his death. General Pendleton, General R. E. Lee's Chief of Artillery, had vainly tried to persuade General J. E. B. Stuart to allow him to be transferred to the infantry-artillery c jrps, but without any success. The successful resistance which General Stuart was enabled to oppose the Federal Cavalry was in a great measure due to the skilful handling of his artillery. Two spirits more congenial than Stuart and Pelham never met on the field of battle. Stuart's fondness for artillery was a craze with him. Pelham's skill in its management amounted to genius. Stuart, Pelham and the peerless Breathed imparted to the horse artillery an independency of action and a celerity of moment which characterized it to the end of the war, and which was nowhere equalled or imitated. But in the Providence of God he was not allowed to remain with us very long. No one knows what his record would have been if he had lived until the close of the struggle—brilliant, matchless, no doubt; an example for the whole world to have followed. But this was not to be. On March 17, 1863, he fell while leading the Third Virginia Cavalry in a charge against the enemy's cavalry (Averill's), who had crossed the Rappahannock River at Kelly's Ford, and was making for Culpeper Courthouse. Fitz Lee's brigade was resisting the advance of Averill's forces, consisting of 2,100 men, successfully. The Horse Artillery, then under command of Captain James Breathed (Pelham having been promoted Major), ar-