The Gallant Pelham
The Battle of Fredericksburg
Young, handsome, and modest, Major John Pelham was one of the most popular men in the Confederate army. He was also one of its premier artillerists. Time and again the twenty-four-year-old officer had engaged the enemy at close quarters, earning the praise of his superiors and the respect of his peers.
Pelham gained his greatest fame at Fredericksburg. On December 13, 1862, he single-handedly took on the Union army, delaying its advance by almost an hour. Although finally forced back to the main line, Pelham continued to battle the Federals, pouring shot and shell into their advancing ranks from his postion astride the modern Benchmark Road, one half mile to your front.
The brave, young Alabamian died three months later, during the Battle of Kelly’s Ford, leaving a legacy of military prowess and unsurpassed valor.
Marker is at the intersection of Jim Morris Road and Schumann Street, on the right when traveling south on Jim Morris Road.
Courtesy hmdb.org
