Glorious Courage: John Pelham in the Civil War
May 2025 · Savas Beatie
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About this ebook
A look at Confederate hero John Pelham, separating the real man from Lost Cause mythmaking. It is glorious to see such courage in one so young! So declared Confederate General Robert E. Lee on December 13, 1862, during the battle of Fredericksburg as he watched Major John Pelham fight at least five Union batteries with just one lone gun. The dashing and handsome 24-year-old Alabama officer earned the compliments and admiration of his men, the war gods of Virginia (Lee, Jackson, and Stuart), and Southern societyall while helping transform the concept of horse artillery on Civil War battlefields across Virginia and Maryland. After Pelhams death in battle in 1863, his place as a beloved Southern hero soared, and admirers firmly elevated him into the upper ranks of the Confederate pantheon. His status as a Lost Cause martyr exacted a price, though: Admirers transformed Pelhams memory into the beau ideal of Confederate arms, sometimes altering and clouding the realities of his life. His memory has been trapped there ever sinceuntil now. In Glorious Courage, historian Sarah Kay Bierle reconsiders Pelhams extraordinary, if short, life by drawing on primary and secondary sources and her extensive knowledge of the battlefields. Pelhams zest for living carried him from Alabama to the military academy at West Point, while his zeal in command of the Stuart Horse Artillery earned him well-deserved plaudits. But like every other man who served the Confederate cause, the remarkable young officer was a human being with flaws. He deserves his place in history as he lived it, not varnished with the perspectives shoved upon him by later generations.
A look at Confederate hero John Pelham, separating the real man from Lost Cause mythmaking. It is glorious to see such courage in one so young! So declared Confederate General Robert E. Lee on December 13, 1862, during the battle of Fredericksburg as he watched Major John Pelham fight at least ...
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About the author
Sarah Kay Bierle works in the public history field, focusing on education and battlefield preservation. A graduate of Thomas Edison State University with a B.A. in history, she has spent years researching, writing, and speaking about the American Civil War. Her work helps audiences gain a stronger appreciation and understanding for the accounts of real people caught in the struggles of the Civil War era.
Sarah Kay Bierle works in the public history field, focusing on education and battlefield preservation. A graduate of Thomas Edison State University with a B.A. in history, she has spent years researching, writing, and speaking about the American Civil War. Her work helps audiences gain a stronge...
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