I enjoyed both links too, Unclewest. Thanks.
Because of another interest, I learned of the Gallant Major John Pelham, who fell at the Battle of Kelly's Ford.
If he had been on the winning side of his war, he would have been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Even so, I think he is representative of the quality of our fighting men.
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!"[citation needed] 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.
Stuart said of his death, in a general order to the rest of his division:
An 1889 illustration of Pelham's death at Kelly's Ford.
The major-general commanding approaches with reluctance the painful duty of announcing to the division its irreparable loss in the death of Major John Pelham, commanding the Horse Artillery. He fell mortally wounded in the battle of Kellysville, March 17th, with the battle-cry on his lips, and the light of victory beaming from his eye... His eye had glanced on every battlefield of this army from the First Manassas to the moment of his death, and he was, with a single exception, a brilliant actor in them all. The memory of "the gallant Pelham," his many manly virtues, his noble nature and purity of character, are enshrined as a sacred legacy in the hearts of all who knew him. His record has been bright and spotless, his career brilliant and successful.
John Pelham (officer) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (22 May 2009)
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