Description

Front: Chief of Stuarts Horse Artillery, September 7, 1838, March 17, 1863, “In an army that did not lack brave men, he was the gallant Pelham.” ~ Douglas Southall Freeman

Back: Fredericksburg, Virginia, December 13, 1862. Advancing with just two guns–a Blakely rifle and a 12-pounder Napoleon–Major John Pelham flanked and surprised an advancing division of enemy infantry with a furious bombardment of solid shot. Retaliation brought the concentrated fire of five enemy batteries to his position disabling his Blakely. Only when his ammunition was nearly exhausted and a third message to seek cover reaching him did he withdrawal. His single 12-pounder Napoleon Cannon had halted the advance of an entire division for over an hour.