Gallant Pelham, American Extraordinary by Charles G. Milham American Civil War

Description: "Gallant Pelham, American Extraordinary by Charles G. Milham published by Olde Soldiers Books, Inc. 1987. John Pelham was an artillery officer who served with the Confederate cavalry under J.E.B. Stuart during the American Civil War. Dubbed "The Gallant Pelham" for his innovative usage of light artillery as a mobile arm of the cavalry while wreaking havoc on Union soldiers during the Civil War. He never lost any of his guns to the enemy. Young men from both sides of the conflict hurried toward the war, that they might fight and achieve the glory they had sought so desperately since they first read Ivanhoe, perhaps, or Morte d’Arthur. Some left farms, some left shops in the city, many left wives and children, and a few left school, in an age when eighteen, nineteen, and twenty year old men were more likely to be employed than still about their studies.The class of 1861, West Point, was a different case altogether. Some were sons of the Confederacy, others sons of the Union, but they all wanted to enter the fray and make their mark immediately. The choice to leave or to finish their studies at the United States Military Academy was not an easy one. The West Point education—an automatic ticket to the upper echelon of American military leadership— was not an opportunity to forego lightly.John Pelham of Alabama was one of the young men forced to make such a difficult choice. Pelham was to graduate West Point with the class of 1861 when the Confederacy fired upon Fort Sumter. Among Pelham’s classmates was George Armstrong Custer, a brave if not excessively vain young fighter who would rise through the ranks quickly, only to be outmatched and cut down at Little Big Horn. Of those in that class of 1861, Custer did not have a monopoly on bravery and flair. John Pelham was certainly Custer’s equal, if not in many ways his better. A very interesting book highly recommended. Appears unread. A War Between the States biography that is seldom presented today. I had two ancestors who fought for the North and their brother who fought for the South. Many families were divided. The reason most Americans fought was not slavery but other economic concerns, defense of home, defending the Constitution, being drafted and many other reasons. No war modern or ancient has just one cause that is a fact all serious historians will agree. 250 pages with a very detailed index. Measures about 6" x 9". Includes a 2 page paper that was given to the audience at the Civil War Round talk in Hagerstown, Maryland. Included in this paper is a rough map of the Antietam Battlefield with Pelham's position clearly shown. Highly recommended. Selling on other sites for over $60.00 in this condition.

Price: 21.95 USD

Location: Huntingtown, Maryland

End Time: 2025-01-25T01:26:44.000Z

Shipping Cost: 3.82 USD