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In the summer while near Fredericksburg for the Emerging Civil War Symposium, I wandered over to Pelham’s Corner. It’s a tiny piece of preserved land, sitting at the corner of a modern intersection with cars zipping by at regular intervals. 

However, in December 1862 as the battle unfolded on the 13th, this spot marked the advanced position of a twenty-four year old Confederate artillery officer who hauled a single cannon to this place and sent a raking fire into the attacking Union troops’ flank as they headed to “Stonewall” Jackson’s lines. That artilleryman—Major John Pelham—was noticed by General Robert E. Lee and became a legend, thanks in part to his actions during the Battle of Fredericksburg.