Pelham in Fiction: The Gallant Cannoneer as seen in Surry of Eagle's Nest
John Esten Cooke was the only author of fiction who knew John Pelham. Al though Cooke tended to view all of his characters through a rosy haze of romance, we must still believe that he gave us a relatively accurate picture of Pelham. After all, he takes great pains to point out, vi'a footnotes, that certain events were "fact" and that certain phrases were "his words"; however, in all but one case, those quotations are not by Pelham but by Stuart or Jackson referring to Pelham. Cooke's vignettes of the physical appearances of historical figures furnish considerable information, but he tends to focus on Generals Stuart and Jackson in his novel. The narrator of the story, one Surry who never does receive a first name, is an officer of Jackson's staff who nonetheless manages to be in on a number of Jeb Stuart's escapades; thus we have a number of references to John Pelham.
When first he mentions Pelham, it is during the battIe of Cold Harbor (1862); General Jackson has just enquired of Stuart the identity of the gun so hotly engaged in front." Stuart identifies it as "one of Captain Pelham's Napoleons." Cooke continues,
At the next moment a young officer, slender, beardless, modest-looking, and covered with dust, came from the front. His blue eyes flashed, his firm lips gave evidence of an unconquerable spirit. "This is Captain Pelham, General ," said Stuart; "he has fought with one gun that whole battalion on the hill, at point-blank range, for nearly an hour." Jackson held out his hand, and the young artillerist took it with a low bow, blushing as he did so, like a girl. |
This, Cooke points out, is historical (p. 235).
The next sight of Pelham occurs at Sharpsburg, beginning on page 332, and it includes a delightful bit of fluff as well as another of Jackson's historical comments about Pelham. Jackson remarks, "He is a very remarkable young man. He commanded today nearly all the artillery of the left wing of the army, and I have never seen more skillful handling of guns. It is really extraordinary to find such nerve and genius in a mere boy. With a Pelham on each flank, I believe I could whip the world!" Whether the entire speech or only the last sentence was really spoken by Jackson is unclear, but once again Cooke makes certain that his readers know they are "his words."
Following this comment, Surry is sent with a message for Stuart, who remarks -- with no footnote as to veracity -- "Pelham has covered himself all over with glory!" [An interesting sidenote here: Stuart remarks to Surry, "You ought to get our friend Joyeuse (the sobriquet of a member of his staff) to write your adventures." Now, does anybody know who this "Joyeuse" may have been? Who else -- besides Cooke -- was a writer on Stuart's staff? Is he therefore humorously referring to himself here?]
On the next page the fiction begins. Surry happens to meet his brother Will, a captured Federal officer, whom Pelham knew at West Point. Hungry, the three peer into a house, where the family is just about to dine. Pelham knocks on the door, and they are admitted. Pelham is entranced by the little girl in the family. Cooke relates this scene:
And she shook her head sadly, looking with her great blue eyes, half covered with golden ringlets, at Pelham. That gaze was met by Pelham with a long, sad, yearning look, which I could not understand. The penetrating eyes had grown soft, the laughter of the lips disappeared, an expression of longing tenderness relaxed the features of the young soldier -- and, without seeming aware of what he was doing, he drew the child toward him. His arm encircled the slender form, his lips were pressed to hers in a long, lingering kiss; and then, as he turned aside his head, I saw tears in his eyes. "You are the very image of a little sister I have," he said in a low voice, "far away in Alabama." |
It can be seen that Cooke is not above twisting the truth. Throughout the book, he manages to place his narrator in the thick of important happenings, particularly the deaths of major figures; here he makes his brother the captured cavalryman and with a calm stroke of the pen takes some ten years off the life of Pelham's revered sister Betty. However, it is possible that Cooke did not know Betty's actual age, since Pelham seems to have been reticent about all aspects of his life. The staff evidently did not know Pelham's own age, for even W. W. Blackford thought him "only twenty-one or two years" (War Years with Jeb Stuart, p. 90).
Within the next few pages comes one of the scenes found in Mercer's biography of Pelham, the chapter entitIed, "How Pelham Fought His Horse Artillery." Although I have heard it alleged that Pelham did not actually refer to his Creoles as "the Napoleon detachment," Cooke certainly has him making that reference here. Since this chapter is in Mercer, I shall not repeat it here. It refers to the incident near Barbee's Crossroads (now Hume) in which Henry's Battery is surrounded in a rear guard action and only the timely arrival of the Confederate cavalry prevents the capture or annihilation of Pelham and his men. Cooke takes pains to point out that the Napoleon detachment's singing of "The Marseillaise" at this action was, in fact, historical. Here Cooke's repetition of the word "coolly" when referring to Pelham's actions gets a little monotonous, until the enemy charges from the rear and the combat becomes hand-to-hand. On page 350, Cooke paints a picture an artist would be proud of:
Pelham was everywhere, cheering on the ,men, with his drawn sabre flashing in the last rays of sunlight -- and as that blood-red light streamed on his slender figure, and countenance all ablaze with the fire of battle, his appearance was grand. The boy-artillerist was in his proper sphere -- fighting his guns to the very muzzle, determined to die where he stood, or drive the enemy back. |
Pelham's historic position at Fredericksburg is given but distant viewing, but Cooke adds on page 365, "To be the sole officer below the rank of Major-General mentioned by Lee -- and to be called 'the gallant Pelham!' -- That is better than a scrawl from any war department!" It is in the aftermath of that battle that Cooke once more touches on the tender emotions of Pelham -- the affecting scene, again picked up by Mercer, in which Pelham holds in his arms a dying fifteen-year-old Creole of his battery. The artillerist, so cool in battle, is moved to tears by the pathetic words of the devoted boy. Surry's orders bring Pelham to Jackson's headquarters, where Cooke informs us he is requested "to direct and superintend, in person, the fortification of the line for the next day's battle" (page 372), which the author assures us is historical, and quotes Jackson as saying, "Have you another Pelham, General? If so, I wish you would give him to me!" (p. 373)
On pages 377-381, "Surry" recalls the friends of Camp No-Camp who were killed during the war. The book passes briefly from fiction to reality as Cooke says of Pelham,
Pelham, the brave, the true, the kindly, gentle spirit -- I never knew a human being of more stubborn nerve, of shrinking modesty. His blue eye never fell before the stare of peril, but of ten when you spoke to him. His color never faded in the hottest hours of the most desperate fighting; but a word would of ten confuse him, and make him blush like a girl. A native of the great State of Alabama, he had the warm blood of the South in his young veins; but I think he had come to love Virginia and the faces here with a love as warm as that of her own children. Virginia certainly loved him, her boy defender; but it was impossible to know him and not love him. In that light blue eye was the soul of truth and chivalry. The smooth, boyish face was the veritable mirror of high breeding, delicacy, and honor.... |
The next pages, predictably, deal with the death of Pelham. Cooke himself was left at Camp No-Camp, but his fictitious Surry can and does travel with Stuart to Culpeper. He includes some visual impressions of Pel ham which enlighten us as to Pelham's uniform and, because the image crops up in Wearing of the Grey as well, are likely to reflect an actual occurrence. Stuart and Surry detrain at Culpeper and meet Fitz Lee and Pelham in front of the tavern.
Pelham is described as "quiet, smiling, wearing his little artillery jacket, with red collar, and seated upon a huge artillery horse, his knees drawn up by the short stirrups" (p. 383).
Surry, of course, is in at the death of Pelham. He, too, places Pelham in the vicinity of a cavalry charge but does not actually say he joined it. He has Pelham coming to Stuart to "make some report I in relation to his artillery." Cooke seems to have somewhat followed H. B. McClellan's account of his death, and resists the temptation of giving Pelham any last words gasped out to Surry, who leaps to his side as soon as he has fallen. Pelham's demise in the Shackelford home and Stuart's grief need Iittle elaboration from Cooke to produce the desired pathos.
Stuart's mourning orders are quoted verbatim, and Cooke characteristically closes the chapter with a feminine touch: the note and flowers from "N'Importe" thanking him for the article he -- "Surry" -- wrote for the newspaper outlining Pelham's brief career. Now this may seem pure romance at work, except that it has recently been discovered that the wife of one of Pelham's brothers also signed herself by that sobriquet!
Cooke cleanses his soul of grief by closing,
Shed no tears for Pelham! His death was noble, as his life was beautiful and beneficent....The "gallant Pelham" cannot pass from the heart or the memory of the people of the South -- but there is something which his brave spirit would be touched and thrilled by more than all those laurels which enrich his tomb. It is the tears of Stuart, as he murmured "Poor boy! He loved me very much!" and the prayers of this "unknown Georgian," who had "never heard his voice!" |
Cooke's novels' plots are hopelessly melodramatic and, in most cases, scarcely plausible. Surry of Eagle's Nest is actually one of the more cohesive plots, but both historical and fictional characters are all similar to one another. Writing Surry in 1866, Cooke has the advantage of relatively fresh memory, yet the disadvantage of having to portray all his heroes as flawless knights of chivalry. We know that Pelham's character was unusually pure, though not flawless, so we cannot accuse Cooke too strongly of whitewashing it.
Cooke, in comparison to other authors, may have given us a true glimpse of Pelham's personality, but where is there of flesh and blood? We do see a softer, sentimental side of Pelham for Cooke's Pelham is not only a fearless warrior but also a gentle, caring person, capable of tears for a fallen comrade and homesickness for a beloved sister. However, while Cooke paints us a few fine verbal pictures, he still has not put Pelham's feet on the ground. We are grateful for the assertions of truth as to certain words or actions, but Pelham still walks on air as a character. Despite this, Cooke's Surry and his nonfictional work, Wearing of the Grey, are essential reading for anyone who wants to learn about John Pelham.
This article first appeared in Volume 4, No. 5 of The Cannoneer.
Source:
John Esten Cooke, Surry of Eagle's Nest, N.Y., G. W. Dillingham Co.,
1894 (first edition 1866).
W. W. Blackford, War Years with Jeb Stuart, N.Y., Charles Scribner's Sons, 1945.
