NPS historian and Civil War author extraordinaire John Hennessy stopped by to comment on the Pelham Letter. Here’s his note:
Harry,
I have always felt that Pelham’s description of his feelings in battle, and his shame at having felt as he did, was one of the more vivid revelations about the human condition as it relates to combat. Clearly his reaction to battle was not universal. Is there something about the makeup of true warriors that in the moment renders battle appealing rather than horrific? I don’t know….
Thanks for sharing this….
And here’s my response:
John,
Yes, I found the letter striking for the same reason. I view his closing sentences as essentially a rationalization in light of what preceded them.
Thanks for stopping by – knowing you’re out there reading this stuff at least every now and again helps keep me honest!
The closing sentences to which I refer are these:
We are battling for our rights and our homes. Ours is a just war, a holy cause. The invader must meet the fate he deserves and we must meet him as becomes us, as becomes men.
What preceded them was Pelham’s description of the horrors of battle.
“I am sending you these little incidents as I hear them well authenticated. They form, to the friends of the parties, part of the history of the glorious 21st. More anon.”
About
Hello! I’m Harry Smeltzer and welcome to Bull Runnings, where you'll find my digital history project on the First Battle of Bull Run which is organized under the Bull Run Resources section. I'll also post my thoughts on the processes behind the project and commentary on the campaign, but pretty much all things Civil War are fair game. You'll only find musings on my “real job” or my personal life when they relate to this project. My mother always told me "never discuss politics or religion in mixed company”, and that's sound advice where current events are concerned.
The Project
This site is more than a blog. Bull Runnings also hosts digitized material pertaining to First Bull Run. In the Bull Run Resources link in the masthead and also listed below are links to Orders of Battle, After Action Reports, Official Correspondence, Biographical Sketches, Diaries, Letters, Memoirs, Newspaper Accounts and much, much more. Take some time to surf through the material. This is a work in process with no end in sight, so check back often!
And here’s my response:
The closing sentences to which I refer are these:
What preceded them was Pelham’s description of the horrors of battle.
Any thoughts from my readers?