MOVED: John Pelham - Elkwood VA - Specific Veteran Memorials on Waymarking.com

During the Civil War, in March 1863, Union Gen. William Averell led his cavalry across the Rappahannock River into Culpeper County at Kelly's Ford to defeat a Confederate force encamped near the river. The Federals took up a position behind a rock wall less than a mile from the ford where the Confederates led by Gen. Fitz Lee counterattacked. During the battle that ensued, Major John Pelham, who was riding with the 5th VA, was mortally wounded by a metal fragment from an exploding shell.

A granite obelisk to Pelham stands at the intersection of Beverly Ford Road (Rt. 676) and James Madison Highway (Rt. 15/29) in Elkwood, Virginia, approximately four miles from the battlefield. The base of the monument is a boulder that was taken from Kelly's Ford near the spot Pelham was fatally wounded. (Also see Major John Pelham, another Pelham monument erected at Kelly's Ford.)

Front:

IN MEMORY
OF
MAJOR JOHN PELHAM
BORN SEPT. 7, 1838
IN CALHOUN CO. ALA.
MORTALLY WOUNDED
MARCH 17, 1863
NEAR KELLEY'S FORD VA.

Left side:

LIKE MARSHAL NEY
ONE OF THE
BRAVEST OF
THE BRAVE.

Right side:

BASE STONE
FROM KELLEY'S
FORD BATTLEFIELD
NEAR SPOT WHERE
PELHAM FELL.

Back:

ERECTED BY
GEO. E.
AND HIS WIFE
LENORA J. DOUGLAS
1926.

Plaque at base:

PROPERTY PELHAM
CHAPTER
U. D. C.
BIRMINGHAM
ALA.

Foot stone:

DEED OF GIFT TO
CULPEPER CHAPTER
UDC #73
20 JAN. 1998

According to an old NPS pamphlet, this monument once stood on the battlefield but was moved to the front yard of a privately owned home due to poor access at its original location. (The home no longer exists.) The John Pelham Historical Association states it was moved from Kelly's Ford Rd. to the yard of George Douglas and his wife who were admirers of Pelham. Their home supposedly sat at the site the ambulance took Pelham's body.

*UPDATE 6/13/13* - The Pelham monument was moved from the intersection to an open field in front of the Graffiti House in May 2013. Commercial development and the widening of Rt. 29 which virtually eliminated any parking and threatened to overcome the site necessitated the third move for the monument. (See this Free-Lance Star article for more info.) The coordinates and default photo have been changed to reflect the new location.

Reference:

• Battle of Kelly's Ford

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