William Ransom Johnson Pegram

"Willie"
(1841 - 1865)
Home State: Virginia
Command Billet: Battery Commander
Branch of Service: Artillery
Unit: Purcell (Richmond) Artillery

Before the Antietam Campaign:
A University of Virginia Law student, he enlisted in the Confederate Army in the spring of 1861 as a private. By 1862 he was an artillery captain winning fame at Mechanicsville where he held his ground under enemy fire although four of his six guns were disabled, half his horses killed, and more than fifty of his ninety cannoneers killed or wounded. He was notably nearsighted - and the story in Richmond was that's why he had to get so close to the enemy before engaging.

Pegram and his battery fought in the battles of Cedar Mountain, Antietam, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, and Petersburg.

The remainder of the War:
As Colonel of Artillery, he was mortally wounded at the battle of Five Forks (1 April 1865), and died the next day.

College: University of Virginia
Death Date: 4/2/1865

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