Last updated: October 18, 2021
Person
John Pegram
Library of Congress
Quick Facts
Significance:
Confederate general
Place of Birth:
Petersburg, VA
Date of Birth:
January 24, 1832
Place of Death:
Petersburg, VA
Date of Death:
February 6, 1865
Place of Burial:
Richmond, VA
Cemetery Name:
Hollywood Cemetery
John Pegram was a career U.S. Army officer and West Point graduate who resigned his commission in 1861 to accept an officer's position in the Confederate army. In the summer of 1861, at Rich Mountain, Virginia, he became the first former U.S. Army officer to be captured by Union forces when he surrendered his entire regiment to the Federals. Paroled after six months, Pegram returned to the Confederate army with the rank of colonel.
In November 1862, he was promoted to brigadier general and fought in the Battle of Murfreesboro. After the Battle of Chickamauga in 1863, Pegram was transferred to the Army of Northern Virginia and assigned command of an infantry brigade. He led his brigade through the Battle of the Wilderness and was then attached to Jubal Early's division, where he took part in the Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864. After the Battle of Opequon, he succeeded to command of his division. At the Battle of Hatcher's Run, Virginia, in February 1865, he was killed when struck in the heart with a minie ball.