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[336] and Sharpsburg he was a heroic figure, and at Fredericksburg, where he was wounded, he and his brigade received great praise for coolness and steadiness under heavy fire. At Chancellorsville, General Jackson, after receiving his fatal wound, recognized in the darkness the gallant Pender near him, and said, ‘You must hold your ground, General Pender, you must hold your ground, sir.’ This last command of Stonewall Jackson's was obeyed; and more, for in General Lee's report of the next day's fight, it is recorded that ‘General Pender led his brigade to the attack under a destructive fire, bearing the colors of a regiment in his own hands up to and over the intrenchments, with the most distinguished gallantry.’ After the wounding of A. P. Hill, Pender took command of the ‘Light division,’ and was himself wounded in the battle. General Lee recommended his permanent assignment to this position, as ‘an excellent officer, attentive, industrious and brave; has been conspicuous in every battle, and I believe wounded in almost all of them.’ He was promoted major-general May 27, 1863. At this time he was just twenty-nine years of age, and very attractive as well as soldierly in appearance. His height was about five feet ten, his carriage graceful, complexion a clear olive, head faultless in shape, eyes large and lustrous. His manner was both dignified and modest. So reserved was he that Jackson knew him only by his gallantry in battle, the discipline of his troops and the orderliness of his camps, after Pender had fought under him in half a dozen battles. Pender's first battle as a major-general was Gettysburg, and unhappily it was his last. On July 1st his division drove the enemy from Seminary ridge. On the second day, while riding down his line to order an assault on Cemetery hill, he was struck by a fragment of shell and mortally wounded. He lived to be carried to Staunton on the retreat, where his leg was amputated July 18th, an operation which he survived only a few hours. His body was interred at
Atlanta, Ga. 1899.
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