Died January 1, 1922. Among the Battalion's youngest members was a 16-year-old Scottsville boy named Henry G. Harris. Captured on January 4, 1865, and sentto Fort Warren in Boston Harbor, fromwhich he was released on June 13,1865. Hockman, Noah Served as bailiff at the CourtHouse in Baltimore for more than 20years. As John Henry Alexander noted in Mosbys Men: Pray dont make the mistake of assigning William Hibbs among the non-combatants. Though his title was merely in courtesy of his quasi office of quartermaster, no braver man followed Mosby. Stuart, loaned him the services of nine cavalrymen. "[7], The unit also utilized child soldiers. By 1890, he had the supreme command of the Prussian cavalry. . With the Valley relatively secure, but infuriated by Mosbys raids, Sheridan unleashed his cavalry to wipe out the rangers east of the Blue Ridge. Gen. Edwin H. Stoughton who was captured in bed. Whether they produced battlefield images of the dead or daguerreotype portraits of common soldiers, []. He moved to Washington, D.C., where he continued to practice law and also worked as a diplomat. Civil War Links and Information] [Rosters of men who served Virginia from the lower Shenandoah Valley] ROSTER OF MOSBY'S 43rd BATTALION CAVALRY-- over the country, a band of thieves, stealing, pillaging, plundering and doing every manner of mischief and crime. Known as the Gray Ghost, Confederate Colonel John S. Mosby, along with his partisan rangers, terrorized Federal units in northern Virginia from late 1862 until the end of the Civil War in 1865. Not a particularly enthusiastic soldier when he enlisted as a private in 1861, John Singleton Mosby disliked routine army life. Co. VA Muster Rolls p. 28, as list appeared, Between 12th and 14th Streets But he often related the circumstance after the war. The 43rd Battalion, Virginia Cavalry primarily comprised Virginians and a contingent of Marylanders. Brutality between the rangers and Federals was about to end, but not quite. Mosby placed a mountain howitzer he had taken with him on the raid at the top of a small rise on a road up which the Union cavalry would have to attack. In stubborn fights I have seen the men on both sides sit on their restless horses and re-load their pistols under a galling fire. This time, Cab angered Mosby. During the negotiations, a ranger named Hern burst into the room and yelled to Mosby that Federal cavalry had set a trap and were hidden in the woods. Hibbs feats link him with another Ranger, Henry Cabell Maddux, born on July 17, 1848, and nicknamed Cab. On February 20, 1864, still just 15 years old, Maddux was leaving a boys academy in Upperville, Va., his school books in his hand, when a group of Union cavalrymen came galloping through town. He was going home to meet the Savior whom he served and to meet the beloved wife whose presence could not but enhance the glory of heaven itself for him. The second purpose was to promote the use of guerrilla warfare to help protect areas where there was little protection from the army. After the action he rode his horse some distance toward Fairfax, slid exhausted out of the saddle and fell asleep in a field, and on the following morning: . Buried inMount Hope Cemetery in Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y. Postwar, he was treasurer ofthe Washington Monument Society anda member of the Columbia HistoricalSociety. The battalion never formally surrendered, but was disbanded on April 21, 1865, after Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Court House to Ulysses S. Grant but not before it had attempted to negotiate surrender with Major General Winfield S. Hancock in Millwood, Virginia. This also led to the recruitment of irregular soldiers into the Confederate army. A guard pulled his revolver, but Charles Dear beat his draw. Munson "never actually saw blood drawn with a sabre but twice in our war, though I saw them flash by the thousand at Brandy Station. When other correspondents were captured in the Rangers' raids, they were treated well and given liquor and cigars. Ten days later, April 9th, Confederate commanding General Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox, Virginia. He died in 1927 in Germany. In retaliation for the wagon train raid, Sheridans cavalry burned barns, crops, and mills. Released on June 15, 1865. DANIEL MURRAY MASON,4th Corporal, Company E. Born on December 13, 1843. The reorganization of the Confederate Artillery in 1862 caused the official disbanding of their unit on October 4 and the reassignment of the brothers to recruiting officer duty in Virginias Fauquier County. 6-10-63 in the 43rd Va. Cav. Anything they brought back, they would give to the quartermaster, a military officer who was in charge of providing food, clothing, and other necessities, and in return, they would get paid. Bottom: Mosby Heritage Area sign on Route 211 in Fauquier County, Virginia. As the unit grew and gained notoriety, it eventually became Company A, 43rd Battalion of Virginia Cavalry, or Mosbys Rangers, in June 1863. History is who we are and why we are the way we are.. . As the Mosby tactics became better known, scouting parties from the Northern army began to develop an affection for the pistol, with increasing success I might add. After losing a sharp skirmish to the Scouts just west of Ashby Gap in the Blue Ridge on November 16th, Mosby sent two ranger companies under Captain Adolphus Dolly Richards to find and destroy the Scouts and their leader, Captain Richard Blazer. Not only him but his wife and family as well. Even though she has lived in the state of Virginia longer than she lived in New Jersey, she still gets called a Yankeeaffectionately, she thinks. The method of operation involved executing small raids with up to 150 men (but usually 20 to 80) behind Union lines by entering the objective area undetected, quickly executing their mission, and then rapidly withdrawing, dispersing the troops among local Southern sympathizers, and melting into the countryside. Your mission is to infiltrate enemy lines to disrupt the Union war effort. The rangers seized over 200 Federal soldiers, 500 horses and mules, 200 cattle, and about 100 wagons. Read Next: Oldest Merrills Marauder MG Milton Pitcher Dies at 100. The struggle ebbed and waned, but sheer numbers on the Union part and dwindling ammunition on the Rangers part soon tilted the fight in favor of the Northerners. THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING VETERAN JOURNALISM - JOIN SOFREP+ He also said that after he got to the burning cars he made up for lost time. . kealbo54 Sergeant Major. The line must be stronger at every point than the attacking force, else it is broken. By the end of the war, its roster would number almost 2,000 men. In1904, he was recorded residing at theMaryland Line Confederate SoldiersHome in Baltimore. While riding as part of Mosby's Rangers near the end of the war these men had contact with Thomas F. Harney of the Confederate Torpedo Bureau. You must become a subscriber or login to view or post comments on this article. . For his bravery under fire, Ferris was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. They, Mosby especially, had not factored in a large and rapid response from Union cavalry in the area as elements of the 7th Michigan Cavalry, 5th New York Cavalry, and the 1st Vermont Cavalry all converged on Mosby and forced the Rangers to begin a fighting withdrawal. Without discipline, order or organization, they roam . Among the rangers there were 8 men named Davis, 7 men named Cornwell, 5 men named Kincheloe, 5 men named Mayhugh. P.O. With a special aptitude for finding forage for the horses in Mosbys command, Hibbs became the Rangers informal quartermaster. He was also known as chief of the corn detail. It was not an exciting duty nor a particularly prestigious title, but he ensured that the mounts in the command, so essential to its mobility and success, were well fed and healthy. Born in 1817, he was 2030 years older than the vast majority of the unit. The men then dismounted and went to work again. One day in Richmond wounded and eliciting the sympathy of every one capable of appreciating the daring deeds of the boldest and most successful partisan leader the war has producedthree days afterwards surprising and scattering a Yankee force at Salem as if they were frightened sheep fleeing before a hungry wolfand then before the great mass of the people are made aware of the particulars of this dashing achievement, he has swooped around and cut the Baltimore and Ohio roadthe great artery of communication between East and West, capturing a mail train and contents, and constituting himself, by virtue of the strength of his own right arm, and the keen blade it wields, a receiver of army funds for the United States. Stuart. Company A - Organized June 10, 1863, at Rector's Cross Roads, Company B - Organized October 1, 1863, at, Company C - Organized December 7, 1863, at Rectortown, Virginia, Company D - Organized March 28, 1864, at Paris, Virginia, Artillery Company - Organized July 4, 1864, at Paris, Virginia, Company F - Organized September 13, 1864, at Piedmont Station near, Company G - A reorganization of the Artillery Company, November 28, 1864, at Salem in, This page was last edited on 11 December 2022, at 09:05. Remy Van Lierde: The Belgian WWII Ace Who Encountered a 50 Feet Long Snake? We had no reason to use a blue uniform as a disguise, for there was no occasion to do so. At wars end, when General Lee surrendered to General Grant at Appomattox, Mosbys men never surrendered, they disbanded and returned to their farms. Engraving reproduced from Scott, p.210. [18] Mosby tried out some small field artillery pieces, including a 12-pound (5.4kg) brass Napoleon,[19] but artillery proved to be too cumbersome for his fast hit-and-run tactics and not especially helpful in action. The next day, April 21st, 1865, Colonel John Singleton Mosby disbanded his ranger battalion, but never officially surrendered. Mosbys men dismissed the use of sabers, thinking them too limiting in combat. Scott refers to "Captain Mountjoy", but most references spell it "Montjoy". John Singleton Mosby will always be regarded as one of the Civil Wars most famousperhaps infamousfigures, and though he doesnt quite reside in the wars pantheon alongside the likes of Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and Ulysses S. Grant, he assuredly stands as an equal to military historys unconventional warfare legends such as Robert Rogers, Francis Marion, T.E. Conrad, W.G. Northern newspapers and Unionists referred to them as guerrillas, a term of opprobrium at the time. Died October 8, 1899. JOSHUA WARFIELD RIGGS,Private, Company D. Served in the 1st Virginia Cavalry andthe 1st Maryland Cavalry prior to joiningMosby. [Photographed between 1861 and 1865, printed between 1880 and 1889] Photograph. Engraving reproduced from Major John Scott. Post War: Mosby was only 31 when the war ended, but was constantly harassed by occupying Union troops. . He survived but endured a long and difficult recovery that kept him from returning to Mosbys command. . Southerners, however, viewed this as a betrayal to their cause, and Mosby was shunned by the people who formerly revered him. . Join SOFREP for insider access and analysis. On May 30, 1863, the Rangers derailed and attacked a train near Catletts Station, Va. Here are the stories of some of the most memorable of that lot. His brother, Robert, had preceded him to America and first served in Wheats Battalion (the famed Louisiana Tigers). He died January 10, 1898. Hibbs had another moniker of which he was exceedingly proud. He became a Ranger that day and remained with them until the end of the war. [25] In discussing as Mosby's "greatest piece of annoyance", the Greenback Raid in which Mosby's men derailed a train and captured a $170,000 payroll from the paymasters of Philip Sheridan's army (each of the 80 raiders received a $2100 share, though Mosby himself took nothing), Munson says that due to Mosby's comparatively tiny force, [i]t was necessary for the Federal troops to guard every wagon train, railroad bridge and camp with enough active and efficient men to prevent Mosby from using his three hundred raiders in one of his destructive rushes at any hour of the day or night. Turmoil in Richmond: Joe Johnston, Jefferson Davis Command Alliance Was Doomed From the Start. It was a position both detested. Threats of bodily harm to him and his family forced Mosby to give up his law practice and leave his home in Warrenton, Virginia. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Court House to Since the close of the war, I have come to know Colonel Mosby personally and somewhat intimately. It is just as legitimate to fight an enemy in the rear as in the front. Morrow convinces pretty Ansonia Forde to provide false information to trap Mosby. He wasknown to every man in the Command and to everybody in that country, as a fighter.. The sad task of leading the remainder of the command to Winchester, Va., to seek wartime paroles fell to Mosbys No. During the Mount Zion Church fight on July 6, 1864, guerrilla John Alexander "noticed in one of the charges that his mount was unaccountable dull, and in spite of the most vigorous spurring fell into the wake of the pursuit." The tried using carbines captured from Union cavalry but found them too unwieldy for their type of operations. On August 7th, 1864, Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan took command of the United States Army of the Shenandoah. Even at that supreme moment in my life, when I had just stood on the brink of ruin and had barely escaped, I could not restrain a propensity to laugh. 3. Corder, Joseph M. The Army of the Shenandoah returned to the Harpers Ferry area, with Mosbys Rangers harassing it along the way. He and Mosby remained close friends and communicated frequently until Mosbys death in 1916. Mosby's four requirements to become a member of his com-mand, besides being a fighter with good character, included the following.12. for their lightning strike raids on Union targets and their ability to He survived, however, living until 1929. In Baltimore, he became involved in smuggling goods into the Confederacy and subsequently made his way farther south, joining Mosbys command in March 1863. On later reflection, Lee concluded that whatever the military utility of the rangers in the larger scheme of things, Mosby was "zealous bold, and skillful, and with very small resources he has accomplished a great deal. Figgins, Alphaeus This temporary, and informal, command would evolve into the 43rd Battalion, Virginia Cavalryknown better as Mosbys Rangers. During the ensuing melee, Massow was riding down on the Union commander, Captain James Sewell Reed, with his saber poised for a lethal strike. He was captured in April 1864 andspent the remainder of the war at Fort Warren. A lieutenant in the Prussian army, he had come in search of adventure with Confederate forces. He was fond of alcoholic spirits and knew that stockpiles of corn and grains probably indicated a still was nearby. Attorney for the Southern PacificRailroad in 1885-1901. In his memoirs, John Munson stated that if the objective was simply "to annoy the enemy," they succeeded. The conflict between Mosbys Rangers and Sheridans troops in the Valley became increasingly brutal. RecPak is a meal replacement for the outdoors that saves you weight, space and time in the most challenging environments, just add water. Before he got to the gate Sam had already exhausted every barrel of his two pistols and drawn his sabre. battalion never formally surrendered, but was disbanded on April 21, 1865, after Samuel Sam Forrer Chapman, born in 1838, and his brother, William Henry Chapman, born in 1840, both joined the Confederate Army early in the war and were members of Virginias famed Dixie Artillery by the end of 1861. A friendship based on mutual admiration rose up between the two, and Mosby became a Republican who worked to repair the fractured Union. According to James J. Williamsons Mosbys Rangers: A Record of the Operations of the Forty-third Battalion of Virginia Cavalry, From Its Organization to the Surrender: We then pushed on up the river to reach the ford at Nolands Ferry [sic] before another detachment of Yankees, who were coming down the river, should get there. At sunrise, Mosbys force struck just north of Berryville, Virginia. He died September 9, 1917. About four miles into the Valley west of Ashbys Gap, Russells men attacked approximately 100 riders of the 14th Pennsylvania Cavalry. A young Private in the Confederate Army, Willie Prentiss, is assigned to guard a remote river outpost during the American Civil War. It has been said that we wore blue to deceive the enemy, but this is ridiculous, for we were always in the enemy's country where a Southern soldier caught dressed in a blue uniform would have been treated to a swift court-martial and shot as a spy. He was promoted to captain in 1855 and returned to England that same year. He was acting under the authority of General Robert E. Lee, who had granted him permission to raise a company in January 1863 under the Partisan Ranger Act of 1862 in which the Confederate Congress authorized the formation of such units. After less than a month, Mosbys combat tactics in the Valley were established. Federal Lieutenant Eugene Ferris, 30th Massachusetts Infantry, refused to surrender and escaped by wounding four of the rangers. But as I recalled how cruelly I had spurred him to the chase the evening before, how without a groan of protest he responded the best he could, and how patiently he had stood with me, all unconscious of his suffering, on that lonely, miserable watch, I was not ashamed to throw my arms around his neck and weep out of my grief and contrition. Younger brotherof Ranger George Meacham Slater. Mosby twice offered his services to Early with little response. Mosby, who, it must be noted, was not given his famous sobriquet The Gray Ghost until well after the war, was an intelligent, tough, audacious, and innovative leader. MOSBY'S RANGERSMOSBY'S RANGERS. Ranger John Munson wrote, usually a young fellow who joined Mosbys command came with romantic ideas of the partisan rangers existence. Adding to the lure of ranger life, Mosby allowed his troopers to keep plunder from raids, if men got rewardsof horses and arms, they were more devoted to the cause.. Early Service And Unit Beginning: Mosby was against secession from the Union, however when the war began, he enlisted in the Confederate infantry as a private, having decided that he couldnt turn against his home state. They are a terror to the citizens and an injury to the cause [because], General Lee sent the letter on to the Confederate War Department with an endorsement recommending "the law authorizing these partisan corps be abolished." He is able and thoroughly honest and truthful.. Mosby-related sites abound in Virginia. Trenary, B. General Rosser erred here indicating ignorance of Mosby's tactics, as it has been tirelessly repeated that Mosby's men rejected the saber for the much more efficient six shot pistol. I suspect that with the addition of accoutrements,they didnt look much differnt . But Mosby fought on. This time, Cab angered Mosby. After his first fight with the Rangers, Massow was upset, according to a fellow Ranger, that he had not been woundedhe apparently hoped to return to Prussia with a wartime memento. Stuarts cavalry during the Peninsula Campaign. In the Division of Armed Forces History here at the National Museum of American History, the collections related to John S. Mosby are my favorite. One occurred on March 30th, 1865, when five rangers trapped two Federals at the Daniel Bonham farm about three miles west of Berryville. After the wagons were plundered, Mosby ordered them burned. What to call the Confederate 43rd Battalion was a matter of contention during the war. During the Civil War, "Mosby's Confederacy" encompassed 1,800 square miles, including today's Fauquier, Loudon, Clarke, Warren, and Prince William counties. The Rangers fell upon and routed an unsuspecting company of White's cavalry at Catoctin Mountain near Morven Park on September 13, 1863, and were ambushed in turn by a detachment of Mosby's men under Captain Dolly . The 43rd Battalion, Virginia Cavalry, also He said he heard the noise the train made when it ran off the track and knew the men were gathering the spoils and did not think it was fair for him to be away picketing for their benefit. Revolvers in the hands of Mosby's men were as effective in surprise engagements as a whole line of light ordnance in the hands of the enemy. Recently Updated Wanting to create an impact event, Mosby and his men removed a rail and waited for the next westbound train to derail. He was wounded twice in battle but was able to return to duty quickly each time. The diary of Union mapmaker Private Robert Knox Sneden, who Mosby captured near Brandy Station, Virginia at 3:00am November 27, 1863, records that Mosby's raiders were disguised in Union Blue overcoats, and so was Mosby himself. My poor motherJesus have mercy on her soul! Upon seeing Atkins body, Mosby reportedly said, There lies a man I would not have given for a whole regiment of Yankees.. in 6-11-63 raid on Seneca Mills, Md. Enlisted as a private in the Washington(Va.) Mounted Rifles on May 14, 1861. He kept the faith received at his mothers knee and walked with God every day. JAMES MONROE HEISKELL, Private, Company C. Great-grandson of President JamesMonroe. It took a personal letter to now President Grant to stop the practice. [Photographed between 1861 and 1865, printed between 1880 and 1889] Photograph. Two Rangers went inside. . Washington, D.C. Email powered by MailChimp (Privacy Policy & Terms of Use). mosby's rangers roster. The Partisan Rangers had a big hand in bringing the 'Gray Ghost' plenty of glory. Albumen silver print photograph by David Bendann. 11. The young rangers certainly enjoyed these spoils of war, but calls for recrimination and Mosbys head grew louder in the North. Rosser agreed with the Union that Mosby's men were not soldiers but glorified thievesand bad for morale, because his regular troops were jealous: [Mosby's men] are a nuisance and an evil to the service. Estimates vary, but at least twenty Federals were killed and ten captured. Mosby often played up his exploits to gain attention in the press for his unit and to emphasize the fact that the 43rd Battalion was a legitimate military command within the command structure of the Confederate States of America's army. I am no longer your commander. Compton, Z.T. This wool jacket and slouch hat both belonged to Mosby, who was wearing the hat when he was wounded by federal cavalry in December 1864. Finally it was not safe to send despatches by a courier unless a regiment was sent along to guard him.[26]. It is just as legitimate to fight an enemy in the rear as in the front.
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