A lieutenant in the Prussian army, he had come in search of adventure with Confederate forces. But the enemy came up in time to make it hot for our rear guard. for their lightning strike raids on Union targets and their ability to The Partisan Ranger Act resulted in many Southerners believing that any of form of guerrilla warfare was now being approved. partisan cavalry in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. Support Veteran Journalism . Great-grandson of John Henley, a signerof the Declaration of Independence. The indomitable and irrepressible Mosby is again in the saddle carrying destruction and consternation in his path. The next day, April 21st, 1865, Colonel John Singleton Mosby disbanded his ranger battalion, but never officially surrendered. [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. I must confess that his character as a soldier was more on the model of the Hebrew prophets than the Evangelist or the Baptist in whom he was so devout a believer. [13] Mosby and his men had a "poor opinion" of cavalry sabres, and did not use them. Massow, however, was a firm believer in the effectiveness of a saber, and it remained his weapon of choice. Among the rangers there were 8 men named Davis, 7 men named Cornwell, 5 men named Kincheloe, 5 men named Mayhugh. In1904, he was recorded residing at theMaryland Line Confederate SoldiersHome in Baltimore. He became a Ranger that day and remained with them until the end of the war. Instead, they each carried two .44 caliber revolvers and many of his troops carried two more, one each stuffed in a boot top. After the war, Sam was the chaplain of the African-American 4th Immune Regiment in Cuba during the Spanish-American War, became the superintendent of public schools in Virginias Allegheny County, and served as the deputy U.S. marshal for the Western District of Virginia in 1909. The 43rd Battalion, Virginia Cavalry, also known as Mosby's Rangers, Mosby's Raiders or Mosby's Men, was a battalion of partisan cavalry in the Confederate army during the American Civil War.Noted for their lightning strikes on Union targets and their ability to consistently elude pursuit, the Rangers disrupted Federal communications and supply lines. 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. He was now reviled in much of his home state of Virginia for his friendship with Grant. Brown, Eugene Rectortown, Virginia, when John S. Mosby formed Company A of the battalion. permission to raise a company in January 1863 under the Partisan Ranger Act of Box 378 Red Hook, New York 12571 United States. HistoryNet.com is brought to you by HistoryNet LLC, the worlds largest publisher of history magazines. Years afterwards Cab confessed why he gave the false alarm. Accounts vary, but about twenty Scouts were killed and another twenty captured, including Captain Blazer. Hoskins died on June 2, 1863, and was buried in the Greenwich Presbyterian Churchs cemetery. During the Civil War Mosby's Rangers were an irregular body of Confederate troops under the command of Col. John S. Mosby. Released on June 15, 1865. Hiswill also instructed that $25,000 be givento Princeton to establish and maintainscholarships in his familys honor. [Photographed between 1861 and 1865, printed between 1880 and 1889] Photograph. Mosby-related sites abound in Virginia. As you succeed in your operations, your notoriety grows and the Union devotes additional troops to stopping you. Subscribe to receive our weekly newsletter with top stories from master historians. His well-varnished account of it was that I ordered him to be shot at sunrise, that he said he hoped it would be a foggy morning, and that I was so much amused by his reply that I relented and pardoned him. With intelligence from his scouts, Mosby gathered about 300 rangers and rode into the Shenandoah Valley to ambush Sheridans column. McDonald, Samuel Co. VA Muster Rolls p. 28, as list appeared, . In the ensuing firefight the Federals captured six rangers, but a Union officer was supposedly shot while down and trying to surrender. 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. The sad task of leading the remainder of the command to Winchester, Va., to seek wartime paroles fell to Mosbys No. This would be the last day of study for Henry Cable Maddux . . Stuart, Massow joined Mosby. 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. How long he had stood there in mute appeal for sympathy and relief, I do not know--perhaps all night. They also performed raids in Maryland.[6]. After Federal victories at Third Winchester and Fishers Hill, rangers again entered the Valley seeking ways to disrupt Sheridans lines of communication. History is who we are and why we are the way we are.. In 1871,he married Louisa Sophia Wigfall, thedaughter of Senator Louis TrezevantWigfall (a former member of both theU.S. and Confederate senates). He wasconnected with the wholesale drug firmof James Bailey & Son in Baltimore afterthe war. 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. In a 1907 letter he wrote: I am not ashamed of having fought on the side of slaverya soldier fights for his countryright or wronghe is not responsible for the political merits of the course he fights in and he added,The South was my country.. Attended the Universityof Virginia prior to the war. As Massow passed Reed, the Union captain shot him in the back and out of the saddle. THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING VETERAN JOURNALISM - JOIN SOFREP+ . All six victims were either shot or hanged and three were buried in Front Royals Prospect Hill Cemetery. He was soon granted a commission as a Major and assembled two companies of cavalry and eight of infantry called the Virginia Volunteers and took part in the first Battle of Bull Run. In this vivid account of the famous command of John Singleton Mosby, Jeffry D. Wert explores the personality of this iron-willed commander and brilliant tactician and . Seeing a comrade in arms struggling through the waves some distance off and not receiving that attention from the Federal soldiers which he thought due to his rank, Cab cried out at the top of his voice, Hurry up, Major Hibbs! Mosby's men each carried two .44 Colt army revolvers worn in belt holsters, and some carried an extra pair stuck in their boot tops. Attended Princeton University prior tothe war. Not only him but his wife and family as well. This quickly became the norm for Mosbys men when the captured Union soldiers. He fired six shots and emptied five saddles."[17]. In Baltimore, he became involved in smuggling goods into the Confederacy and subsequently made his way farther south, joining Mosbys command in March 1863. The 43rd Battalion, Virginia Cavalry, also known as Mosby's Rangers, Mosby's Raiders, or Mosby's Men, was a battalion of partisan cavalry in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. How did this actually affect armies? This proved useful to Confederate military raiding. 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.. Scott refers to "Captain Mountjoy", but most references spell it "Montjoy". Riding with Stuart and about 1,200 Confederate horsemen, Mosby scouted ahead and along the columns flanks in the infamous four-day circuit around the entire United States Army of the Potomac. This temporary, and informal, command would evolve into the 43rd Battalion, Virginia Cavalryknown better as Mosbys Rangers. Born in 1817, he was 2030 years older than the vast majority of the unit. Massow waved Reed to the rear to await his fate as a prisoner and then began to ride by Reed in search of another target. The 43rd Battalion, Virginia Cavalry primarily comprised Virginians and a contingent of Marylanders. He rose through the officer ranks of Mosbys Rangers, eventually assuming the rank of lieutenant colonel and became second only to Mosby in command of the unit. Served as bailiff at the CourtHouse in Baltimore for more than 20years. kealbo54 Sergeant Major. The passengers were robbed but left unharmed, ushered away from their seats beside the damaged train, as the remainder of the assaulters set fire to the train cars. . Unique Boating Apparel and Accessories. The Virginia Yankees later fought Colonel White's men again, as well as cavalrymen under the command of Colonel John S. Mosby. By November 1864, Mosby and his rangers were largely on their own in the Shenandoah Valley war. On February 22, 1864, during a fight at Ankers Shop (Second Dranesville) in present-day Sterling, Va., Massow got that wish, though not in a manner he could celebrate. Your mission is to infiltrate enemy lines to disrupt the Union war effort. Many of our attacks were made at night, when all colors looked alike, and in daytime we did not have to deceive the Yankees in order to get at them. Captured on January 4, 1865, along withJames Heiskell, and sent to Fort Warren. With the Valley relatively secure, but infuriated by Mosbys raids, Sheridan unleashed his cavalry to wipe out the rangers east of the Blue Ridge. Both Sam and William were involved in the Rangers fight at Miskels Farm on April 1, 1863. Mosby assembled his men at Salem on April 21, and the command disbanded. Promoted to 1st lieutenant on April2, 1862, and served as adjutant of the1st Virginia Cavalry. It is just as legitimate to fight an enemy in the rear as in the front. [citation needed]. After escaping fromJohnsons Island, he joined Mosbyscommand. supply lines. Stuart, loaned him the services of nine cavalrymen. Reed was then killed by another Ranger, William Chapman. Henry's parents, Miletus and Frances Harris, had moved to Scottsville from Louisa County about 1837. Buried inMount Hope Cemetery in Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y. Hoskins was quite conspicuous during those engagements, clad in the scarlet uniform of his British Army days and wielding a saber. Thescholarships continue to be awarded tothis day. Rhodes, Henry (killed) Corder, Joseph M. . Uncle offuture Princeton football hero JohnPrentiss Poe Jr. Died October 11, 1891, in New York. Reportedly a prosperous and well-knownarchitect in New York City afterthe war. About four miles into the Valley west of Ashbys Gap, Russells men attacked approximately 100 riders of the 14th Pennsylvania Cavalry. Served with the 1st MarylandCavalry before joining Mosbys Rangers. The Union viewed them as unsoldierly: a loose band of roving thieves. 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. On April 21, twelve days after Lee's surrender, Mosby gathered his battalion at Salem in Fauquier County, Virginia, and read this farewell address to his men:[23]. Mosby created his force under the auspices of the Partisan Ranger Act of 1862 which sought to recruit irregulars for service into the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. A few guerrillas equipped themselves with carbines captured from the Union, but "they were unhandy things to carry" and unsuited for fighting on horseback; indeed in the thick of a February 1865 fight the carbines' long barrels made them too unwieldy to fire, and they were used instead as clubs. General Grant at one point reported that seventeen thousand of his men were engaged in keeping Mosby from attacking his weak points, and thus away from active service on the firing line. Morrow convinces pretty Ansonia Forde to provide false information to trap Mosby. He saw action with the Rangers at Miskels Farm on April 1, 1863, and at Warrenton Junction on May 3. He survived, however, living until 1929. A small, intrepid mounted force could charge a much larger one, and with the terrorizing advantage of surprise, rout them. The Partisan Ranger Act resulted in many Southerners believing that any of form of guerrilla warfare was now being approved. He was a member of the RoyalArcanum. JOSHUA WARFIELD RIGGS,Private, Company D. Served in the 1st Virginia Cavalry andthe 1st Maryland Cavalry prior to joiningMosby. One of Mosby's men, Munson stated in memoirs published after the war that "the term [guerrilla] was not applied to us in the South in any general way until after the war, when we had made the name glorious, and in time we became as indifferent to it as the whole South to the word Rebel. After a brief stay, he returned to England in 1861. Many years past military age, he rode side by side with his own sons, in the foremost ranks, and his poor maimed and scarred body attested to his familiarity with hot battle., Hibbs did revel in the name, and his tombstone in Mount Zion Baptist Church Cemetery in Aldie, Va., is clearly marked MAJOR Wm. This story appeared inthe July 2020 issue of Americas Civil War. The youngster looked down at his books and, without another thought, tossed them aside, leapt upon his horse hitched up outside the school, and joined the chase. 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