John S. Mosby

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John Singleton Mosby

John Singleton Mosby (born December 6, 1833 in Powhatan County (Virginia), † May 30, 1916 in Washington, DC ) was a colonel in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War , lawyer and politician of the Republican Party . Because of his daring attacks on Union troops , which he often carried out without or in spite of the orders of his superiors, he gained reputation and was known as The Gray Ghost .

Childhood and youth

He came from an old English family. The American Mosbys are descended from Richard Mosby, who was born in England in 1600 and settled in America. His father was Alfred Daniel Mosby, his mother was Virginny Mosby (nee McLaurine).

As a child and adolescent, he was mistreated by his peers because of his weakness and small height. Since his family often moved, he attended several schools. These years were stressful for Mosby, but over time he learned to get his way and resisted attacks from his older schoolmates. In 1849 he began studying Classical Teaching at the University of Virginia . He had excellent grades in Latin , Ancient Greek, and literature , but showed a lack of interest in mathematics . He was a member of the Washington Literary Society and Debating Union .

While at college, Mosby had an argument with George R. Turpin, the son of an innkeeper. He had always been condescending to Mosby and other students and had attacked some of his friends. When Mosby wrote a letter to Turpin asking him to explain his behavior (which was customary as an act of honor among young southerners), Turpin threatened Mosby with beating him the next time they met. Thereupon Mosby met with the rival and there was a heated argument. Mosby had a weapon with him that he used but did not kill Turpin. Mosby was then arrested and expelled from the university before his trial. While he was serving his sentence, he met the prosecutor William J. Robertson know. This sparked an interest in law in the young Mosby, whereupon he also decided to study law.

Career and personal life

Mosby was fired in 1854 and graduated from law school. He then worked for Robertson's office and opened his own law firm in Howardsville . There he met his future wife Pauline Clarke. Her father was also a lawyer and active in politics. Although Mosby was a devout Methodist and Pauline was a Catholic , both married on December 30, 1857 in Nashville and after a year moved to Bristol, Virginia . They had three children together.

American Civil War

Mosby as a colonel in the Civil War

After the beginning of the war he was drafted as a private infantry in 1861 and placed under Major William Jones. His unit, the Virginian Volunteers , took part in the Battle of Manassas , which was victorious for the southern states .

In the same year his qualities as an officer were recognized and he was transferred to a cavalry unit as a first lieutenant . His troops had to conduct scouting and reconnaissance missions. After a short time he was captured by Union troops and detained in Washington's Old Capitol Prison for 10 days. During this time he proved to be a talented observer and spy. After his return from captivity, he personally reported to Robert E. Lee about troop movements in the north. In 1863, Mosby became the commander of the 43rd Battalion Virginia Cavalary Partisan Rangers . In the same year he became a captain , then a major and finally, in 1864, a lieutenant colonel and colonel .

In addition, Mosby became known for his daring attack on a Union unit deep in enemy territory. In March of this year, he had captured three high-ranking officers, including Brigadier General Edwin H. Stoughton, during a mission. Mosby is said to have ripped the sleeping general out of bed. As Mosby woke him, Stoughton is said to have asked in amazement , "Do you know who I am?" . Mosby replied with the counter question: "Do you know who Mosby is?". "Yes, do you know this villain?", "The villain has just captured you!" . Mosby's unit was able to capture 30 more people without firing a single shot.

The attacks by Mosby's unit on Union troops and supply camps continued into 1864. General Ulysses S. Grant therefore proposed that all captured soldiers who served under Mosby be hanged without a court martial . Although it was suggested to the men that they should be left alive in case they revealed Mosby's hiding place, none took up the offer. As a result, General Robert E. Lee and Secretary of War James Seddon ordered Mosby to execute seven Union soldiers. Two fled, one was pardoned because of his age, two survived the execution and two others were shot. Mosby wrote a letter to General Philip Sheridan suggesting that all prisoners of war should be treated mildly. The Union agreed and the executions were not carried out.

In 1865 the war was lost, but even after Lee's surrender , Mosby refused to give up and surrender. In order to find an honorable ending, he released his soldiers from their duty and disbanded the unit.

post war period

Mosby became an active Republican and close friend of future President Ulysses S. Grant. This friendship was Mosby's undoing, because Grant had been a general in the Union Army during the Civil War. Mosby became a traitor in the eyes of many of his southern compatriots. He received death threats and was used as a consul in Hong Kong and later worked as a lawyer in San Francisco . During this time he became a close friend of the Patton family, the parents of George S. Patton .

The way he acted after the war brought the legendary Gray Ghost little popularity, even among old war comrades. Although Mosby was not an advocate of slavery in America, he felt attached to his homeland, the southern states, and saw it as his duty to serve in his homeland, regardless of whether the politics of his country corresponded to his convictions. He saw his political career as a continuity of his military duties, even though they were in conflict with one another in many respects. He died in Washington DC at the age of 82 and was buried in Warrenton Cemetery in Warrenton , Virginia .

literature

  • Kevin H. Siepel: Rebel, the life and times of John Singleton Mosby. Da Capo Press, 1997. ISBN 0-306-80775-0 .
  • James Joseph Williamson: Mosby's Rangers: A Record of the Operations of the Forty-third Battalion Virginia Cavalry. RB Kenyon, 1895.

Web links

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