John S. Mosby
John Singleton Mosby (1833–1916), also known by his nickname, the "Gray Ghost", was a Confederate army cavalry battalion commander whose guerrilla band frequently attacked and disrupted Union supply lines in Virginia and Maryland during the American Civil War.
John Singleton Mosby, born on December 6, 1833 at Edgemont (Powhatan County) and later grew up in rural Albemarle County (near Charlottesville).
Education
Mosby began his education at a school called Murrell's Shop. When his family moved to Albemarle County in about 1840, Mosby attended school in Fry's Woods before transferring to a Charlottesville school at the age of ten years. He entered the University of Virginia in 1849 and graduated in 1852. While a student at the University, he shot and wounded a fellow student; his resulting jail sentence was later annulled by the state legislature.
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Law Practice
In 1855 Mosby was admitted to the bar, and he practiced law in Bristol, Va., until the start of the Civil War in 1861.
Civil War
In 1861, when the Commonwealth seceded he volunteered for service in the Cavalry, fought at the Battle of First Manassas and rose to the rank of Lieutenant. In most of 1862, he was engaged as a scout with General J.E.B. Stuart’s forces. It was not until January 2, 1863, that Mosby, with just nine men, launched the ranger attacks for which he is best remembered. Mosby and his Partisan Rangers (43d Battalion, Virginia Cavalry) used guerilla tactics to raid Union outposts, communications, and supply lines in Northern Virginia. On April 21, 1865, Mosby disbanded his rangers in Salem (present-day Marshall, Fauquier Co.), after learning of Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston's surrender.
Postbellum activities
After the war, Mosby practiced law and was U.S. consul to Hong Kong (1879-1885). He died on May 30, 1916 in Washington, D.C.
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