43rd Battalion, Virginia Cavalry

43rd Battalion of the Virginia Cavalry
The flag of Virginia during the American Civil War.
Active	June 10, 1863 – April 21, 1865
Country	Confederate States
Allegiance	Confederate Army
Branch	Cavalry
Type	Partisans
Size	Nine companies
Nickname(s)	"Mosby's Rangers", "Mosby's Raiders", "Mosby's Men"
Equipment	.44 Colt army revolvers, (briefly) one mountain howitzer
Engagements	American Civil War Battle of Loudoun Heights Skirmish at Miskel Farm Action at Mount Zion Church
Commanders
Notable commanders	John S. Mosby
Insignia
Stars and Bars

American Civil War

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 Union communications and supply lines.

The 43rd Battalion was formed on June 10, 1863, at Rector's Cross Roads, near Rectortown, Virginia, when John S. Mosby formed Company A of the battalion. Mosby 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. By the summer of 1864, Mosby's battalion had grown to six cavalry companies and one artillery company, comprising about 400 men. After February 1864, the Confederate Congress revoked the authority of all partisan units, except for two, one of which was the 43rd Battalion. 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 attempting to negotiate surrender with Major General Winfield S. Hancock in Winchester, Virginia.