John S. Mosby
| John S. Mosby | |
|---|---|
Mosby during the 1860s
|
|
| Birth name | John Singleton Mosby |
| Nickname(s) | "The Gray Ghost" |
| Born |
December 6, 1833 Powhatan County, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | May 30, 1916 (aged 82) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Buried at | Warrenton Cemetery Warrenton, Virginia, U.S. |
| Allegiance |
 Confederate States
|
| Service/branch |
 Confederate States Army
|
| Years of service | 1861–1865 |
| Rank |
 Colonel
|
| Unit |
 43rd Battalion, Virginia Cavalry
|
| Commands held | Mosby's Rangers |
| Battles/wars | |
| Signature |  |
John Singleton Mosby (December 6, 1833 – May 30, 1916), also known by his nickname, the "Gray Ghost", was a Confederate army cavalry battalion commander in the American Civil War. His command, the 43rd Battalion, Virginia Cavalry, known as Mosby's Rangers or Mosby's Raiders, was a partisan ranger unit noted for its lightning-quick raids and its ability to elude Union Army pursuers and disappear, blending in with local farmers and townsmen. The area of northern central Virginia in which Mosby operated with impunity was known during the war and ever since as Mosby's Confederacy. After the war, Mosby became a Republican and worked as an attorney and supported his former enemy's commander, U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant. He also served as the American consul to Hong Kong and in the U.S. Department of Justice.
Mosby was born in Powhatan County, Virginia on December 6, 1833, to Virginia McLaurine Mosby and Alfred Daniel Mosby, a graduate of Hampden–Sydney College. His father was a member of an old Virginian family of English origin whose ancestor, Richard Mosby, was born in England in 1600 and settled in Charles City, Virginia in the early 17th century. Mosby was named after his paternal grandfather, John Singleton.
Mosby began his education at a school called Murrell's Shop. When his family moved to Albemarle County, Virginia (near Charlottesville) in about 1840, John attended school in Fry's Woods before transferring to a Charlottesville school at the age of ten years. Because of his small stature and frail health, Mosby was the victim of bullies throughout his school career. Instead of becoming withdrawn and lacking in self-confidence, the boy responded by fighting back, although the editor of his memoirs recounted a statement Mosby made that he never won any fight in which he was engaged. In fact, the only time he did not lose a fight was when an adult stepped in and broke it up.
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