The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1865-08-15
-yoIln S. Mosby.

-sohn S. N1osby.
John S. Mosby, the famous que
l1lia chief, was visible on thc streets of
Richmond recently Somebody has
described Mosby as u handsome man
In personal appearance, but he is
nothing Of the sort. OF ordinary
height, hls build is good enough, but
hls tace is very commonplace, and his
light brown hair, worn unkcmpt. 4lds
nothing to It's nttractiveness. Afosby's
features and expression would impress
you as those of a man resoiutc and
cummings, not cautiously honest nor
viciously cruel. and I suspect that in
the stories of lis cruelty he has been
somewhat belie.l.
His business in Richmond is to re-
gain possession Of some tobacco he
claims, and I was sorry to hear hirl
remark that it is all he has in the
world, for [ know he will not get it,
and he Dyes the Mgui,'ey for a horse
and divers other articles, taken from
me by some OF his band last SUMMER,
and.I imagine Gur chance OF restitn-
tlon to be small. In another sense, it
WIS unpleasant to hear him admit his
poverty, for if he told the truth, it
shows that he was grievously swindlcd
at the final division OF the spoils on
the>brcahing up of his command, ana
further, it controverts the ilncomfort-
able axiom concerning honor among
thieves
When the life of >Joln Singleton
Mosby comes to be written, it will
show Il succession of startling per
sonal adventures unsurpassed by those
of any partisan chief on record. That
Mosby was always hanging on the
outskirts of our armies, cutting Off
our trains, capturing our stragglers
and 'larrlssing, us in every possible
way, the people generally know; but
they do not know that he went in and
out OF our camps at his own pleasure,
and was never once detected. It is
= said land undoubtedly true) that while.
Burnside lay opposite Fredericksburg,
in the winter Of 1862, Moshv dincd
with him, in the character Of u Union
farmer from across the river, and ga
thered, with his shrewd cunning, from
the general table-tall1, much valuable
information, with which he rcSaincd
the rebel lines without molcstation.
One of the best things told of him
occurred that same winter and in the
same ncighborhood Burnside, that
winter, was literally badgered by
Mosby. He seemed ubiquitous, and
ut last it became dangerous to go from
camp at all, as the least r.lmDl was
sure to result in capture by Mosbv.
At last Burnside became weaIied ont,
and determined to capture the palti-
san, and to this end sent detachmcnts
of cavalry to scour the country tho
roughly, and bring him in dead or
alive. One day, one of these dctacll-
ments, led by Hcutenant-colonel,
was going up the Dumfrics road,
when, from house in sight of the
Federal lines, man emerged, dressed
in the uniform of Federal captain,
and attended by one orderly, dressed
in our cavalry bloe. At the gate were
two horses, marked U. 81, and fur
nished with our regulations saddle and
bride, and mounting, the captain rode
up and accosted the colonel, who was
still marching up the road. The colo
mel informed his new companion that
he was in search OF this - Mosby,
and asked if he had heard anything
of him. The captain had heard and
knew to q certainty that an hour be-
fore Mosby had been at Jones', four
miles up the road. Visions Of promo
tion and newspaper paragraphs dane