Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1886-07-21
A CONFEDERATE CHIEFTAIN.

Colonel Mosby is spending few days at
the Pacific Ocean House. This is his first
visit to Santa Cruz. He is at present prac-
tcng law in San Francisco, where he re.
Gently arrived from Hong Kong, at which
place he was American Consul for over six
years. The Colonel is straight as an arrow,
and is perfect type of the Virginia gentle
man. Although his head is covered with
snowy locks, he does not appear to be an
old man his clean shaveu face is Wreathed
in smiles, and he does not appear to be such
man as was pictured to the Northerners
during the war when Mosby's guerrillss
were known far and wide as being among
the best fighters in the South. Then the
Colonel was pictured as being desperate,
fearless man one who had no more fear of
bullet than an ordinary man has of rain
drop. On looking at the mild. hammered
gentleman who was walking up Mission
street with Sentinel representative Sunday
evening, one would not be likely to think
be (the mild hammered gentleman) is the
famous Colonel.
my men were not guerrillas," said he,
1--WE were the Forty-third Virginia Cavalry.
Guerrilas, you know, are stragglers who
follow in the rear of the main army. Now,
my command was regularly organized and
part of the regular army. AT the close of
the war l had five OF six hundred men un-
der me- Who did I have the hottest fight
with2 / found the California Battalion to be
the best fighters, and with them [ had the
hottest engagements. | meet some Of the
members of the battalion in San Francisco
occasionally, and we are the best of friends"
&C l. ~ ,,,1r 80 a lab, D1r
ter case?"
II think Congress did right in reinstating
him. was a witness in the case before
went to China. If Porter had obeyed Pope's
order his command would have been ami.
bi!ated. He had nine thousand men while
on the Confederate side there were 10000
thus saving his men. It would have been
a good thing for the Confederates if he had
retained the position to which he was or
dered, for he and his men would surely
have been utterly routed. 1t has been
charged because Confederates voted in Con-
gress for his reinstatement that the charge
of treachery against Porter was sustained.
This is an absurd idea, and one that is too
crates voted for his reinstatement was be-
cause they were democrats, and voted with
their party"
"You made it kind of lively for the boys
in blue around Richmond?"
'Yes, they had quite lively time watch
ing us. We were only six hundred, yet it
took fifty thousand soldiers on the other
side to keep US in check. Who did I regard
as the greatest General on our side? Why,
Stonewall Jackson was the greatest military
genius; he was second Napoleon. Lee
was great soldier, but Jackson was great
military genius; there's the difference"
''You voted the republican ticket did you
not?"
'Yes, I did. 1t does not follow because a
man is from the South that he should vote
the democratic ticket, no more than all
should belong to the same church, not bit.
The war was for the abolition of slavery;
this was accomplished; there the war ended.
1t was not fight between the republican
and democratic parties. for many Union SOL
diers were democrats"
"You were offered a command in China?"
"Yes, sir; in the war between China and
France I was offered the position of Com
mander-in- Chief of the Chinese army, but
declined"
Col. Mosby is an afable and courteous
gentleman, and an entertaining converse
tionalist.