Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1895-01-07
MoSBY,s MEN.

MOSBY'S MEN.
The reunion If the men who fought
under Col. John Singleton Mosby of
guerilIa-warfare fame, which is to be
held at Alexandria, Va, next week,
will be notable gathering of the Con-
federate scouts who played such dar-
ing and picturesque role in the Pied
mont region of Virginia during the war
and kept the northern forces which
operated in that section of the Old Do
minion guessing for about four years.
Some personal recollections of the
doughty Colonel will therefore be ofin
terest just now to the colony of $4,000
or more Virginians who have settled in
Baltimore since those stirring times.
Mosby, and Harry Gilmor, of Mary
land, who was as gallant cavilier as
ever rode with Rupert, were parallels
in some respects, and the imperious
spell which they both exercised upon
their men impelled them to make any
venture or face any danger, however
perilous.
When Mosby organized his rangers,
as they were called, numbers Of young
men, from the rich planters son to the
struggling store clerk, living in
the counties of Loudoun, Fau-
quier, Culpeper, Prince William
and Fairfax, nocked to his stand
ard. This youthful and impeluous
band of troopers who had, metaphor
cally speaking, grown up in the saddle,
were thoroughly familiar with that
romantic belt of the countey in whose
steams they had fshed and over the
hills and through the valleys of which
they had hunted the fox, and with
good horse under them, a brace of pis-
tolls in their belts and Yankee plunder
as an incentive, they became perfect
dare-devils under Mosby's intreped
leadership, and to execute his plans
would run the risk of being captured or
shot with an abandon that was as gay
as it was reckless.
Mosby aimed to do on land what Ad-
miral Semmes did on the high seas,
though oD a much smaller scale. His
numerous raids upon the enemy's sup
plies, the way in which he impeded
their progress by tearing up the rail-
roads and other schemes of strategy,
together with the bold captures he eff
fected, sometimes surprising whole
regiment with a mere handful of men,
aided the southern army materially in
the early stages of the rebellion, and
proved him 10 be genius in that mode
of warfare.
At the close of the war Mosby was
an idol in Virginia and could nave had
any honor within the gift of her peo-
pie. Neither the prestige of the Gov
ernorship nor that Of the United States
Senate would have hung beyond his
reach, probably. But when he repudi-
ated those principles, the supremacy
of which he fought so bravely to main
tain, and swore allegiance to General
Grant, his popularity began to wane,
his friends and admirers gave him the
cold shoulder and in few years his
uame, that had been on so many
tongues, lost its magic.
The result was, he abandoned what
had been lucrative law practice at the
Warrenton bar, then the ablest in the
State. with abundant litigation before
it to be settled, sacrificed bis beau-
tiful home and accepted petty con-
sulship at Hong Kong at the hands of
a republican administration. This ac-
ton Of Mosby's, like Longstreet's, has
never been satisfactorily accounted for,
although explanations have been plen-
tiful. 1t is possible that the true
reasons of his sudden and remarkable
change of political faith may come
out at this gathering of his COM
rades-in arms, whose loyalty to their
old chieftain has never wavered. About
the same time that Mosby went over
to the republican party he became in
voved in a controversy with the late
A. D. Payne, who was captain of the
famous Black Horse Cavalry.
In the trial of law suit in which
Payne and Mosby were the opposing
counsel the former questioned the lat
ter's veracity on some point that arose
in the case in the presence of crowd
ed courtroom. A few hours afterward
Mosby sent Payne peremptory chal-
lenge, which was promptly accepted.
Payne having the choice of weapons,
designated the rifle. Payne was known
to be dead shot with rifle and Mos
by was equally as expert with pistol
and not stranger to any firearm that
was in use during the war. As both
had growing families dependent upon
them, and were men of social promi-
nence. whose courage and impetuous
natures had so lately distinguished
them in time war, the news of the
trouble spread like wild fire, and pro-
duced intense excitement both North
and South. The opinion prevailed
that if those two men met it would be
duel with q sequel to it.
A secluded spot about 10 miles from
Warrenton was selected as the battle
ground, and dayhreak named as the
hour of meeting. Under cover of night
fall Payne and his second, a brave
young fellow, named Littleton Helm,
who has since died, made their way to
the scene of action and all night long
stood out in the open in drizzling
rain, practicing at shooting paper balls
thrown into the air by the light of a
capricious moon.
They hailed with delight the first
glimmer of dawn and were in high spir-
its, but after long wait for Mosby and
party, Payne showed signs of impa-