Evening star., 1898-10-25
IN ANNUAL REUNION
Survivors Of Mosby's Battalion Meet
and Elect Officers.
ABOUT THE BANQUET TABLE
Sketch of the Commander of the
Celebrated Rangers.
HIS WORK DURING THE WAR
acial From a Staff Correspondent.

Special From Staff Correspondent
MANASSAS, Va, October 25 1898.
The annual reunion of Mosby's men began
here this morning. After the completion of
routine business the election of officers for
the ensuing year took place, followed by
the transaction of various matters of de-
tail which Is expected to occupy the atten-
ton of The members until pm, the time
set for the annual banquet The officers
chosen were as follows:
Commander, w. b. Palmer, Richmond,
first vice president j. A Alexander; second
vice president, J. H. Nelson; third vice COM
mander. d. G. Carlisle. Baltimore; secre-
tary, c. E. Bedler; surgeon, DR. A. Mon
tero, Richmond, Va: assistant surgeon, w.
l.. Dunn; chaplain. s. F. Chapman, Cliff
ton Forge, Va; color bearer. Charles Vest;
sergeant major, r. NJ. Narrower, Washing
ton; officer of the day. c. A. Fox: color
sergeant, John A. Ballard; second color
bearer, Frank NJ. Angelo. Virginia.
1t can already be foreshadowed that the
speeches which will be made during the
session will be of the most patriotic char
acter, and will show that the survivors of
Mosbys command are as ready to fight for
the cause of the Union # called upon to do
so, as they were to espouse the cause of
the south th1rty-Seven years ago.
Sketch of Mosby.
John Singleton Mosby was born at Edge
iioiit, o"idAdi Soufty' d., bcScAhbSi -
1888. His father was Alfred D. Mosby of
Amherst county, and his mother Virginia
l., daughter of Rev. Mr.. McLaurin,
Episcopal minister. He graduated at the
University of Virginia, and began the study
of law. After completing his studies he set
tied in Bristol, a small town on the bound
ary line between Virginia and Tennessee,
where he successfully practiced his profess
sion. He married Miss Pauline Clarke,
daughter of Beverly ]. Clarke of Kentucky,
formerly United States minister to Central
America and at one time a member of Con-
gress.
At the commencement of the civil war
Mosby was engaged in the practice of law.
He entered the army as private in cav
airy company, the Washington Rifles, COM
manded by Capt. William E. Jones (after-
wards Gen. jones'. This company was in
corporated in the 1st Regiment. Virginia
Cavalry. Captain Jones was promoted to
the command and Mosby appointed
adjutant of the regiment. BY the reorgan-
ization of the regiment Col. Jones was
thrown out and consequently his adjutant
was relieved from duty. MOsby was then
chosen by Ger. j. q. B. Stuart an inde-
pendent scout
Feeling that there was a wide field for
the successful career as a partisan, which
he had mapped out for himself. Mos5y
urged Gen. Stuart to give him a small de-
tail of men with which to operate until he
could enlist command. He met with re-
fusal of this request but was given q letter
recommending him to Gen. Jackson, then
in the vicinity of Gordonsville.
1t happened that Gen. Rufus King who
was in command of the federal forces at
Fredericksburg at this time, was ordered
by Gen. Pope to send out raiding party
for the purpose of destroying as much as
possible of the Virginia Central railroad
and so interrupt communication between
Richmond and the valley. Mosby encoun-
tered this party near Beaver Dam; was
captured by the I'd New York Cavalry and
sent as prisoner of war to Washington.
Gets Important Information.
After his release from the Old Capitol
and while on the prison transport awaiting
exchange MOsby saw the transports bring
ing Burnside's forces from the south and
learned from conversations on board the
prison boat that the troops were destined
for Fredericksburg to unite with pope
then on the Rapidan, and not to reinforce
Mcclellan. AS soon as the exchange was
effected Mosby hastened to Richmond and
impaired this information to General Lee
who Immediately dispatched a courier TO
General Jackson. The result was the bat
tie of Cedar Mountain. Mosby was reward |
ed by being given authority to organize a
separate command.
At first few men from the 1st Virginia
Cavalry We're detailed to act with Mosby /
but he succeeded in obtaining a sufficient
number of volunteers and the detailed men |
were, with few exceptions, sent back to |
their commands
His comand was composed chiefly of |
young men from Fairfax and the adjoining |
counties, some from the District of Column
bia and number of Marylanders. many of |
whom had been arrested for disloyal acts |
and imprisoned by the United States au-
thorities- a large number lived in that por-
ton of Virginia and Maryland where Mos |
by was operating. and naturally preferred |
serving with him, as they were kept near |
er home and could enjoy the privilege of
seeing their families.
Under Stuart and Lee.
Mosby was acting under direct orders of !
General Stuart up to the time of the death |
of the latter and then under General Lee
and was independent only in the sense that
both Lee and Stuart had such confidence
in him that they permitted him to act on
his own discretion. 1t has been charged
that Mosbys men went in the disguise of
federal soldiers. Such, 1t is declared by
members of the command, was not the case
They never masqueraded in the uniforms
of federals except that through force OF
circumstances men at times wore blue over
coats captured by them from federal caval-
ry. Th1s was done because they could get
no others.
Every man said one of the survivors
today. knew that the slightest suspicion
OF dishonesty or cOWardice would consign
him at once to the disgrace of expulsion,
and although there must have been the
usual modicum of human meanness always
TO be found in given number of human
beings, l am constrained to say after three
years of active field service in the regular
army that | have never witnessed among
$40 men and officers more true courage and
chivalry or higher sense of honor blended
with less vice. selfishness and meanness
than l found during my official connection
with Mosby's Partisan Battalion"
Grants Estimate of MOsby.
General Grant in the second volume of
his memoirs said:
Since the close of the war I have come
to know Mosby personally and somewhat
intimately He is a different man entirely
from what supposed. He is able and thor
oughy honest and truthful. There were
probably but few men in the south who
could have commanded successfully a sep
arate detachment in the rear OF an invading
army and the borders of hostiIities
as long as he did without losing his entire
command. ]. 7. H.
CASE TRANSFERRED.