The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1901-03-20

ber are claiming the attention Of Col.
r. B. Parrott, of St. Louis, formerly
member of Colonel John Singleton
Mosby's regiment Of Partisan Ran
gers.
The subject matter Of ali inc letters
and the errand Of all the callers is in
quiry regarding the legacy of S2,OOO,-
900 said to have been left by Baron
Won Massow of Germany to the surviv-
ors of tic famous band cf rangers, Of
which Baron Won Massow was mem
ber. Colonel Parrott replies to all in
quiries that he has no definite knowl
edge of :ho bSqucs., but .hs. be has
set on foot investigations which he ex-
poets to soon reveal the truth or falsi-
ty Of the report.
Colonel Parrott thinks there are
about 200 survivors of the Mosby
command, the most prominent of
whom is Colonel Mosby himself, now
general attorney for the Southern
Pacific Railroad in San Francisco
There is regularly organized associa-
tion Of Mosby's men, with hcadquar-
ters at Richmond, and Colcne! Parrot
has written to President Ben Palmer
of that city for any information nc
may have on the subject. Probably
the story of the bequest is fake.
Mosby regiment was known as the
Forty third Virginia, although he was
always irregular. While Mosby held
commission as Colonel from the Con
federate States, the men under him
did not receive pay from the Confed-
crate Government, and all their opera
tons were independent, being con-
Quoted wholly within the enemy's
lines, and almost wholly within the
limits of Doudon, Fairfax aud Fauquier
Counties, Virginia.
Colonel Parrot began his career
with Mosby when he was IA, and serv-
ed from the first year of the organiza-
tion Of his rangers-at first number
ing less than thirty men, and Mosby
himself having only the title Of Cap
tain-until his capture on December
81, 1864, and he tells many interesting
incidents Of the Mosby campaigns.
'They were raids rather than cam
paigns," }" said Colonel Parrott. "In
nearly every case they were never
prearranged. In the first place it
must be understood that there was no
such thing as Mosby camp. When
We wero on the march, we kept in our
saddles; when the march was ended
we were scattered over territory Of
from City to one hundred miles in ex-
tent. All Of us had boarding places
among the residents Of the neighbor-
hood in which we operated, and we
lived like Kings. Two OF three of US
would board at the same place, and we
were always strung up to the point Of
fighting, for We never knew at what
time the Yankees would make their
appearance.
It was an u2written law Of the regi-
ment that when Mosby man heard Of
Yankees in tho neighborhood he
should Immediately 60 after them,
learn all that he could, report to such
other of his comrades as he could
reach, and then start something. The
principle on which Mosby operated
was shat the most vulnerable part of
the enemy's line was his rear; and all
the efforts Of his command were devot-
cd to harassing that rear. Detaeh-
ments Of the regiment, numbering
from two or three to eighty or 100
men would hang on the cnemy's fanks
and rear from the time they got into
our territory until they L*t out or We
had to get out, swoop down on any de-
tached party that we might find, do
much shouting, more firing, and most
riding, dependent for SUCCESS on the
surprise Of the enemy and the speed
aud horsemanship Of the men making
the attack. We never stayed long.
1t was discovery, quick gathering,
an impatient waiting for the opportuni-
ty, mad dash, shouts until our
throats were raw, shooting until our
pistols were empty, tho grabbing Of as
many prisoners and horses az posi-
bic, and then the quickest kind of o
retreat.
II we'll remember the first fight l
was in. I was nothing but boy, as
many other Confederates we're, and 1
didn't kne much about Sighting. Pm
fact. / dien't know anything. Some
Of our men discovered party Of Fed
erals marching through Fairfax Coun-
ty about the middle of August, 1863,