The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1902-08-23
M0SBY'S MEN.
Nr. Joseph Bryan Writes In Defense of that
Brave Band.

Ar. Joseph Bryan Writes In Defense Of that
Brave Band.
Mr.. Joseph Bryan. Of Richmond i'm a
recent issue OF the Washington Post
writes of Gen. MOsby's Men AZ follows:
You published on Monday last com.
munication sigrcd l.. ". Whitaker. ia
which the writer undertakes to explain
TO the people of Virginia. from u North
ern standpoint what is called the real
character OF Mosby and his men. do
not know who Mir. Whitaker is. aud il
may he that lie is unworthy of notice.
but the iact that you deemed it proper to
PRINT hi- letter seems To give him suiii
Gent dignity TO justify "a reply.
As an evidence that they (Moeby and
his mcn) were not heroes. hut gang OF
outlaws. robbers. and cowardly murder.
efs. who never fought in the open. but
attacked trains from the bushes and In
the dark" d" Mr.. Whitaker quotes from
page 2S2 of Scotts Partisan Life of
Mosby,' where il is stated that certain
prisoners Were put To death. and that
Col Moshy reported the event 10 Gen.
Lee, saying they returned with thirty
hors :. but no prisoners
The fairness of Mr.. Whitaker will an
pear when 1t is known that on the very
page from which he quotes il was stated
that the Federal soldiers " no were thu.
put to death were found i'm the act OF
burning the residences Of Mr.. McCom.
mics. Mr.. Sewers. Col. Morgan. aud 9th
ers. whose fImilies had been forced to ess-
cape from the falling timbers Of their
burning homes. These men We're in the
act of executing an order for a barbarous
mode Of warfare, and ninety Of them
were instantly charged by company of
Mosbys men who saw them aud no
quarter was given To twenty-four who
were killed
SHERIDAN SET STYLE.
The circumetaucs under which this
vengeance was taken was not mention
ed 10y your corr, spOndcnt, nor the fact
that IL was noambush. but an open fight
with superior numbers. The kind Of war
fare which was waged by Gen Sheridan
in the Valley of Virginia has become the
standard type OF icrocious destruction.
and set the example for those acts in the
Philippines against which many in the
North are now raising their earnest pro
test. though there was no protest against
them when wrought in Virginia
Mosby and his men were defending,
their own homes against an upjustiHable
invasion forconqnest, but where the war
fare was conducted by their enemies in "A
lawful way there must be now alive hun
dreds Of the thousands OF Federal pris-
onors taken 10y MOsby and his men who
can attest To the perfect consideration
and kindness with which they were then
treated when captured.
Though referring to "cOwardly mur-
ders. your correspondent. with Mai
Scott's book in his hand, did not call at
t-ntion 10 the murder in the streets of
Front Royal in September. 1861. OF six
OF MOsby's men. who had been taken pris
oners in n fair and open fight and whose
only fault was that they were part of
an uncOnquerable body of Confederate
soldiers who could not he forced from
the country they were ordered to defend
In the presence of Federal general officers
Tour OF these prisoners were deliberately
shot to death and two were hanged. al
though il was perfectly we'll known that
Col. Mosby and his officers bore commits
sions from the war department of the
Confederate States, and that Col Mosby
himself reported directly to Gen. Robert
+. Lee. With the appreciation of Gen
Lee this horrible outrage was retaliated
for, and after that Mosby.s men had
their rights as soldiers respected.
FIGHTING IN THE OPEN.
As TO never fighting in the open, the
charge is absurd, and the aui hOr had the
refutation of il in his own possession.
There certainly was no covert fight when
at Berryville in August. 1864, Col Mosby.
with about two hundred cavalry and
one mountain howitzer, attacked three
thousand Federal troops. who were
guarding a train of about one hundred
and fifty wagons, and captured three
hundred prisoners, seven hundred mules
and horses, large drove of cattle
and burned more than one hundred
wagons.
There was nothing secretive in the
fight between Maj. Richards and that
gallant soldier, Capt Richard Blazer, who
had by Gen. Sheridan been specially EN-
powered, with all the men and arms he
wanted, to rout Col. Mosby from the
country. Blazer sought Richards, and
Richards sought Blazer for two DAYS
each knowing that the other on the
march for fight They met, and Blazers
whole command was utterly annihilated
and he himself safely put in Libby
Prison, where he declared he was vel
treated"
1here was nothing in the nature of an
ambush when the same Mai Richards
followed for several miles Mai Gibson
and 125 men OF the Fourteenth PennsyI
yania, and found him at Mount Carmel
drawn up to receive an attack, which
was instantly made by Richards with
about thirty-seven men, with the result
that the 125 men were put to fight, and
though Maj Gibson himself escaped, Capt
Inf nd \ Rot nj :. a.
men were either killed or captured.
lt was many such instances OF oper
| fighting as these, occurring from time &c