Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1907-01-11
MY GUERILLA OPERATIONS.
tCol. John S. Mosby in New York Tribune
MagazinCl

OF other days around me.
-tTom Moore.
/ got all my military education i'm war
And my entrance into guerilla operations
was largely due to chance. The incident
which led me into my special service i'm
war bcfell in March, 1862 We had spent
long months on picket duty, and the
Southern army, instead of advancing
after Bull Run, was retiring to "A new
line of defense. We were falling back on
the Rappahannock, when Gen. J. L. d.
Stuart said to me. "Mosby / want to
find out II this IS McClelan's army, or If
he is only making a fcnt'
replied, Il will nnd out for you if you
will let me-"
OF course he would be glad for me to do
1t. but to get this information it was
necessary to go in the rear Of the enemy,
and il was thought too hazardous to
order a soldier to attempt it. Two men
were detailed to go with me, and Stuart
furnished a guide who knew all the
paths We started around the flank Of
the advancing column, and were not long
in getting in behind them. They never
discovered us. and had no suspicion that
We were inspecting their rear.
The first time my name was mentioned
in the war I'm an official report was in
Stuart's report of this ride to the rear of
the enemy.
Months passed. The hostile armies
were resting IN winter quarters HlOnB lnt
Rappalia nuock, while the picketS had
ceased firing and were swapping rations
Of coffee ana tobacco l could not endure
the dull monotony Of the camp, so got
Stuart to let me take a dozen men to
harass the encmys lines on the Potomac
and i'm front Of Washington. This was
the beginning Of my life as partisan
There was enough Of danger and OF
| romance in it to attract spirits who had
a love for adventure. and volunteers soon
joined me. | had no prcconceived design
when | left the cavalry camp for organic
ing an Independent command; the hattal
/ ion that gradually grew up was a pure
{ case of evolution.
After operating for several weeks
| against the outposts guarding the de-
/ lenses OF Washington. ] planned "a holder
| enterprise than any I had attempted !
/ was waiting for a favorable opportunity,
/ when an unexpected ally came to my aid.
, This was q dcsertcr from the Fifth New
| York Cavalry named Ames, who brought
/ fresh informa ton. MY plan was to enter
/ the Union lines at night through gap
| had discovered and capture Gen.
/ StouEhton's headquarters at Fairfax. l
| had a pretty good local knowledge Of the
I country. and learned from prisoners the
. location OF the enemy's camps and out
/ posts In the day time they were con-
} ncctcd by a line of videttes in sight Of
each other. at night the videttcs were
drawn In to the reserves Tor fear Of cap
/ turo. This made iugrcss and egress pretty
1 easy after dark The security Of the
Z picket line seemed to be the main OBJ
ject. II was apparently not conceived to
be possible that anyone would let the
pickets alone and go after the general.
/ But that was my scheme. After I had
tested Ames's fidelity I determined on
March s. 1863. to take the leap.
/ have a vivid recollection Of the
] M conflict b.atu MI hnnpe
and fears that evening. The men met me
at Dover in I.oudoun county on the turn
pike leading to Fairfax There were %.
Not one knew OF my destination; all
thought we We're going on a foray among
the pickets. The weather was the kind
I wanted There was a misty rain and
forecast Of n dark night; the soft snow
mufIled the tread Of the horses
We started before SHUTDOWN 1t was
about 90 miles to Fairfax Court House.
did not want TO get there before mid
night. on account Of the muddy roads
We kept on the pike until we got within
three miles Of the camps. then we turned
OFF and passed through a gap in the line
between them. We could see camp fires
10 the left and to the right, but no one
challenged us The soldiers IN their tents
r were dreaming peacefully; oCcaSionally
. an owl hooted and a rabbit on its noctur-
nal rounds went skipping before us.
After we had got several miles inside the
Union lines I told Ames and one Of my
men. Hunter. a sergeant who was riding
by me. what my plan was.
No Resistance From Guards.
It was about . o'clock in the morning
when We entered the town No sentiuc
halted us all who saw us I'm tho darl
thought W. were their own cavalry. w,
We're dressed i'm gray; but one color
could not be- distinguished from another
flv "a ls
they made no resistance. \ stan office
reported TO Washington the next dal
that. "They came into our lines with III,
counters Ign, and no obstruction was Offered
to their entrance" We did not have an,
did not need their countersign, and al,
not see anyone to give ii to.
! Stoughton has been charged with neg
ligcncc because we met with no ohstruc
tion. That was the fault OF the cavalr,
commander, Col Percy Wyndam, al
English soldier Of fortune who ha,
charge Of the picket line. He was bre
in the European school OF regularity, an,
} did not think II was Legitimate war &
be chasing in pickets at midnight an,
raising the camp with alarms.
/ But to proceed with my narrative. W
halted at the court house, and / divide
' the command into squads ana sent then
out to gather prisoners and horses. W
I | found the telegraph operator sleeping 4
e n tent, and took him as We did not wan
him to send off any messages about us
2 We cut the wires. CIe got his reveng
5 | by giving me a dinner in Denver a fey
$ years ago. with six men I rode t
Stoughtons headquarters. There wer
several tents in the yard, but the tenant
1 were asleep. I knocked on the front door
I; a window above opened and some on
j asked. who are you?" There was a
answer, Fifth New York Cavalry wit
4 dispatches for General Stoughton"
; A staff officer, Lieutenant Prentiss, /
: his night dress opened the door. I whis
> pered my name in his ear, and told hT
to go with me TO Stoughton's room. II
led the way up stairs. We found tn
man Of war in bed dreaming like the Tur
when Markos Bozzaris walked him NJ
; I did not stand on ceremony, but afte
= striking a light gave the general a spanl
- He rose and in an imperious tone asked
. What does this mean?" I told him VIII
: l was; that Stuarts cavalry was in pos
session Of the town; that Jackson was a
Centreville; and babe him dress quickl!
, He asked me TO take him to Fitz-Lee
they had been cadets together at Yves
, Point
When we came out OF the hous
- Stoughton's couriers, who had been car
tured, had his horses saddled at the doc
We mounted and started to the rende7
. vous at once, Hunter being detailed I
n take Stoughton's bride reins and hol
y on to him. At the rendezvous the squad
/, detailed to go to the different places mC
2, us with about a hundred prisoners an