The Washington herald., 1912-11-24
Guerrilla Chieftain I'm
dergoes Operation
Successfully and Will
Be Able to Leave Hos
pital in Near Future.

forthwith he started alone to scout In the
| rear of a hostile army Of 100000 men. He
4 found something. After that for more
than two years Mosby made life In North
ern Virginia Almost unhappy one for the
Federal soldier. Squadron after squadron
was sent to destroy him Sometimes they
returned; sometimes they did not. Mosby's S
method of warfare was condemned by the
North as being wholly wanton.
Many people could see no proper mill
tary system in the wiping out Of an iso-
lated picket post, a wild foray that result
ed in the destruction of a hundred wagons,
or a reckless raid that flung the commits
sary's railway cars into the ditch.
From the Confederate side OF the line
the raiders proceedings had a different as
pect. Besides being depended upbn- to har-
ass the rear of the Union army. Mosby
was called upon 10 supply the Confeder-
ates with badly needed munitions OF war.
The assistant adjutant general OF the
Confederate army of Northern Virginia.
on November g. 1854. for instance
to Mosby a dispatch, part of which was
as follows:
Gen. Hampton directs me to
represent to you the urgeA necessity for
arms which now exists in the command.
Our numbers are largely increasing, and
many of them have no guns at an, Many
Of our men are without proper cavalry
arms" .-.. % ,. 70
Allies of Darkness.
Mosby's men made allies OF darkness
and mystery. The very fact that his
movements were so erratic kept the Union
forces in a state of unpleasant anticipa-
ton. 1t seemed that Mosby struck where
he was least expected. And under the
shadow of night the excited imaginations
Of the surprised enemy always magnified
the assailants' numbers many, times. The
people and press of the North. as well Is
the army gossip around the Union camps,
all were his unconscious allies, since they
increased his efficiency by increasing the
terror Of his name.
Two dispatches which throw a hashlight
on Mosby's operations and his methods
of dealing with his foe may be cited.
One is to the authorities in Washing
ton concerning a Mai. Blazer, who. with
several hundred picked men, was hunting
the Confederate guarrilla. II appeared
from the dispatch that MOsby could not
be found. and there was every Indication.
II ran. that he had disbanded his force
in terror at the thought of meeting BlaZ-
er. The other dispatch, dated a few days
later, says:
Two of Blazers men came in tonight:
the rest were killed or captured by
Mosby.' The fact of the matter was that
Mosby had got behind Blazer and follow
ed him around until the opportunity he
sought presented itself. Then he fell upon
him and destroyed his force at one blow.
Once Almost Captured.
Mosby himself came very near being
captured in the latter part OF December,
1854. While some members of the Union
forces were passing a farmhouse near
Middleburg, they saw a saddled horse fas-
tened to a fence. They stopped. and a
Confederate officer appeared at the door of
the house with his boots on. He fired a
revolver at the Union soldiers, and the
men returned the fire, wounding the
Southerner In the body.
. The Federal forces did not search the
officer for papers. nor learn who he was.
but went about their business. One Of
the officers, in a report. said that he did
ask the wounded man who he was, and the
reply was that he was a Lieut.. Johnston
of the Sixth Virginia Cavalry home on
leave. The man was, in fact. Mosby. Col
Gamble. commanding the First Brigade at
Fairfax Court House. on January l. 1855
sent the following to department head
quarters: Q.
Il exceedingly regret that such a blum
der was made. have given directions
that all wounded officers and men of the
enemy be hereafter brought in, although
I thought any officer ought to have
brains and common-sense enough to do
so without an order"
Gen. Lee was always apprised OF the
movement of the Union troops by Mosby.