The Washington herald., 1914-12-27
COL. MoSBY, CONFEDERATE
WOUNDED.
December Il.
col

DCGSMoSA SAs
Fifty years ago today Col. John S
2 Mosby, the Confederate Partisan Rang
, er, was seriously wounded in a house
near Middleburg, Va, and fell into the
hands OF Federal cavalry officers who
were seeking him, but failed to recoe:
nize him, and thinking him mortally
wounded. left him to escape.
In the many vieissitudes of his extraor-
binary career Col. Mosby had never
had such q close call as this. Only his
quick wit when he seemed at deaths
door saved him from captivity. He sue.
ceeded in concealing his identity ever
when a Federal .ofiicer leaned over him
and examined his wound. pronouncing Il
mortal.
The scene of this adventure was in
"Mosby's Confederacy"-the region be
tween the Federal outposts from Wash.
ington and the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Mosby's command had maintained theiI
foothoid in this section in spite of re-
peated efforts made by the Federals tc
oust them.
They rode almost at will against the
pickets OF the outposts on the Virgins
side Of the Potomac, or against those OF
Gen. Sheridan in the Valley of the
Shenandoah. In late November Sheridan
had sent out division Of cavalry, that
OF Gen. Wesley Merritt, to scour this
section for Mosby. The rangers scat
tered, went into hiding until the division
finished its raid, and reassembled in
its wake. ..
Their activities were then resumed on
the old scale. On December II they fell
upon a scouting party, under Capt WILL
lam H. Miles, near Millwood, in the val
ley, and exterminated II, killing Capt
Miles and ten others, wounding seven
teen and capturing sixty-eight out OF
a little more than 100 men.
This was done at a time when another
heavy mounted force under Gen. A T.
T. Torbert, Sheriden's chief of cavalry,
was under orders to made a raid against
Mosby
Surprised at supper.
? In early December Mosby made a trip
to Richmond and there received his
commission as colonel. having previ-
ously held the rank OF brevet On his
return to his old fighting ground he
was in excellent spirits and permitted
himself the relaxation of going to the
wedding Of one of his troopers
The wedding and attendant party
took place in farmhouse near Middle
burg. While it was in progress word
was brought to Mosby that Federal
cavalry was in the neighborhood.
Mosby. without breaking up the wed
ding party, sent out couriers to as
semble his command As the members
we're scattered at the farmhouses and
village homes of a considerable extent
of territory, this would take several
hours.
Meanwhile Mosby. with one trooper
Thomas Love, started out to reconnoi-
ter, riding until he came in sight OF
the campfires of the Federals near Rec
tortown- Supposing them to have gone
hn ,F~Iy
back to meet his men.
Passing the house of a friendly farm
er. Ludlow Lake. most of the resi-
dents of that section were friendly to
Mosby-the Ranger chief decided to
= stop for supper. Dismounting, he tied
his horse before the door. His COM
panion did the same.
On entering the house. Mosby took
OFF his boots to ease his feet, and. lay
ing aside his overcoat, cape and hat
made himself at home and was soon
seated at warm supper cooked by
Mr.. Lakes daughter, Mrs. Skinner
The meal had not progressed far
when the tramp of horses was heard
in the back yard. Col. Mosby opened
the back door and saw that the yard
was filled with Federal cavalry.
In and Out of n Trap.
Hastily closing the door. Col Mosby
luIheu 10 leaNe the room Dy door in
to the front hall. As he did so the
door opened and several Federal off,
GERS entered the room
Trapped, MOsby put his hands to his
collar TO conceal the stars on it that in
dicated his rank. He was thinking fast
as TO his next step when fate interposed.
bullet came crashing through the rear
window and struck Mosby in the abdo-
men.
4 This va. FoIIou-o1 b,- sa,,o-,I ,.Lor-
. The Federal officers. in danger of being
shot down by their own men, hastily left
the room. Mosby, though bleeding pro-
fustly and turning faint, quickly formed
a plan for escape. Walking across the
hall into a bedroom, he drew of his coat,
and rolling it up, thrust il under a
bureau.
death-nOt difficult feat. for his strength
had ebbed and he barely retained con-
sciousness.
As he lay thus the Federal officers re-
\ turned and began searching the house.
Their leader. Maj. Douglas Frazar, OF
the Thirteenth New York Cavalry. found
Mosby. pale and bleeding, where he had
fallen to the floor.
Leaning over the man, Maj. Frazar
opened Mosby's clothing and found his
wound. 1t was about two inches below
the navel on the left side. 1t was still
bleeding. With such a wound it did not
seem TO the Federal that the Confederate
could last long.
Who are you?" asked Maj. Frazar.
Lieut. johnson. Sixth Virginia Cav
airy was Mosby's faint reply.
He can't last twenty-four hours" said
Mai. FraZar to the ether officers. We
/ may as well leave him here"
\ Mai. Frazar's command was under or
ders TO proceed to AIiddleburg, where II
was to meet another command at a given
hour. II was already behind time, and.
thinking it useless to spend more time
on an apparently dying cavalry Heuten-
ant, the Federal oficer ordered his men
to mount and rode on on his business
Comrades Keep Secret.
On leaving the house the FederaIs took
with them Col Mosby's cloak. coat, and
hat The hat was light bun, with a gold
cord and star-a nucn more elegant head
covering than y usually worn by a
heutanant, and plainly the hat Of q gen.
eral officer.
On the party reaching MiddIeburg the
hat was shown by Maj. Fraxar to the
senior officer there, Lieut.. Col. David R.
Clendenin. OF the Eighth Illinois Cavalry.
Eight Of Mosby's men having been
taken, the hat EVas shown TO them. They
looked at it closely in the light OF the
campfire, and each positively declared It
was not Mosby's hat The trooper who
had been with Mosby said II was Lieut.
Johnson's' hat. When told that the
a 4r1el