The interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1912-1984, 1916-06-02
INTREPID SOUTHERN LEADER
Col. John S. Mosby Dies of Old Age
At Washington.

most famous Confederate raiders of
the Civil War, died at Washington
Tuesday, after a long illness. He
was a native of Virginia and was 80
years old. Col. Mosby's death, his
physicians said, was due solely to old
| age. and he was conscious and inter
j ested in what was going on about
him until an hour before he passed
away. Until six months ago, when
he went into a sudden decline, he
was a familiar sight about the streets
of the capital, apparently vigorous
DESPITE his age. He was buried at
his ancestral home at Warrentown,
Va. Thursday and survivors of his
noted command were his pallbearers.
His death on Memorial day was af-
| fecting to many. 1t was said that
he never took part in veterans re-
unions because twenty-five years
ago, when he attended one of his
command at Alexandria, Va, he was
so overcome with emotion he was un-
able to speak. Some sisters, son and
daughter survive him.
Col. Mosby dared death over fifty
years ago when at the head of band
of a few hundred Confederate raiders
he rode up and down the Shenandoah
Valley, capturing outposts, destroy
ing supply trains, and cutting means
of communication. 1t has been esti-
mated that he often neutralized the
force of over $4,000 Federals in the
Valley.
Born in Powhatan county, Va,
december 6, 1888, and graduated
from the University of Virginia in
1852, he was practicing law at Bris-
toll, Va, when the war broke out and
he began his career in the Confeder-
ate army. He proved his daring with
such effect that he became a scout
for Gen. ]. E. B. Stuart and led the
celebrated raid around McClellan's
army on the Chickahominy. In Rich
mond a year later he recruited an
independent cavalry troop which be-
came famous as Mosby's Partisan
Rangers. They became night riders
and the terror of the Federal troops.
Mosby's most brilliant exploit was
the capture of Gen. Stoughton. On
March night in 1868 he, with 80
followers, rode through the Federal
army to Fairfax Courthouse, only Is
miles from Washington, where Gen.
Stoughton was asleep. Although
surrounded by an army said to have
been 1900 strong, the Rangers
calmly kidnapped the General, his
staff and many sentries, and turned
them over to the Confederate au-
thorities at Culpeper without having
lost man.
Gen. Grant once later saved Mos
by from hanging, and two foes of
the battlefield became stanch friends.
Mosby stumped the State of Virgin
ia during the presidential campaign,
and was rewarded with an appoint
ment as Consul at Hongkong, a post
which he held for seven years.
When he returned to the United
States Mosby called on the surviving
members of his Rangers and, to his
establishment he found that large
percentage of them had become min
listers. In parting their old Colonel
said: "Well, boys, if you fight the
devil like you fought the Yankees
there will be something to record on
Judgment day."
He next became special land agent
for the Government in Colorado,
and from 1904 to 1910 he was an
attorney in the Department of JUS
tice. The closing years of his life
were spent in lecturing and author
ship. His home lay across the Poto-
mac, at Warrenton, Va, but he was
often seen in Washington, his white
hair and strong Roman features,
making him a picturesque figure on
the streets or lecture platform. He
had written "Mosby's War Reminis-
censes," "The Dawn of the Real
South" and "Stuart's Cavalry Cam
paign." He was also known as a
Greek scholar.
"My military creed" he once de-
| clared, "is this: 1t is better to make
a GOOD RIM than had stand"