The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1916-06-02
EX-CONFEDERATE
RAIDER IS dead
COL. MOSBY, FAMOUS SCOUT,
PASSES AWAY IN NATIONAL
CAPITAL.
WAS INTREPID LEADER
Most Brilliant Exploit Was Capture
of Gen. Stoughton at Fairfax
Courthouse.

Washington, May 30.-Col. John
s. Mosby, one of the most famous
Confederate raiders of the Civil War,
died here today after long illness.
He was a native of Virginia and was
so years old
Col. Mosby's death, his physicians
said, was due solely to old age, and
he was conscious and interested 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 will be buried at his
ancestral home at Warrenton, Va,
probably Thursday and some surviv-
ors of his noted command will be his
pallbearers. His death on Memorial
day was affecting to many.
1t was said that he never took part
in veterans reunions because twenty
two years ago, when he attended one
of his command at Alexandria. Va,
he was so overcome with emotion he
was unable to speak. Some sisters,
SON and daughter survive him.
Col. Mosby dafed 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, destroying
supply trains, and cutting off means
of communication. 1t has been es-
timated that he often neutralized the
force of over $1,000 Federals in the
valley.
Born in Powahtan county, Va, De-
cember 6, 1888, and graduated from
the University of Virginia in 1852, he
was practicing law in Bristol, Va.
when the war broke out and he began
his career in the Confederate army.
He proved his daringwith ouch effect
that he became a scout for Gen. ]. e.
B. Stuart and led the celebrated raid
around McClellan's army on the
Chickahominy. In Richmond year
later he recruited an independent
cavalry troop which became famous
as Mosby's Partisan Rangers. They
became night riders and the terror of
the Federal troops.
Mosbys most brilliant exploit was
the capture of Gen. Stoughton. On q
March night in 1868 he, with thirty
followers rode through the Federal
army to Fairfax Courthouse, only If
teen 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 authori-
ties at Culpeper without having lost
a man.
Gen. Grant once later saved Mos
by from hanging, and two foessof the
battlefield became stanch friends.
Mosby stumped the State of Virginia
for Grant during his presidential
campaign, and was rewarded with an
appointment 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 attorn-
ey in the Department of Justice. The
closing years of his life were spent
in lecturing and authorship. His
home lay across the Potomac. at War
renton. 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 "reminiscences" "The
Dawn of the Real South" and
"stuart's Cavalry Campaign" He
was also known as a Greek scholar.
my military creed" he once de-
elared. lis this: II is better to make
a good run than a bad stand"