Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-05-13
Confederacy
Raiders Like
Commands
Civil Wars GuerrilIas
Used Same Methods
BY DAMON RUNYON

u whose daring exploits fig
ure frequently in the news these
days, are merely a modern YER
sion of the South's raid@s of
the Civil War. small bodies of
horsemen who moved fast,
struck suddenly and then
quickly disappeared.
They often rode by night.
their horses feet muffled in
sacking, and they depended
largely on speed of movement
and the element of surprise for
their successes just as the Com
mandos do today. The latter
name comes from the Boer War
when il was applied to the
Boer irregulars, or guerrillas,
who made life miserable for the
British troops in South Africa
for quite a spell. long years ago.
Some of the raiding bands of
the Confederacy were also called
guerrillas by the Northerners
and in fact that may have been
the first time the term was ever
employed 10 describe what Web
ster defines as "one who en-
cages in irregular warfare in
connection with a regular war,
especially as a member OF a
predatory band. The word
stems from the Spanish "Quer-
lila"
IN SHORT, a guerrilla during
i the Civil War was an inde-
pendent fighter, holding no ell
legiance to any definite military
command. and probably not al
ways predatory, but the name
fell into disrepute because of
the bloodthirsty actions of some
of the independents. One of
them, Quantrill, left a trail of
fire and blood through Missouri
and Kansas. sacking Lawrence
in the latter state and killing
140 citizens and wounding "a.
From Quantrilfs band came
the James boys and other out
and-out bandits OF later years.
The North had similarly des-
perate guerrilla crews, but these
raiders are not TO be confused
with the South's forerunners of
the m m n d o S. who were
known as partisan rangers and
were fine soldiers. though irreg-
ularS.
TNHEY were commaRded by
Il some of the great military
geniuses of this nations history,
including Turner Ashby, John
II. Morgan and John S. Mosby.
These were brilliant and fearless
leaders in "the lost cause"
They led their irregulars in
daring dashes on the rear and
TANKS of the federal armies.
swooping down suddenly on out
posts and supply trains and
keeping the Union soldiers in a
continual other. Their capture
of tons of provisions and mu-
nitions kept the Confederate
armies going. Ashby and Nor
gan were killed during the war,
but Mosby kept on fighting even
after Lee surrendered TO Grant
at Appomatox.
MOSBY was a lawyer at Bris-
WI tol. Washington County,
La. when the war broke out.
He served a while under Joe
Johnston in the Shenandoah
and then Gen. j. f. B. Stuart
appointed him an independent
scout. He mustered around him
a band of reckless men and pro-
ceeded to make history. He
performed the most fabulous ex-
PLOTS. He captured General
Stoughton at Fairfax Court
house, far inside the federal
lines.
He harassed the flank of the
Union army moving south after
Gettysburg. He raided far into
Maryland and captured Sheri-
dams entire supply train at
Berryville.
LIE WAS wounded at Falls
IL Church. but the following
month nailed two federal pay
masters with S16S,000. tore up
the Baltimore and Ohio tracks,
destroyed a raft of rolling stock
and nabbed Gen. Alfred -Duffie.
After the war. Grant himself
interceded in Mosby's behalf and
got him paroled. He was one
of the most formidable of the
Confederate leaders and GER
tainly one of the most elusive.
He often got inside the Union
lines and there were times when
he and his command would be
surrounded.
On those occasions Mosby
would order his men TO scatter,
each trooper making his way
back to the Confederate line as
best he could. He never had his
men organized as tactical
fighting unit and never had an
established camp.
When he planned foray he
would have his lieutenants take
word to farmers who had been
enlisted in the rangers. and were
subject to call. to regular caval-
rymen-home- -fHFleHgh and
troopers looking for fresh horses,
and they would meet him at an
nnr,oinAnd craoA Thn,. ,I,nro ,tol-