John Mosby’s Rangers The Civil War was one with one of the most lasting effects, the end of slavery in the United States, and in it came out many war heroes and clever and brave generals. There were also many unlikely heroic leaders in the Civil War, including John Mosby. John Mosby and his 43rd Virginia Cavalry may not have been on the winning side of the war, but their war tactics changed the way militaries fight. The 43rd Virginia Cavalry began, and had two of its many successful raids, on Fairfax County Courthouse and Herndon’s train station, with the help of John Mosby. John Mosby, a Virginian lawyer, joined the Confederate side as a private in the Virginia Volunteers and fought in the First Battle of Bull Run, one of the first major battles of the Civil War. Impressed with how well he gathered information, in 1862, J.E.B. Stuart promoted Mosby to First Lieutenant and gave him cavalry scouts. Mosby and his rangers, the 43rd Virginia Cavalry, used hit and run tactics to steal Union supplies and ammunition and to harass their couriers. Because of how fast Mosby’s Rangers could appear and disappear during attacks, he was called “The Gray Ghost”. Mosby’s Rangers had many successful raid on the Union, but the most famous one was on …show more content…
On March 17, 1863, John Mosby, now promoted to Captain, and forty of his rangers wore blue coats over their uniforms to trick the cavalry into thinking they were a relief party, having been on picket duty for forty-eight hours. Before the scouts could notice their mistake, Mosby’s Rangers attacked and captured twenty-five men of the First Vermont Cavalry, including Major William Wells who was coincidentally visiting his friend, Nat Hanna’s, wife, Kitty, while on duty to investigate complaints about the cavalry. They had captured Wells in the Hanna’s home, so a couple of weeks later, Mosby and his men rode back to apologize to Kitty for the