MOSBY, moc'la, :Eon N NGI.EroN ( \n \ moricon in the Confederate service.
born at Edgemont lan ('onnty. Va. Ile was educated at the l'iliversity of Viroinia, studied law, and was praelieing his profession al Bristol, 1Vashington County, Va . at the outbreak of the Civil \\•a'. \ fter serving under Joseph E. Johnston in the slam:Ind.:di Valley, in the win ter of 1861-02, he was appointed by Gen. J. E. B. Stuart an independent scout, and guided that °dicer's cavalry in a bold raid in the rear of AltClellan's army on the Chiekahominy, in June, 1802. Returning to Richmond after a' short captivity early in 1503, Mosby recruited in inde pendent body of cavalry fur scouting and raid ing purposes, and he then began his remarkable career as a •pirtisan' leader of an irregular force known as rangers, with which, until the close of hostilities, he operated in Virginia and Maryland. Ilis force was subsequently organized as :1 regular branch of the Confederate service as the Forty-third Battalion of Virginia Cavalry. Ilk most brilliant exploit was the capture, in March, 117403, of Brigadier-General Stough ton, U.S.A., at that officer's headquarters at Fair tax Courthouse, which he accomplished by a raid inside the Federal lines. Promoted to be major as a reward for this capture, lie followed Lee's arniv into Pennsylvania in ;lune; 1803, and worried the flanks of the Federal army as it. moved southward after Gettysburg. In Janu ary, 1804, he was repulsed with considerable loss in a night attack on Harper's Ferry. In May he harassed the rear id Grant's arniv as it advanced on Fredericksburg. and later made
a long raid in Maryland. In August he made ono of the most important captures of his career, consisting of Sheridan's entire supply train, which he surprised near Berryville. The loss was such a heavy one to Sheridan as to compel him to fall hack on Ilarper's Ferry. In Septem ber he Wati wounded at Falls Church, but in the following month was again in the saddle, cap tured two Federal paymasters with $10S.000 in greenbacks, tore up the Ilalt imore and Ohio Rail way tracks, destroyed rolling stock and made a prisoner of Brigadier-General Dutra>. In De cember. Poll. he was promoted to be colonel. After being disabled for a short time by it wound, he continued his operations until Lee's surrender, when he disbanded his troops. gave himself up, and by General Grant's intercession was paroled.
fter the war lie opened a law office at Warren ton. Va., and became a iu1'iu1ber of the Repub lican Party. which he thought could best settle t he quest ion of reconst rner ion satisfactorily. From 1578, to 188.1 he was [idled States Consul at Hong Kong. On his return to America lie established himself in law practice in S:111 Fran cisco. Ile published an aeeount of his exploits untitled liar Remit' s ( 1557 ) . Consult a's.): Scot I Partisan 1,1f, uit1r 11 °shy (New Disk, 1557) Crawford, 1/os1y and //is 1/en 1151i7) ia mson, .11 osby's Mangers (New 15951.