John Singleton Mosby

The Civil War produced several colorful characters, none any more so than Powhatan’s John Mosby.

Born in 1833 just inside the Powhatan-Cumberland line at the Mosby homestead called "Edgemont," Mosby earned the fascination of the Confederacy and the consternation of the Federals.

Leaving Powhatan at the age of five, Mosby’s family moved to Charlottesville, where he grew up and attended the University of Virginia until he was jailed for shooting a fellow student.

He later moved to Bristol and he was admitted to the bar.

At the outbreak of the war, Mosby joined the cavalry and was present at the battles of Manassas, the Peninsula, Second Manassas, and Antietam.

It was during February of 1862 that he became a scout for General J. E. B. Stuart who immediately recognized his ability to gather intelligence.

After Mosby discovered and made Stuart aware of Union General George B. McClellan’s vulnerability to being encircled, Stuart conducted his famous "Ride Around McClellan" maneuver.

General Stuart was so impressed with Mosby that he gave his blessing to Mosby becoming an independent ranger, primarily in Northern Virginia.

His success earned him celebrity status in what was soon nicknamed Mosby’s Confederacy.

His ability to rapidly attack, disrupt, destroy, and humiliate the enemy and its supply lines earned him the title of the "Grey Ghost."

Mosby became such an embarrassment to the Union Army and its commanders that he became one of the most hunted men in the Confederacy.

Lincoln feared Mosby so much that he ordered the planking of the Chain Bridge across the Potomac in Washington be removed each night to discourage Mosby from entering the city and capturing him.

Mosby reached the rank of full colonel.

After Appomattox in April 1865, he disbanded his men at Salem. He surrendered himself in June 1865.

Although Mosby was a staunch Confederate, after the war he became a supporter and friend of his old adversary, General Ulysses Grant, and backed Grant’s bid for the presidency.

This unpopular decision to join the Republican Party brought Mosby much criticism.

Grant reciprocated Mosby’s support by appointing him consul at Hong Kong.

Returning to the United States in 1885, he served as an assistant attorney in the Justice Department in the administrations of Teddy Roosevelt and William Howard Taft.

Mosby died May 30, 1916, bringing to a close one of the true legends of the Civil War.

In the 1960s Mosby’s fame rose again when a television series was aired featuring his exploits.

Some historians credit him as one of the main reasons the war entered its full final year.

Whether or not this is accurate, at this point in time, would be sheer speculation.

However, always one for showmanship and the unexpected, Mosby would never be one to deny it.

Mosby’s birthplace, Edgemont, still remains in Powhatan, although it was moved from its original location to a site off Ballsville Road.

It has been restored.