What do you think?
Rate this book
The Memoirs of Colonel John S. Mosby
John Singleton Mosby, the ‘Gray Ghost’, was one of the most effective military leaders of the American Civil War. Leading his cavalry unit, known as Mosby’s rangers, he hit the Union Army time and time again with lighting raids. After these raids were done his troops would seemingly melt away, blending in with local farmers and townspeople. In his memoirs, first published in 1917, he gives a thrilling account of his tactics. This book is a fascinating account that covers Mosby’s entry into the Confederate army, daily life within it and major battles including Manassas and Gettysburg. "No other figure of the Civil War became during his lifetime such a storybook legend as Colonel John Singleton Mosby, the audacious and resourceful Confederate soldier who, operating in sight of the Capitol dome with a handful of undisciplined guerrillas, performed prodigies in breaking up Union communications and capturing or putting to flight detachments of Union troops that were often far larger than his own."--Edmund Wilson, Patriotic Gore "Since the close of the war, I have come to know Colonel Mosby personally, and somewhat intimately. . . .There were probably but few men in the South who could have commanded successfully a separate detachment, in the rear of an opposing army and so near the border of hostilities, as long as he did without losing his entire command."--Ulysses S. Grant John Singleton Mosby (1833-1916) studied at the University of Virginia and was admitted to the Virginia Bar in 1854. Upon the secession of Virginia he entered the Confederate military service and subsequently formed an independent cavalry unit which operated behind Union lines in a region that came to be known as OMosbyOs Confederacy.O After the war, Mosby held several U.S. Government posts, including a consulship in Hong Kong.
225 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 12, 1917
268 people are currently reading
426 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
June 9, 2024
Really great book. The kindle version suffers from poor editing & formatting, otherwise I would have given it five stars. Mosby writes with humor and keen insight, with many literary allusions to Shakespeare and various Greek and Latin histories. Plenty of action and humor in these pages. Mosby recounts all the major campaigns he was in with clarity, and he provides an assertive and convincing defense of J.E.B. Stuart's actions surrounding the Battle of Gettysburg. I appreciated his perspective and wit. I was particularly touched by his friendship with U.S. Grant after the war. Civil War buffs should definitely read this fine book.
March 24, 2017
This is the memoir of a man who feels compelled to set the record straight, and has no problem sharing his opinion on any subject, but particularly when it comes to defending his mentor, General J.E.B. Stuart. It is an amazing insight into the Confederate cavalry, and should be read by any War Between the States buff.
May 3, 2020
One of my first memories of the U.S. Civil War was watching a 1957-58 television series titled “The Gray Ghost” celebrating the exploits of the partisan confederate guerrilla commander, Major John S. Mosby, which made this autobiography a “must read” for me. This autobiography includes some of the Colonel’s own post war writing and personal letters to his wife as well as dispatches and after action reports written by both Union and Confederate soldiers. Devoted to General J.E.B. Stuart, Mosby details his defense of the activities of the Cavalry Commander preceding Gettysburg which is a point of view not shared with many Civil War historians. This book is part of the The Great Commanders series and shouldn’t be missed by anyone interested in the Civil War.
June 6, 2023
Throughly enjoyed this book, was sad when it was over. I find Mosby an interesting and more of a “good hearted “ “bushwhacker” when compared to Champ Ferg or bloody bill. Mosby’s relationships described with 3 generals leaves me wishing for more.
Great book; I feel like you have to be a little more then a novice civil war buff, and know some background and some details about Jeb Stuart etc.
Great book; I feel like you have to be a little more then a novice civil war buff, and know some background and some details about Jeb Stuart etc.
March 10, 2018
This is an interesting but disjointed book, written by Colonel John S. Mosby, the notorious "Gray Ghost" whose guerilla campaign in northern Virginia during the Civil War so vexed the Union army that the area became known as "Mosby's Confederacy."
The book is, to say the least, a bit of patchwork. Mosby begins with details of his early life and the course which led him to side with the Confederacy in 1861, as well as his initial service as a private soldier in the early part of the war. It then shifts to a historical overview of the war's opening years. From there it becomes a long and very involved defense of Jeb Stuart, who Mosby insists was set up as a scapegoat for Lee's failure at Gettysburg. It then shifts once more to the "memoir" format and discusses the organization and operations of his guerilla band in Northern Virginia and elsewhere during the last two years of the war. Some of this is handled through reminiscences, much more through letters, newspaper articles and fragments of official dispatches Mosby had in his possession after the war, or dug out of the archives. It winds up with two brief chapters about his memories of Lee and, postwar, of Grant.
Mosby is a fascinating specimen, one of those men who was clearly born for cavalry fighting and partisan warfare even though he had no training in it. He conducted operations with enormous daring and skill, and was almost always successful in his raids, though he was several times shot and once briefly captured. However, as a writer, he was very badly in need of a better editor, both at the time he wrote this work (1917) and the time it was published here (2017). For starters, he did not seem to know what kind of book he wanted to write: a history of the Virginia campaigns of the Civil War, a defense of Jeb Stuart, or a memoir. He opted on all three, which makes the book a bit of a mess. More seriously, the formatting and editing of this book is very, very bad. Because of failures to close quotes or to use block paragraphs or different typefaces and so forth, it is often impossible to tell when Mosby is narrating, when he is quoting someone else, or when the editor has stepped in. (In several places one paragraph has accidentally been inserted into another.) This made the book harder to follow and could have been avoided with some simple proofreading.
Having said that, I found "Memoirs" to be interesting for Mosby's unconventional view of Stuart's role in the Gettysburg campaign, his plainly mixed feelings about Lee, his postwar relationship with Grant, and his sense of humor and obvious intelligence. He frequently quotes or refers to the Greek classics, Shakespeare, Roman and Napoleonic history, etc., and in the main comes off as the classic citizen-soldier who fought hard but without hate. If he expresses no remorse for the men he killed and had killed, his courage showed that he was willing to put himself at equal risk, and the fact that several of his former prisoners became lifelong friends of his shows in what regard he was held by his enemies. What's more, he accepted defeat with much grace and re- assimilated himself into the Union, where he waged a peaceful fight to help many of his former comrades while also battling many of his former superiors in the newspapers. It wasn't easy to make criticisms of Lee or correspond with Grant in the postwar South, but then again, Mosby was never one to take an easy path.
The book is, to say the least, a bit of patchwork. Mosby begins with details of his early life and the course which led him to side with the Confederacy in 1861, as well as his initial service as a private soldier in the early part of the war. It then shifts to a historical overview of the war's opening years. From there it becomes a long and very involved defense of Jeb Stuart, who Mosby insists was set up as a scapegoat for Lee's failure at Gettysburg. It then shifts once more to the "memoir" format and discusses the organization and operations of his guerilla band in Northern Virginia and elsewhere during the last two years of the war. Some of this is handled through reminiscences, much more through letters, newspaper articles and fragments of official dispatches Mosby had in his possession after the war, or dug out of the archives. It winds up with two brief chapters about his memories of Lee and, postwar, of Grant.
Mosby is a fascinating specimen, one of those men who was clearly born for cavalry fighting and partisan warfare even though he had no training in it. He conducted operations with enormous daring and skill, and was almost always successful in his raids, though he was several times shot and once briefly captured. However, as a writer, he was very badly in need of a better editor, both at the time he wrote this work (1917) and the time it was published here (2017). For starters, he did not seem to know what kind of book he wanted to write: a history of the Virginia campaigns of the Civil War, a defense of Jeb Stuart, or a memoir. He opted on all three, which makes the book a bit of a mess. More seriously, the formatting and editing of this book is very, very bad. Because of failures to close quotes or to use block paragraphs or different typefaces and so forth, it is often impossible to tell when Mosby is narrating, when he is quoting someone else, or when the editor has stepped in. (In several places one paragraph has accidentally been inserted into another.) This made the book harder to follow and could have been avoided with some simple proofreading.
Having said that, I found "Memoirs" to be interesting for Mosby's unconventional view of Stuart's role in the Gettysburg campaign, his plainly mixed feelings about Lee, his postwar relationship with Grant, and his sense of humor and obvious intelligence. He frequently quotes or refers to the Greek classics, Shakespeare, Roman and Napoleonic history, etc., and in the main comes off as the classic citizen-soldier who fought hard but without hate. If he expresses no remorse for the men he killed and had killed, his courage showed that he was willing to put himself at equal risk, and the fact that several of his former prisoners became lifelong friends of his shows in what regard he was held by his enemies. What's more, he accepted defeat with much grace and re- assimilated himself into the Union, where he waged a peaceful fight to help many of his former comrades while also battling many of his former superiors in the newspapers. It wasn't easy to make criticisms of Lee or correspond with Grant in the postwar South, but then again, Mosby was never one to take an easy path.
March 4, 2023
Mosby's writing is clear and easy to read, with several flourishes thrown in inspired by his classical reading, but you read these memoirs more for the stories he relays than the form or composition. His tales of his part in the Civil War are exciting to read. The more I read about the carnage and horror of the Civil War, the more people like Mosby stand out as a compete enigma. Death all around him and he prances through the thick of it with a jaunty spirit, playful attitude, and fierce courage. You may think, well he was just a raider and not on the front lines so he could afford to maintain his esprit, but that would be a mistake. He was shot in the gut (which everyone thought was fatal), had men under him tortured and killed, was under fire constantly, but never let up. He simply had an indomitable spirit.
January 1, 2023
Confederate Colonel John S. Mosby, otherwise known as the Grey Ghost, was such a thorn in the side of Union Forces that when all Virginians were offered a pardon at Appomattox, he was particularly excluded! After being unwillingly assigned as a private to the VA cavalry he became a partisan ranger / gorilla type fighter who then spent the war cheerfully torching rail trains, stealing horses, taking hundreds of prisoners, disrupting communications and eluding thousands of union forces sent to capture him. The area around Fairfax and Louden counties VA were so unsafe to union forces it was called "Mosby's Confederacy." For example in 1864 General Sheridan sent 100 men to capture Mosby's raiders, who killed or wounded all but 2 of them and gave all their horses and weapons to the Confederacy!
Captured once (which he used as a time to gather information for Lee,) and wounded 7 times he survived the war to become friends with several of the men he captured in addition to General / President Grant, be assigned as the U.S. ambassador to Hong Kong, and support reunification of the states. You leave the book wishing for a full biography.
Written in 1917, the book is a fascinating, detailed and often humorous tale of Mosby's activities during the civil war. Clearly an intelligent man, a University Of Virginia graduate with a degree in mathematics and Greek, the novel is full of roman and Greek literary references which, in addition to his wit, make this an enjoyable read.
Chapter 12 is a lengthy defense of J.E.B. Stuart's action during the Gettysburg campaign. As a fellow cavalry officer who lionizes Stuart, understand tactics, and has read all the army dispatches around the event he feels called to give his opinion on this subject as clearly as any other. He clearly is unsure of what to make of Lee in this case, as Mosby hints that Lee must have known when the official reports blaming Stuart contradict his personal orders for Stuart to stay with Ewell.
As others have said, my book was missing quotation marks to point out the point when he was quoting someone else had ended. There were odd portions in brackets that was unclear who wrote as it did not appear to be Mosby. Some paragraph spaces would also have been helpful. But I still found this so interesting as to only deduct 1 star.
Miles Watson has a very good description at: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Captured once (which he used as a time to gather information for Lee,) and wounded 7 times he survived the war to become friends with several of the men he captured in addition to General / President Grant, be assigned as the U.S. ambassador to Hong Kong, and support reunification of the states. You leave the book wishing for a full biography.
Written in 1917, the book is a fascinating, detailed and often humorous tale of Mosby's activities during the civil war. Clearly an intelligent man, a University Of Virginia graduate with a degree in mathematics and Greek, the novel is full of roman and Greek literary references which, in addition to his wit, make this an enjoyable read.
Chapter 12 is a lengthy defense of J.E.B. Stuart's action during the Gettysburg campaign. As a fellow cavalry officer who lionizes Stuart, understand tactics, and has read all the army dispatches around the event he feels called to give his opinion on this subject as clearly as any other. He clearly is unsure of what to make of Lee in this case, as Mosby hints that Lee must have known when the official reports blaming Stuart contradict his personal orders for Stuart to stay with Ewell.
As others have said, my book was missing quotation marks to point out the point when he was quoting someone else had ended. There were odd portions in brackets that was unclear who wrote as it did not appear to be Mosby. Some paragraph spaces would also have been helpful. But I still found this so interesting as to only deduct 1 star.
Miles Watson has a very good description at: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
May 14, 2022
There are many biographies of famous generals and officers of the American Civil War but this one stands out; Not only because John Singleton Mosby (known as the Gray Ghost) was a highly effective Confederate guerilla, but after the war he debunked the popular notion that “The Lost Cause” was an attempt to recast the South’s defeat as a noble cause that failed. Even though Mosby came from a family that owned slaves, he saw slavery as an evil that warranted extermination. It’s therefore no wonder that after the war Mosby aligned himself with President Grant’s effort to reconstruct the South as Abraham Lincoln had intended.
When asked why he chose to fight for the Confederacy, Mosby replied,
"I am not ashamed of having fought on the side of slavery—a soldier fights for his country—right or wrong—he is not responsible for the political merits of the course he fights in"; "The South was my country."
This is a blow-by-blow description of the wartime actions taken by one of the most outstanding officers of the Civil War. It is also an insightful revelation of an intelligent, thoughtful, and complex individual swept up in a cataclysmic period in our nation’s history.
When asked why he chose to fight for the Confederacy, Mosby replied,
"I am not ashamed of having fought on the side of slavery—a soldier fights for his country—right or wrong—he is not responsible for the political merits of the course he fights in"; "The South was my country."
This is a blow-by-blow description of the wartime actions taken by one of the most outstanding officers of the Civil War. It is also an insightful revelation of an intelligent, thoughtful, and complex individual swept up in a cataclysmic period in our nation’s history.
August 31, 2017
The book was very good at showing the tactics used by the "Gray Ghost" during his tenure as a partisan cavalry leader in Northern Virginia during the last two years of the Civil War. It was a little difficult to read as it described events and then would include a letter or report which verified what had just been written. I was surprised to read the detailed defense of Jeb Stuart during the Gettysburg campaign where most historians hold Stuart to task for not arriving in time to help General Lee. I don't know where I have read such a strong defense of Stuart's actions. I thought the final section of the book was the best where he wrote of his interactions with Lee and General Grant. All in all, I enjoyed the book and recommend it to anyone wanting to know more about this man and his part in the war.
September 23, 2019
Needs a human editor!
While the text has many interesting passages, it is written in less than flowing language (compared to contemporaneous memoir by W. T. Sherman and others) making the reading a chore at times. The greater fault lies in the digitization process (Afjer the above affair^ only_ one_ wagon train ever went up to Hunter, which was. still more HeavilyJ^?l$i£..jBe then gave _up. -b*5- line of communication.) which is especially onerous. These passages seriously need to have been edited prior to publication. While I commend the publisher for making a series of historical books available at an affordable price, I must fault the lack of due diligence in proofing the finished product before delivery to consumers. The further fluffing of the index to increase the page count seems rather underhanded and noteworthy.
While the text has many interesting passages, it is written in less than flowing language (compared to contemporaneous memoir by W. T. Sherman and others) making the reading a chore at times. The greater fault lies in the digitization process (Afjer the above affair^ only_ one_ wagon train ever went up to Hunter, which was. still more HeavilyJ^?l$i£..jBe then gave _up. -b*5- line of communication.) which is especially onerous. These passages seriously need to have been edited prior to publication. While I commend the publisher for making a series of historical books available at an affordable price, I must fault the lack of due diligence in proofing the finished product before delivery to consumers. The further fluffing of the index to increase the page count seems rather underhanded and noteworthy.
October 29, 2023
A book I picked up at the library's sale in '21 (I think?) and kept in the bathroom to read bit by bit was "Mosby's Memoirs" by Col. John S. Mosby (originally published 1917, reprinted in 1995). It's an account of his guerrilla war against the Union from 1861-65 with some pretty detailed descriptions of battles, brushes with death or capture, and oddly funny things that can happen even in the midst of war. Mosby isn't a very polished writer, but he has a way with words that I imagine was kind of a common thing with people, especially Southerners, a century and a half ago so the book is pretty readable. There are parts that kind of drag, describing things that aren't that interesting and sometimes the old-timeyess of the way Mosby writes is a little difficult to stay in tune with but for the most part the book is quite easy reading.
September 20, 2019
Very interesting summary of Mosby's life and times. Includes an extensive defense of Stewart's actions in the Gettysburg campaign--Mosby wasn't involved but wanted to defend Stewart's reputation as more and more historians became critical of his conduct. He skips large portions of his unit's actions but covers the more glamourous actions in detail. Having lived in Mosby's Confederacy for eight years, the places were all very familiar although he wouldn't recognize very much at all today. Annandale is largely Korean now--a long way from the small farming community of Mosby's time. Overall the memoir is insightful with many interesting glimpses of the leaders of North and South. Recommended to Civil War students and historians.
November 12, 2018
A very complex man. Against slavery and married to an abolitionist, he hoped against the breaking of the Union but fought for the right of southern secession.
A Calvary officer who did away with his units’ sabers and fought at night like modern special forces.
He was Lee’s most complimented solider but campaigned for Grant’s election after the war and wrote in favor of the union’s military dictatorship to safeguard the right of freed slaves. In his memoirs and letters he kept referencing classical literature but on the battlefield he embraced the name of “Gorilla” and “Bush Wacker.” He wrote to defend the good name of Stuart and of General Grant and the later President Grant.
A Calvary officer who did away with his units’ sabers and fought at night like modern special forces.
He was Lee’s most complimented solider but campaigned for Grant’s election after the war and wrote in favor of the union’s military dictatorship to safeguard the right of freed slaves. In his memoirs and letters he kept referencing classical literature but on the battlefield he embraced the name of “Gorilla” and “Bush Wacker.” He wrote to defend the good name of Stuart and of General Grant and the later President Grant.
August 4, 2021
Good account from one of the more celebrated men that served. Like Robert E. Lee he had nothing but respect for Grant and simply wanted to move on after the war and do what was best for America. Near the end he recounts having been shot and believed to be mortally wounded, diagnosed as shot in the heart by a physician. He was lucky the bullet ran around his organs and exited though the back. The loss of blood made it a close call as well as having been examined by the Union Army. They left him with a family to die peacefully not knowing who he was. He went on to have a life after the war and gain the friendship of Grant when Grant was President.
September 22, 2017
(This excerpt occurs as Mosby is riding down the street at night)
I heard someone calling, "Mosby! Mosby!" I was surprised, but went up to the man in his yard.
"Did you call me, sir?"
"No," he replied, "I'm calling Mosby. I want him to stop barking!"
So I have had the distinction of having dogs named after me.
I enjoyed this, although I liked his War Reminiscences better. This book gives you a feel for how it was like living in Mosby's Confederacy, though, which the War Reminiscences doesn't do so well, as it is focused more on his raids and military exploits.
I heard someone calling, "Mosby! Mosby!" I was surprised, but went up to the man in his yard.
"Did you call me, sir?"
"No," he replied, "I'm calling Mosby. I want him to stop barking!"
So I have had the distinction of having dogs named after me.
I enjoyed this, although I liked his War Reminiscences better. This book gives you a feel for how it was like living in Mosby's Confederacy, though, which the War Reminiscences doesn't do so well, as it is focused more on his raids and military exploits.
January 23, 2021
Autobiography of Mosby, the Gray Ghost of the Confederacy. One of the most successful cavalry commanders of the Civil War. At times gets bogged down in historical arguments and details, but tells his story honestly and in a fair minded way. Apparently later in life he went back and edited out some of the opinions he had during and after the war that had mellowed with age and hindsight. A brave and honorable soldier - fighting for a terrible cause.
June 29, 2024
A lesson in boldness, loyalty and true human friendship.
Reading about the Civil War in the words of one of its most active, indefatigable and honorable participants, I have learned much about Col. John S. Mosby, his actions and exploits, and the heroics and foibles of his allies and his enemies. He is a great storyteller who sees in every circumstance the pathos as well as the humor.
Reading about the Civil War in the words of one of its most active, indefatigable and honorable participants, I have learned much about Col. John S. Mosby, his actions and exploits, and the heroics and foibles of his allies and his enemies. He is a great storyteller who sees in every circumstance the pathos as well as the humor.
August 30, 2019
Really 2.5 stars. Most of the memoirs are simply list of encounters with prisoners and horses taken. The only real description of an encounter was when Mosby was wounded and almost taken captive near the end of the war. The defense of J E B Stuart was so technical it was almost like a court case.
March 6, 2019
Been wanting to read for a long time and it was a chore trudging threw this book the way it was written.
It was written in old dialect which made it very hard to follow. It would’ve been better translated into modern text.
It was written in old dialect which made it very hard to follow. It would’ve been better translated into modern text.
October 18, 2023
Lots of detail about Colonel Mosby. Not just his own accounts but excerpts from both north and south newspapers. Also accounts from Confederate and Union Leaders. Im not a true civil war buff so a lot of detail was lost on me.
January 22, 2025
Fascinating!
This book tells a LOT that I've never read about elsewhere.
At the end - what was said by, and about, Grant makes me to want to find, and read, a factual book by, or about Grant!
This book tells a LOT that I've never read about elsewhere.
At the end - what was said by, and about, Grant makes me to want to find, and read, a factual book by, or about Grant!
February 19, 2021
A man that has to be remembered for all time.
I have been studying the civil war and the story of Colonel John S Mosby is a must read in learning about this war.
I have been studying the civil war and the story of Colonel John S Mosby is a must read in learning about this war.
September 9, 2024
Very self promoting, blame everyone but his mentor story. It should have been a warning to our war college about guerrilla warfare with a determined enemy, but it didn’t.
June 29, 2022
A great history
A warm and we'll constructed history of a great leader. His deeds where beyond belief. His loyalty and bravery collected respect from both North and south.
A warm and we'll constructed history of a great leader. His deeds where beyond belief. His loyalty and bravery collected respect from both North and south.
March 12, 2016
What a man! I really enjoyed Mosby's memoirs. The great Confederate guerilla leader who opposeed secession and wasn't real fond of slavery, who nonetheless drove the Union (and some Confederate miltary) crazy. Mosby doesn't cut anybody any slack. He takes both sides to task for incompetence and stupidity. Sickly and bullied as a child, even into young adulthood (he appears to have been a rather mild-mannered lawyer before the war, and enlisted as a private, though he could have been an officer, because he felt he didn't know anything about leading much less war) , Mosby got his revenge with inteligence, education, and flair. His daring raids and escapes make him, imo, the greatest military strategist of the Confederacy. After the war he beame friends with General Grant, served the US government with honor and ended up a corporate lawyer--all which which must have been pretty boring
I did have a couple problems with the book. I read the Kindle version and parts were hard to follow. I'm not sure if this was a technical problem or a problem with the text itself. I also skipped over a lot of the battle descriptions which are quite detailed. I am much more interested in Mosby the person--the inner Mosby--than the Battle of Gettysburg. Mosby is somewhat reflective, but the book is 100 years old and nobody was writing "personal" then. That said, only a couple of genuine bios hae been written about him, and I've ordered the latest.
Memoirs contain excerpts of letters from him to his wife Pauline. It appears that these have never been collected and published. They should be. She died at the age of 39 after giving birth to their 8th child and he never remarried. From what I have found about her, she was intellectual, well-read and education, and their relationship was not only built on love but intellectuial compatibily.
I did have a couple problems with the book. I read the Kindle version and parts were hard to follow. I'm not sure if this was a technical problem or a problem with the text itself. I also skipped over a lot of the battle descriptions which are quite detailed. I am much more interested in Mosby the person--the inner Mosby--than the Battle of Gettysburg. Mosby is somewhat reflective, but the book is 100 years old and nobody was writing "personal" then. That said, only a couple of genuine bios hae been written about him, and I've ordered the latest.
Memoirs contain excerpts of letters from him to his wife Pauline. It appears that these have never been collected and published. They should be. She died at the age of 39 after giving birth to their 8th child and he never remarried. From what I have found about her, she was intellectual, well-read and education, and their relationship was not only built on love but intellectuial compatibily.
March 19, 2012
Mosby’s Memoirs by Colonel John S. Mosby is less an autobiography than an account, evaluation and explanation of army tactics employed in the Civil War. John Mosby began the war in 1861 as a private but his vision and daring soon brought him to the attention of his superiors. It still took him more than two years to obtain a commission and although most of his most daring raids against the Union army were with groups of squad or platoon strength. Not until the end of the war did his band of gorillas reach close to battalion strength. Although he had overall command of a battalion, they never deployed in that strength. He did his best work with ten to twenty mounted men. Mosby spent the whole war scouting enemy positions and strengths and harassing communications. If his dispatches are to be believed (I have no reason to doubt them) his partisans captured a couple of thousand Union troops and many officers of all ranks. I’m sure that his command helped the Confederate army to fight as long as they eventually did though his actions only served to postpone the inevitable defeat. I really liked the book and feel it is a MUST read for all Civil War buffs.
January 12, 2017
I quote Wikipedia:
John Singleton Mosby (December 6, 1833 May 30, 1916), also known by his nickname, the "Gray Ghost", was a Confederate army cavalry battalion commander in the American Civil War. His command, the 43rd Battalion, Virginia Cavalry, known as Mosby's Rangers or Mosby's Raiders, was a partisan ranger unit noted for its lightning-quick raids and its ability to elude Union Army pursuers and disappear, blending in with local farmers and townsmen.
The Memoirs of Colonel John S. Mosby: how could this not be an amazing book.....well it ain't! In fact it is very dry reading with many listings of facts and figures, gains and losses, reports, letters, excerpts from letters and commendations quoted at length. Entire chapters are made up from communiques between major players union and confederate. His chapter on Gettysburg arguably the greatest battle of the war is a lawyers defense of general Stuart. All in all reading this book was like taking a sleeping pill. It took all the attention i could muster to finish this book and not slip into a coma. Recommended only for a historian with a six pack of Redbull.
John Singleton Mosby (December 6, 1833 May 30, 1916), also known by his nickname, the "Gray Ghost", was a Confederate army cavalry battalion commander in the American Civil War. His command, the 43rd Battalion, Virginia Cavalry, known as Mosby's Rangers or Mosby's Raiders, was a partisan ranger unit noted for its lightning-quick raids and its ability to elude Union Army pursuers and disappear, blending in with local farmers and townsmen.
The Memoirs of Colonel John S. Mosby: how could this not be an amazing book.....well it ain't! In fact it is very dry reading with many listings of facts and figures, gains and losses, reports, letters, excerpts from letters and commendations quoted at length. Entire chapters are made up from communiques between major players union and confederate. His chapter on Gettysburg arguably the greatest battle of the war is a lawyers defense of general Stuart. All in all reading this book was like taking a sleeping pill. It took all the attention i could muster to finish this book and not slip into a coma. Recommended only for a historian with a six pack of Redbull.
August 11, 2012
When measured against Grant's memoirs this autobiography is lacking. While the relating of his raids and activities against Union forces in "Mosby's Confederacy" is worth noting, his interruption of it all to defend "Jeb" Stuart's actions during the Gettysburg campaign becomes disconcerting. I understand his wanting to defend his "chief" but it went on endlessly. Mosby just adds to the mountain of opinion on that subject. His comments and praise of Ulysses S. Grant are noteworthy. Mosby was another "Rebel" the powers in place would've had hung if not a word from Grant to the contrary. The other being Robert E. Lee.
Mosby's comment on the Colt revolver: "I think we did more than any other body of men to give the Colt pistol its great reputation." Mosby's men carried a brace of Colt's rather than sabers and carbines.
Mosby's comment on the Colt revolver: "I think we did more than any other body of men to give the Colt pistol its great reputation." Mosby's men carried a brace of Colt's rather than sabers and carbines.
April 21, 2013
Colonel John Mosby first came to my attention back in the mid to late 50's via a TV show, The Gray Ghost. Although that TV show was highly fictionalized, it was my introduction to guerrilla warfare.
This book is the memoirs of that Confederate Cavalry officer depicted in that show. As one of the reviewers on another site stated, if Mosby had been on the Union side his exploits would be much more well known today.
The conversion of this from paperback to eBook is horrible. Footnotes are placed in the middle of the pages, there are breaks in Mosby's narration, only to be picked up a page or two later. But even with those distractions, this was, to me anyway, a very educational read about a childhood idol.
This book is the memoirs of that Confederate Cavalry officer depicted in that show. As one of the reviewers on another site stated, if Mosby had been on the Union side his exploits would be much more well known today.
The conversion of this from paperback to eBook is horrible. Footnotes are placed in the middle of the pages, there are breaks in Mosby's narration, only to be picked up a page or two later. But even with those distractions, this was, to me anyway, a very educational read about a childhood idol.
September 5, 2013
Mosby is one of the most interesting characters of the American Civil War. Reading his memoirs is particularly interesting to those of us living in the part of Northern Virginia through which he fought during the War. The most interesting parts of the book from an historical view were Mosby's very favorable take on General Grant and his defense of JEB Stuart's actions during the Gettysburg Campaign.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews