North Central Virginia became the
preserve of one of the most dashing figures of the Civil War, John Singleton
Mosby, nicknamed, the “Gray Ghost”.
Mosby’s
rangers immobilized 30,000 Union troops during the Civil War. Mosby’s command,
often consisting of fewer than 50 men, captured thousands of Union troops,
horses and mules. Sam Moore of Berryville (Loudon County)
wrote, “They had for us all the
glamour of Robin Hood and his merry men, all the courage and bravery of the
ancient crusaders, the unexpectedness of benevolent pirates and the stealth of
Indians.”
Soon
civilians in the area became conscious of the Mosby magic and offered to enlist
under the Confederate law which authorized the creation of guerilla bands.
Sergeant William T. Biedler, 16
years old, of Company C, Mosby's Virginia Cavalry Regiment was one such
enlistee.Many of Mosby’s soldiers were too young to
join the regular army.Mosby favored
these young troopers. “They haven’t sense enough to know danger when they see
it, and will fight anything I tell them to,” he once said.
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