Mosby's Rangers
Westmoreland Virginia

 

Col. John Singleton Mosby - legendary leader of Virginia's 43^rd Battalion, the forerunner of the commandos of WWII through today…  Against seemingly impossible odds, the 43^rd Battalion, Virginia Partisan Rangers, successfully carried out a system of warfare.

 

The brainchild Colonel John Singleton Mosby, and the Battalion's only commander; he nurtured it from a few men to a regiment before the end of hostilities.  Conducting hit-and-run raids on the rear of Union armies before melting into the countryside, Mosby's Rangers stayed away from well-traveled routes and stole along unmarked paths behind enemy lines.  This gave them the edge, and this little band of only 800 men performed wonders - forcing thousands of troops to defend against a ghost-like foe, taking Federal officers right out of their beds, capturing valuable stores of food and supplies, and driving off countless Union horses and cattle.