Book Review Mosbys Raids in Civil War Northern Virginia
Connery, William S. Mosbys Raids in Civil War Northern Virginia (Civil War Sesquicentennial) . Charleston: The History Press, 2013. 158 pages, 147 pages of text, index, bibliography, b/w photos, 1 map. ISBN 9781609498931, $19.99. Dont be fooled by the title of this book. It is really about more than John S. Mosbys service to the Confederacy during the Civil War. The war does take probably 75% of the book but there is more to be had. While clearly not a definitive or complete biography of Mosby (it does not claim to be) this is certainly an excellent introduction to "the Gray Ghost." While in jail for a shooting that he was later granted a pardon for, Mosby studied the law and was later admitted to the Virginia Bar. Unlike many of the most famous Civil War personalities Mosby did not attend West Point and he had no prior military training. Like many Confederate generals though he started as a pro-Union man only changing his mind when his state joined the Confederacy. Mosby ori...