author
John Singleton Mosby
1833–1916
Best known as the "Gray Ghost," this daring Civil War cavalry leader built a legend through fast, unpredictable raids behind Union lines. His life after the war was just as surprising, taking him from former Confederate officer to lawyer, diplomat, and federal official.
1 Audiobook
Mosby's War Reminiscences; Stuart's Cavalry Campaigns
by John Singleton Mosby
About the author
Born in Virginia in 1833, he studied at the University of Virginia, later read law, and became a lawyer before the Civil War changed the course of his life. During the war he rose to fame as the commander of a partisan ranger unit known as Mosby's Rangers, whose swift hit-and-run attacks made him one of the Confederacy's most talked-about cavalry leaders.
After the war, Mosby returned to legal work and took a path that surprised many former Confederates. He supported Ulysses S. Grant, joined the Republican Party, and served as U.S. consul in Hong Kong, later holding federal legal posts in Washington.
He also wrote about his wartime experiences, helping shape the way later generations remembered him. Mosby died in 1916, but he remains a vivid and controversial figure in American history: admired for his tactical skill, debated for the cause he served, and remembered for the unexpected turns in his public life.