John S. Mosby

John S. Mosby
Mosby during the 1860s
Birth name	John Singleton Mosby
Nickname(s)	"The Gray Ghost"[1]
Born	(1833-12-06)December 6, 1833 Powhatan County, Virginia, U.S.
Died	May 30, 1916(1916-05-30) (aged 82) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Buried	Warrenton Cemetery Warrenton, Virginia, U.S.
Allegiance	Confederate States
Service / branch	Confederate States Army
Years of service	1861–1865
Rank	Colonel
Unit	43rd Battalion, Virginia Cavalry
Commands	Mosby's Rangers
Battles / wars	American Civil War Battle of Bull Run Peninsular Campaign
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John Singleton Mosby (December 6, 1833 – May 30, 1916), also known by his nickname "Gray Ghost", was an American military officer who was a Confederate cavalry 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 blend in with local farmers and townsmen. The area of northern central Virginia in which Mosby operated with impunity became known as Mosby's Confederacy.

After the Civil War, Mosby became a Republican and worked as an attorney, supporting his former enemy's commander, U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant. He also served as the American consul to Hong Kong and in the U.S. Department of Justice.

In 1992 Mosby was among the first group of men inducted into the United States Army Ranger Hall of fame. In June 2023, the Fort Moore (previously named Benning) garrison commander ordered his name to be removed from the hall of fame as well as the National Ranger Memorial along with three other rangers that included William Quantrill, George Bowman and Jackson Bowman. The National Ranger Memorial foundation, headquartered in Columbus, Ga filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court Middle District to restore Mosby's name to the memorial as well as the hall of fame. The hearing is scheduled for December 12, 2024 at 2 p.m. at the Federal Courhouse. ^[2]