John Singleton Mosby Bio
 
On December 6, 1833, Virginia McLaurine Mosby, wife of Alfred Daniel Mosby, gave birth to a son and named him John Singleton, after his paternal grandfather. Mosby lived in Nelson County, Va. until the age of six when his father moved to adjoining Albemarle County, four miles from Charlottesville and within viewing distance of Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. After showing proficiency in Greek during grade school, he enrolled at the University of Virginia on October 3, 1850. But after shooting a fellow student after a dispute, Mosby was expelled from the University and was punished for this affair by imprisonment, but the attorney who had vigorously prosecuted him aided him during this confinement in the study of law. He then took up several months of study in a local law office. He soon passed the bar and set up his own practice in nearby Howardsville, also in Albemarle County.
 
A town visitor, Pauline Clarke, captured Mosby's affection. After courting her, he moved to her hometown of Bristol, on the Tennessee border. On December 30, 1857 they were married. Their first child, a daughter named May, was born on May 10, 1859. Never an ardent secessionist, when Virginia followed other Southern states and voted to secede from the Union following Abraham Lincoln's election to the presidency in 1860, Mosby enlisted in the Washington Mounted Rifles, under Capt. William E. Jones. He joined Stuart's cavalry at Bunker Hill, and made his first scout at Bull Run. When Jones became colonel of the First Virginia cavalry he was appointed adjutant of the regiment, with the rank of lieutenant. He captured his first prisoners in a scout from Warrenton in the spring of 1862.
 
When Jones was transferred to another regiment, Mosby was invited by Stuart to remain with him as a scout, and, in this capacity, he made a reconnaissance prior to Stuart's famous Chickahominy raid, and as guide led that expedition. After the Seven Days' campaign, being sent in the direction of Fredericksburg, he saw the opportunity for independent service in Fauquier County, and asked for such orders, but instead was sent to General Jackson. En route he was captured, but was exchanged in time to give Lee the information of Burnside's movement toward Fredericksburg, and serve with Stuart in the Second Manassas and Maryland campaigns. In January 1863, Stuart approved Mosby's plan and gave him a few men to begin his operation. Mosby and his partisan rangers were later incorporated into the regular Confederate army. Their primary objective consisted of destroying railroad supply lines between Washington and Northern Virginia, as well as intercepting dispatches and horses and capturing Union soldiers. His men had no superiors in the saddle and were expert pistol shots. They used neither sabers nor carbines. They were never very numerous, but what they lacked in numbers was compensated for by high intelligence, inspired by reckless daring. Among them were some who deserve to rank with the heroes of romance. Mosby's numbers rose from one dozen to six hundred by the end of the war. Mosby's rank likewise rose steadily; his final promotion to colonel came in January 1865. Gen. Robert E. Lee cited Mosby for meritorious service more often than any other Confederate officer during the course of the war.
 
After the surrender at Appomattox, it was understood that he was not to be included in the terms granted to Lee, and on April 18th he made a truce with General Hancock at Winchester, pending negotiations. Having heard nothing from Johnston he met a flag of truce at Millwood, and had proposed an extension of ten days, but received through Major Russell a message from Hancock refusing it and informing him that unless he surrendered immediately Hancock would proceed to devastate the country. The reply he sent by Russell was, "Tell General Hancock he is able to do it." Hancock then had 40,000 men at Winchester. The next day he disbanded his battalion to save the country from being made a desert. His subsequent life was influenced greatly by the strong friendship between him and General Grant who had ordered his honorable parole. He supported the candidacy of Grant for the presidency as the best way to restore amity in the Union, which earned the enmity of many Southerners, but declined office. Finally accepting the consulship at Hong Kong (1878-1885), under the administration of President Hayes, he won distinction by the official life. He became active on the lecture circuit and penned his war reminiscences and several other works for magazines and newspapers, spreading his account of his exploits during the war. Subsequently he returned to the practice of law and made his residence at San Francisco.
 
His military influence continued during George S. Patton�s childhood, one of the best friends of the Patton family was none-other-than Colonel John S. Mosby, the fabled "Grey Ghost". Patton grew up hearing tales of daring raids and stunning cavalry attacks from the Grey Ghost himself. During visits to the Patton Ranch in Southern California, Colonel Mosby would re-enact the Civil War with George, playing himself, he let George play the part of General Lee, as they would recount the battles of the war, astride their horses. These firsthand stories, and horseback re-enactments, directed by one of the greatest Guerilla fighters of all time no doubt had a huge influence on Patton.  George�s sense of bravery and duty, and his Guerilla like tactics were no doubt heavily influenced by his early exploits with John S. Mosby. After a series of physical debilitations, Mosby died on May 30, 1916 at the age of 82. He is buried in Warrenton Va..
 
The Memoirs of Colonel John S. Mosby can be found Here