The 43rd Battalion, Virginia
Cavalry
The 43rd Battalion,
Virginia Cavalry, also known as Mosby's Rangers, Mosby's Raiders or
Mosby's Men, was a battalion of partisan cavalry in the Confederate army
during the American Civil War. Noted for their lightning strikes on
Union targets and their ability to consistently elude pursuit, the
Rangers disrupted Federal communications and supply lines.
The 43rd Battalion was formed on June 10, 1863, at Rector's Cross Roads,
near Rectortown, Virginia, when John S. Mosby formed Company A of the
battalion. Mosby was acting under the authority of General Robert E.
Lee, who had granted him permission to raise a company in January 1863
under the Partisan Ranger Act of 1862, in which the Confederate Congress
authorized the formation of such units. By the summer of 1864, Mosby's
battalion had grown to six cavalry companies and one artillery company,
comprising about 400 men. After February 1864, the Confederate Congress
revoked the authority of all partisan units, except for two, one of
which was the 43rd Battalion. The battalion never formally surrendered,
but was disbanded on April 21, 1865, after General Lee surrendered the
Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Court House, but not before
attempting to negotiate surrender with Major General Winfield S. Hancock
in Winchester, Virginia. (Wikipedia)
Continued on Wikipedia regarding
Mosby and the battles fought by this band of partisans.
