Civil War Spy Helps Regiment Catch Confederate Mosby's Guerrillas in Virginia
Enlisted as a Private on December 23, 1861, and was mustered into M Co. Of the Rhode Island Cavalry. On January 7, 1864, he was transferred into M Co. Of the New Hampshire 1.
Smith was taken POW at Middleburg, VA, on June 18, 1863 and was shortly paroled. He was killed at Columbia Furnace, VA, on October 6, 1864. Virginia Cavalry was firmly in control of parts of Northern Virginia from 1863 to 1865. His fighters became known as Partisan Rangers or Mosbys Rangers.
Mosbys nickname was the Gray Ghost resulting from his ability to stage quick raids and avoid detection. Intelligence about the Union Black Devils was gathered by young women and communicated through an elaborate system of lights in windows and letters under rocks. Many homes of the Virginia gentry served as safe houses, complete with secret rooms and escape tunnels. Grant actually admired Mosby and helped engineer a parole for him after the war.
Augustus Smith writes a fascinating 6pp, approximately 4 ¾ x 7 ¾, letter of strong detail to his sister on December 27, 1863, about Mosbys Rangers and how his regiments spy led their scouts to weed out spies in Virginia. The spy apparently used intimacy with the woman of one household to gather information. I expect to reap my reward in doing soldiers duty breakfasting & ere many days receive words spoken by your pen of yourself and all news which you know is invaluable to us living in this benighted land. You would think word from home would be prized to sit here in my place and here the rain fall and even spatter through our cloth covered houses at this present moment be able to be called any moment to go no one knows where, ride perhaps till the last drop of rain has been squeezed from the clouds as be permitted to lay in a cozy bunk. There is two sides to everything.That makes me think of our scout. We have one a native of VA.
He has been with Mosby three months to learn his roads, haunts, etc. He (scout) goes through the country getting in the good grace of the citizens, learns what he can, then takes us out and walk in mister reb.
For a long time, he had suspicion of a nest [of spies] but could not find it until last week. He had made up his mind within a few miles of where it was within this territory. There was a young lady he had become acquainted with from time to time. He is of course one of Mosbys men to her.
One week ago to night he call on his fair lady and as near as I could find out by hearing them talk after words, he had prospered well with his suit. He left a little before day (perhaps you can judge how they parted), came into camp the next morning.
Forty of us was ordered for a scout after traveling miles, searching houses we scouts came to this one where he was recognized through his disguise. Nevertheless, he searched the house, made the impression of finding a reb or two. His ladies brother was at homeYou can judge the looks she gave him as he went fumbling over everything from top to bottom, two of us went by his side with cocked revolvers. She could not speak to him.
Tears rolled down her cheeks as he passed out the door. He gave the search up. In the woods several hundred rods from the house, we spied a little curling smoke. Taking carbine in hand (we left our horses with a strong guard) we surrounded the smoke. We came to a strong barricade, then another, then covered with bushes, brush, bags, everything that could be collected to cover. Stealthily we approached, surrounded the tent. A dozen carbines thrust their muscles into the tent, surrender was the only chance to save life. There in that tent lived a brood of guerillas. What do you suppose they were doing? We marched them up to the house. The mother comes running to meet her boy. Sisters looked on but in the eye of one you could see vengeance as it looked upon one at last. She expressed her mind to the scout. Excuse me for dressing like this. It was quite a romantic affair. We came in after fifteen hours.Hard word with five rebels. It rained like torrents all day but we had been well poised. So you see our life is quite special.
An extremely fine letter detailing the work and results of a Union spy against one John Mosby, one of the most effective raiders of the Civil War. Our goal is to please every customer. We are pleased to be members of The Manuscript Society, Universal Autograph Collectors Club and The Ephemera Society. The item "Civil War Spy Helps Regiment Catch Confederate Mosby's Guerrillas in Virginia" is in sale since Sunday, June 12, 2016.This item is in the category "Collectibles\Militaria\Civil War (1861-65)\Civil War Veterans' Items". The seller is "bminnocci6mtm" and is located in Boston, Massachusetts. This item can be shipped to United States, to Canada, to United Kingdom, DK, RO, SK, BG, CZ, FI, HU, LV, LT, MT, EE, to Australia, GR, PT, CY, SI, to Japan, to China, SE, KR, ID, to Taiwan, TH, to Belgium, to France, to Hong Kong, to Ireland, to Netherlands, PL, to Spain, to Italy, to Germany, to Austria, RU, IL, to Mexico, to New Zealand, PH, SG, to Switzerland, NO, SA, UA, AE, QA, KW, BH, HR, MY, CL, CO, CR, PA, TT, GT, HN, JM.