Customer Reviews

Mosby's Rangers

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you are interested in Mosby's Rangers, this is a great book. This is NOT a biography of John S. Mosby, though. It is a biography of the unit, with special attention towards the leader. The depth with which Wert has researched the individuals in the group provides a clear picture into the inner workings of the Rangers, and the civilians living within Mosby's Confederacy. The book was gripping, especially for someone who grew up and lives on the edge of Mosby's Confederacy.

I would warn others, though, that the lack of maps (Only one at the beginning of the book that charts all of Northern Virginia), can lead to confusion about the whereabouts of the Rangers, their adversaries, or allies, as well as the general positions of the people when in conflict. This is a let down to me since Wert included many maps in "Longstreet" to help transplant people to the Tennessee and Virginia battlefields, but I had to rely on my own knowledge of the area for Mosby's Rangers.

I found Mosby's Rangers to be a very interesting book and it is now one of my all-time favorites, Wersh gave very a detailed history of Mosby's life and his actions as a guerilla raider in the Civil War.

This is the first effort by Mr. Wert that I did not enjoy.
Perhaps a misconception on my part, but I thought this would offer more of a biography of Mosby.I had A hard time with the book it jumped around so.

Jeffry Wert came to his subject about as objectively as is possible in such matters. He was not afraid to point out Mosby's weaknesses - and he had them - but neither was he afraid to trumpet his strengths which were considerably more numerous and important than his weaknesses.

John Mosby - in Wert's own words - was the 'most lethal man' about whom the author had ever written and yet, Mosby's 'lethality' is not that of other 'notorious guerrillas and bushwhackers' who fought for the Confederacy, men like Quantrill, Anderson and Ferguson. Rather, his was constrained, premeditated and intellectual in nature; Mosby was no bestial monster who killed in the red rage of sectional hatred. As long as Union soldiers were fighting against him, Mosby - and his men - did not hesitate to kill - and they did it very well indeed! However, once a soldier or a command had surrendered, he immediately embraced that behavior considered honorable in wartime - so much so, in fact,that some of his best friends after the war were officers whom he had captured. Only in two instances did Mosby fight 'under the black flag' - that is, with no prisoners being taken. The first involved the understanding by Mosby's command that they were to kill all troops involved in the destruction of civilian property. The second occurred when Mosby was forced (very much against his will) to engage in retaliation for the hanging and shooting of six of his men at Front Royal and the later hanging of another of his men who had been captured. Mosby believed that unless he responded in kind ('measure for measure' as he himself said) his men would be treated as outlaws and not soldiers when captured. Interestingly enough, in the latter instance, Mosby made sure to get permission to retaliate by going up through the chain of command, requesting the 'blessing' of both Lee and Secretary of War Seddon - which he got. He also chose by lot seven men under Custer and Lowell, the commands that had been responsible for the lynching and shooting of his men.

Wert gives us a 'fair and balanced' picture of the man who became the 'patron saint' of today's Special Forces, a man so far ahead of his time strategically that he was often considered a thief and an outlaw by his own side and whose impact on the war was far greater than the size of his command or the limited area in which he fought would indicate. At the same time, however, Wert does not make Mosby into some legendary figure who could have single-handedly rescued the Confederacy if only things had been just slightly different. And yet, it is well to remember that it was Robert E. Lee who, upon hearing of one of Mosby's earliest exploits said, 'Hurrah for Mosby! I wish I had a hundred of him!' Who knows what Lee could have done had he the services of a hundred men with the vision, acumen and intellect of John Singleton Mosby!

Jeffry Wert has committed to words an excellent tale of the South's most successful guerilla leader and his troops. Whether you are a serious student of the Civil War or someone reading your first historical writing, this book will be most enjoyable. The author has skillfully woven personal accounts with narrative so that the military operations and tactical moves of Mosby and his Rangers come alive in the reader's mind. This book will put you in the saddle with the 43rd Battalion of the Virginia Calvary and let you ride along on their guerilla raids and attacks. When you have finished with this superb account of Mosby and his command, you will fully understand why Grant ordered that any Ranger who was captured should be immediately executed without benefit of a trial. For those looking for studious detail, Wert's research is extensive, using memiors, newspaper accounts, and other resources in his well-developed bibliography and notes. Mr. Wert also includes a roster of all soldiers

I love books about Mosby especially since I grew up in Prince William County Virginia, this is and was an area that in the civil war was known as Mosby's Confederacy because of the help the commander of the guerrilla unit had from the locals and the fact that one ths one unit almost single-handedly kept this part of Virginia in Confederate hands throughout the war.

Two points

One-More accurately it is a story about the UNIT with an emphasize on Mosby and while there are some elements that could be considered part of a biography on John Mosby that's not the whole purpose of this book. So if you are looking for a biography there are probably better books you could pick.

Two-While I loved the book I can certainly see where some others may have a problem, it suffers from a big problem in some historical accounts of all times, namely it is dry and at times it rambles. That's fine by me I like blow-by-blow accounts of operations and battles but someone who is looking for something different might want to try something else.

Overall-This book is sort of a like it or hate it book. I happen to like it.

Being a fan of Civil War history, my view is biased. This book is a good look at the reality of Mosby and his men. They were fed, clothed and sheltered by the populace. Any steps that the Union took to quench that support only seemed to make it grow. The reasoning is made clear to the reader through a wonderful narrative. Abundant references are also given. Even a listing of the Rangers is provided.

Jeffry Wert's book on John Mosby's adventures reads like a great novel. It carries the action along while fleshing out the main characters, and gives vivid discriptions of the places of "Mosby Confederacy." Just an outstanding effort and Wert is to be praised. I have read all of the books on Mosby and while the others are good, this one was the most entertaining. It is well researched (as are all of Wert's books), and the author does excellent job of describing the events that brought home the Civl War to the people of Loudoun and Fauquier counties in Virginia.

I have to be honest, I almost put the book down half way through. But I gave the author the benefit of the doubt and kept on reading.

I couldn't figure out why Mosby was so "glorified" as a great leader reading this book. Basically all the author described was taking prisoners and stealing horses.

After I read to the last 1/3 of the book the action picks up. Now I know why Mosby is so highly regarded in the "Confederacy".

It turned out to be a good read, and one has to admire the leadership and courage of Mosby, Chapman, Richards, and all his men.

An interesting account of one of the most colorful soldiers of the Civil War. The book appears to be very well researched and it is obvious the author has spent time on the ground that Mosby used to conduct his raids. The only small fault is that the author appears to be a bit biased to his subject. While Mosby makes for good stories, his overall impact on the civil war was minimal. Jeffry Wert seemed to try a bit to hard to make Mosby's impact into more than it was. Overall a great read and well written.