“From the Archives” Colonel John S. Mosey: In the Wrong Place at the Right Time

John Singleton Mosby (1833–1916), also known as the “Gray Ghost,” was a Confederate army cavalry battalion commander in the American Civil War. He commanded the 43rd Battalion, Virginia Cavalry, known as Mosby’s Rangers or Mosby’s Raiders. It was a partisan ranger unit noted for its lightning-quick raids and its ability to elude Union Army pursuers and disappear, blending in with local farmers and townspeople. North central Virginia, where Mosby operated, was known during the war as “Mosby’s Confederacy.”

Colonel Mosby and his family apparently attended Mass here at Saint Mary at least once, according to the following item found in The History of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church:

He was usually in the right place at the right time. John Singleton Mosby, who with his Virginia Rangers    terrorized the Yankees in the Civil War with guerilla tactics. On one occasion, however, he was in the wrong place at the right time: St. Pauls’ on a Sunday morning in 1874. In town with his wife and child, he mistook [St. Paul’s] church for a Catholic one because of the large cross that sits on top of the front entrance. Entering the church, he was recognized and shown to the pew rented by Mr. R.M. Lawson. Not until the service started did the Colonel and his little party realize the error, retreat down the aisle and find their way to St. Mary’s.

— Kitty Guy, Parish Historian

In 2020, to commemorate the 225th anniversary of our parish, we started “From the Archives” as a weekly feature online and in our bulletin to spotlight the history of Saint Mary’s. Due to its popularity, we are continuing the series in 2021. An archive of the features is located here.