Mosby’s Rangers will be the topic of this month’s Southern Maryland Civil War Round Table program. Commanded by Colonel John Singleton Mosby, the 43rd Battalion Virginia Cavalry was one fo the most famous units of the Civil War. The unit was formed on June 10, 1863, at Rector’s Cross Roads, Virginia and became noted for its lighting strikes on Union targets and its ability to consistently elude pursuit. It played a large role in disrupting Federal communications and supply lines. The troopers melted into the civilian population until called to arms for a mission. Speed, surprise and shock were the secrets of the success of Mosby’s command, allowing them to successfully strike much larger bodies of enemy troops. Capturing a Union general was perhaps its most celebrated feat.
The speaker for December will be Eric Buckland, author of several books on Mosby’s command. His talk is entitled, “A Few Mosby Men.” After graduating from the University of Kansas, Mr. Buckland entered the U.S. Army, serving with distinction for twenty two years in the Special Forces and several airborne divisions. He was deployed in Panama, Honduras and El Salvador. He retired from the military in 1999 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Mr. Buckland’s interest in Mosby’s Rangers began as a young boy and increased with his military service. He is especially interested in the individual stories of Mosby’s men. You can learn more at Mr. Buckland’s website, http://www.mosbymen.com/
Our program is scheduled for Tuesday, December 11, 2012 in BI 113 (Business and Industry Building) at 7:00 p.m. All are welcome to attend, but membership in the Round Table is encouraged.
of Fitz John Porter.” As in sports, the Civil War had its share of heroes and its shares of men to whom blame for defeat or disaster was attached. A Union defeat at Manassas in the summer of 1862 led to criticism and a court-martial for one of the rising stars of the Army of the Potomac’s high command.