Pvt. Richard Wellington "Welt" Hatcher, Co. A.,
b. 1846, son of Gurley R and Mary Hatcher of Middleburg
m. ?
d. ?Welt Hatcher was a local Middleburg teenager, aged only 17 when Mosby commenced his operations in Northern Virginia. He probably joined Mosby's command sometime in late February - early March of 1863. His first documented participation was in the March 9th Fairfax Courthouse Raid.
His two elder brothers, Daniel C. Hatcher and Henry "Harry" Hatcher, were members of the 7th Virginia Cavalry, initially serving under Turner Ashby. Brother Harry, who was later to join the 43rd Battalion officially, rode occasional raids with Mosby, included the April 1 action at Miskell's Farm, in which he was cited for bravery. It may have been that the two brothers participated together in other actions of Mosby's prior to the Fairfax Courthouse raid, but their involvement was not recorded in any of the memoirs (Mosby did not take the roll prior to raids).
In the Fairfax raid, elder brother Harry Hatcher was not present, presumably on duty with the 7th Virginia. However, younger brother Welt was part of the group of five men whom Mosby hand-picked to accompany him to the Gunnell House where they kidnapped General Stoughton. The others were Joe Nelson, William Hunter, George Whitescarver and Frank Williams.
At the Gunnell House, Hatcher stayed downstairs with George Whitescarver, guarding the horses while the other four went upstairs to capture Stoughton. While in the yard, they were not idle. According to Virgil Carrington Jones in his seminal 1944 biography, Ranger Mosby, "They had captured seven headquarters couriers from tents in the yard, as well as several horses which had been standing by bridled and saddled. These were all waiting at the gate, ready to move."
Welt Hatcher was present at most of the other major engagements of the command and was formally enrolled in the 43rd battalion when it was created at Rectors Cross Roads on June 10, 1863.
Other actions in which his involvement was documented in various memoirs include the July 30, 1863 capture of Federal wagons at Fairfax Courthouse and fight at Mt. Zion Church, the April 22 1864 attack on pickets near Hunter's Mill, in which he was wounded, the November 18, 1864 fight at Myerstown, Jerfferson County, WV and the March 21, 1865 Hamilton fight.
Present when Col. Mosby disbanded the command at Salem on April 21, 1865, he went with several other Rangers to Winchester the following day where he was paroled. In his parole papers he was described as being 19 years old, 5'5" tall, with a light complexion, light hair and grey eyes.
Relations to Other Rangers:
As noted, he was the younger brother of Ranger Henry H. "Harry Hatcher, who became 3rd Lt. in Company A and of Capt. Daniel C. Hatcher of the 7th Virginia cavalry.
Mentions in various references:
(incomplete, more to be added)Virgil Carrington Jones, Ranger Mosby, (1944)
Pages: 94, 95, 96Links Online:
Descendants / Researcher Contacts:
Historic Preservation
Descendants | Album | Bibliography | Bookstore | Newsletter
Forum | Links | Events | Contribute | About this Site
The Oreo Foundation | Living History by Jeff Smith
HOME