3rd Lt. George H. Whitescarver, Jr., Co. A.
b. 1839, son of George H. Whitescarver Sr., of Warrenton.
m. never married
d. June 11, 1863 (killed in action)
George Whitescarver joined Company K of the 17th Virginia Infantry (the Warrenton Rifles) at Fairfax Courthouse on June 6, 1861, enrolled by Captain B.H. Shackleford who succeeded to the command of the unit following the death of Capt. John Quincy Marr.
His relation (cousin?) Joe Nelson, (who also later became a Mosby Ranger, joining the command at the same time as Whitescarver), had joined the Warrenton Rifles in April of that year, before Virginia's secession ordinance had passed, as had Warrenton resident Walter Frankland who also joined Mosby around the same times as Nelson and Whitescarver.
A year later, he decided to join up with Scott's 24th Battalion of Virginia Partisan Rangers (which lists him on the rolls as William Henry Whitescarver or Wisecarver instead of George Henry) and was first listed on the 17th Virginia muster rolls as AWOL on May 16 before his official transfer came through the following week.
He was captured on October 1, 1862 at Warrenton and paroled on November 12. After he was delivered to City Point for exchange, he checked into the Petersburg General Hospital to get his strength back after his imprisonment. He was discharged on February 5, 1863 upon the disbandment of Scott's Partisan Rangers. He headed back home to Fauquier, looking for another unit to join up with and joined Mosby around February 1, around the same time as his relation and comrade from the 17th Virginia, Joe Nelson did.
The two of them may have been responsible for persuading Walter Frankland to join up with Mosby instead of with Lige White, which had been Frankland's original aim.
He took part in the Fairfax Courthouse raid and was one of the group of five men whom Mosby handpicked to come with him to the Gunnell House where they kidnapped General Stoughton.
The others were Joe Nelson, Welt Hatcher, William Hunter and Frank Williams.
At the Gunnell House, Whitescarver stayed downstairs with Hatcher, 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."
He was also involved in the April 1 fight at Miskell's Farm and was present on June 10, when Mosby formally enrolled the command as the 43rd Battalion of Virginia Cavalry at Rector's Cross Roads and was elected First Lieutenant of Company A.
It was a very short lived promotion. George Whitescarver was to become the first casualty of the newly formed battalion. He was killed in action the very next day, in the raid on Seneca Mills Maryland and was buried near where he fell.
At the time of his discharge from Scott's Partisan Rangers he was described as being 23 years old, born in Fauquier County, 5'9" tall, with a light complexion, light hair and light eyes. His occupation was given as farmer.
Relations to Other Rangers:
Whitescarver was some relation (cousins?) to Ranger Joseph H. Nelson, with whom he joined Mosby's command in February 1863.
Mentions in various references:
(incomplete, more to be added)Virgil Carrington Jones, Ranger Mosby, (1944)
Pages:84, 94, 95, 116, 133, 134, 271, 303
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