The "Original Fifteen:"
Following the success of Mosby's operations from January 1-15 with the original detail of nine men from the First Virginia, Mosby requested of Stuart a longer term detail. His request was granted and he set out to return to his base of operations from the First Virginia's camp on January 18, 1863. After a journey of several days, they arrived in the Loudoun Fauquier area around the 24th. He instructed his men to find lodging with the local citizens and called for them to next rendezvous on the 26th.
In his authorized history of the Battalion published in 1896 -- Mosby's Rangers -- Private James J. Williamson, of Co. A, listed the fifteen men detailed from the First Virginia Cavalry. However, Williamson did not join the command until the latter part of April 1863 and the list of the original 15 was obtained second hand.
Williamson lists the original 15 as:
Fountain Beattie, Charles Buchanan, Christian Gall, William L. Hunter, Edward S. Hurst, Jasper Jones, William Jones, William Keys, Benjamin Morgan, George Siebert, George Slater, Daniel L. Thomas, Thomas Turner, Charles Wheatley and John Wild. Williamson does not cite his sources for this information.43rd Battalion researchers Hugh Keen and Horace Mewborn in their regimental history (M.E. Howard series) have compared Williamson's list with the official records of the First Virginia Cavalry, and with accounts by Mosby and others of the early raids, including official Federal reports identifying men captured in these early raids.
The list they have developed through this research consists of only thirteen names, with the identity of the other two remaining a mystery. The men they identify are: Fount Beattie, Charles Buchanan, Christian Gall, William Hunter, Edward Hurst, William Keys and Thomas Turner (all on Williamson's list) plus Thomas Beaty, George McClarey, Jack Morgan, Edward Walters, Edward Williams and possibly James Greenlee, who could be "Jimmy the Irishman"alluded to in Mosby's memoirs as having been on the February 1 raid.
However, Keen and Mewborn have in fact identified fourteen of the fifteen, as the compiled records at the back of their book show George Slater as one of the original fifteen and note that he was documented as having participated in the Jan 26 fight at Chantilly and the February fight at Thompson's Corner. They may have identified all fifteen, as the biographical appendices in the back of their book show George (John?) Siebert as having been present for the January 26 Chantilly raid. (see below)
As Williamson had access to a great many of his former colleagues, who contributed information for the book, among them Fountain Beattie, one possibility is that Beattie had given him the names of the original 15, and as it was over 30 years later had gotten muddled and had supplied the names of some of the original detail of nine men, who were thought primarily to have come from Mosby and Beattie's own company, Company D.
There was probably a fair amount of overlap between the original nine and the original 15, which would make it even easier to get the two groups confused thirty years later.
As Beattie himself was first detailed with the original nine, it is rational to assume that the men first detailed with him would stick in his mind more firmly than those who were detailed for the longer-term assignment. (As this first assignment was for only two weeks, it is not recorded on the muster rolls)
Furthermore, Beattie may have been more inclined to remember those who remained with the command than those who returned to the 1st Virginia for the duration of the War, as several of those in the first fifteen did (e.g. the five men captured at the dance at Aldie on February 6)
It's also very possible that some men from the 1st VA who later transferred to Mosby's command may have been among the original nine man detail.There are several men from the First Virginia who are documented as being with Mosby at the Miskell's Farm fight on April 15 or shortly thereafter. Is it possible that some of them were among the original nine man detail and then asked to rejoin Mosby after his successful raid on Fairfax Courthouse?
Another possibility is that old comrades from the First Virginia who were in Northern Virginia for other reasons -- on furlough visiting family, in the area because Stuart was in the area, etc. may have ridden the occasional raid with Mosby while still formally attached to the First Virginia. A number of members of other commands were documented as having ridden with Mosby on occasion, to procure replacement mounts among other reasons.
It is also interesting that several men are listed on the March-April 1863 muster rolls for the First Virginia as being detailed to Mosby, but who are not so listed on the Janauary-February muster rolls, do not figure in any of the memoirs written by members of the command, and who returned to the 1st Virginia by May. Perhaps, after the success of the Fairfax Raid, an ecstatic JEB Stuart sent a further short-term detail to Mosby, the documentation for which no longer exists other than the evidence from the muster rolls.
A comparative analysis follows:
Williamson Keen & Mewborn Comment: 1
Fount Beattie
In both original 9 and 15 - noted by Mosby in memoirs.
2
Charles Buchanan
Charles Buchanan
1st Va. muster rolls cite him as captured Feb 6 in Aldie, the date that 5 Mosby Rangers were captured at a dance.
3
Christian Gall
Christian Gall
Documented. local guide Ben Hatton was left with two men, Gall and an Irishman named Jimmy (Mosby memoirs)
4
William L. Hunter
Listed by Mosby as being on the Fairfax Courthouse raid. Promoted rapidly to lieutenant, in Mosby's command, which is noted in the 1st Va. muster rolls for 2nd quarter, which Keen and Mewborn believe suggests he was part of original 15, although 1st Va. muster rolls for first quarter don't say he's assigned to Mosby.
5
Edward S. Hurst
Edward Hurst
Identified as chasing Federal vedette after Feb 1 raid by John Scott
6
Jasper Jones
Member of the 1st Va., was with Mosby by May 3 when he was captured at Warrenton Junction. However, he is not listed as detached to Mosby in early '63. Was he one of the original 9 who returned?
7
William Jones
Brother of Jasper Jones, was with Mosby at least from May 15 when he was captured. See Jasper, above.
8
William Keys
William Keys
Identified as chasing Federal vedette after Feb 1 raid by John Scott
9
Benjamin Morgan
No evidence that Benjamin H. Morgan of the 1st Va. ever served with Mosby. Either he was one of the undocumented first nine, or Williamson got him confused with Jack Morgan who WAS one of the original 15
10
George Siebert
???
According to Keen/Mewborn, there are several Seiberts on the 1st Va. rolls, but no George. Postwar records indicate that a John Siebert was detached to Mosby. Mosby mentions a Siebert for gallantry in Miskell's Farm fight but doesn't' give the first name. However, the biographical appendix of their book, Keen and Mewborn list Siebert as having been present at the Jan 26 fight at Chantilly, which WOULD confirm him as one of the original 15. Presumably, John and George are the same person. (middle names?) Further, it's likely that if Mosby were to mention soldiers for gallantry in dispatches to Stuart, he would only identify by last name only those who were already familiar to Stuart, e.g. those who had been detailed from the First Virginia.
11
???
In their analysis of the first 15, Keen and Mewborn note that Slater does not appear on the muster rolls of the first Va. as being detached to Mosby. However, in the biographical appendix at the end of the book he is listed as having been present for the January 26 Chantilly raid, which would clearly make him one of the original 15
12
Daniel L. Thomas
???
Does not appear on 1st Va. muster roll as detached to Mosby. However, biographical appendix has him present for the 1/26/63 Chantilly raid, and 5/9/63 Catlett's Station raid. By June, he's back with the 1st Va. Cav, where he is captured at Gettysburg. Exchanged in 1864, he then appears on the 1st Va. clothing rolls for the 2nd quarter, but then enlists with Mosby in September of that year for the rest of the War.
13
Thomas Turner
Thomas Turner
Although not listed as detached to Mosby on 1st quarter muster rolls of the 1st Va., Turner is listed on 2nd quarter rolls as having been promoted by Mosby to 1st Lt. Furthermore, he's documented as having been in the fight at Aldie Mill on March 3.
14
Charles Wheatley
Does not appear as detached to Mosby on the 1st Va. muster rolls. Listed as present on the first Virginia rolls through February 1864. Apparently he joined Mosby sometime thereafter, as he took the oath at the end of the war listing himself as a member of Mosby's command.
15
John Wild
Not listed in 1st Va. records as being detached to Mosby. In fact, Wild (who is also listed as Wilt) appears on the 1st Va. rolls as having been taken off April 19, 1862 at expiration of his term of service by general order, having enlisted for one year., This would suggest that he was exempt from the new conscription law. Although he had enlisted at Martinsburg (now WV) this suggests that he was actually a resident of another state (MD?) and suggest that he voluntarily joined Mosby some time after his enlistment expired. He WAS with Mosby at the April 1 Miskell's' Farm fight, where he was cited for bravery. Had he joined the command earlier? There is no record - however, Mosby didn't take the roll.
16
Listed as detached to Mosby on the Jan-Feb muster rolls,Listed as captured at Middleburg, Feb 26, the date that Beattie and two other unidentified Rangers were captured. After he was exchanged, he returned to the 1st VA
17
George McClarey
On the records of the Old Capitol Prison he is listed as having been captured at Middleburg Feb 6, which would make him one of the 5 captured on that date at the dance at Aldie.
18
Jack Morgan
Appears on March-April muster roll as detached to Mosby, listed as captured on Feb 6 at Aldie, making him one of the 5.
19
Listed as detached to Mosby on the Jan-Feb muster rolls,Listed as captured at Middleburg, Feb 26, the date that Beattie and two other unidentified Rangers were captured.
20
Edward Williams
Listed as detached to Mosby on the Jan-Feb muster rolls. Captured in Loudoun Co. Feb. 6, which would make him one of the 5 Rangers captured at the dance in Aldie
21
James Greenlee
Appears on the muster rolls for March-April as "absent with Major Mosby's command" although is not noted as such in the Jan-Feb muster rolls. He returns to the First Virginia muster rolls by May 1863 through August 1864.
22
"Jimmy the Irishman"
Who was he? A mystery!
The Search for "Jimmy the Irishman: In Mosby's memoirs, he lists two men being left with Hatton, the local man pressed into service as their guide on the February 1 raid. One is listed as "Gall" (see above) and the other as "Jimmy the Irishman" As the only James or Jimmy listed on the 1st Va. rolls was James Greenlee, Keen and Mewborn have opined that he might have been "Jimmy the Irishman"
However, this is unlikely, as Greenlee's records show him as having been born in Natural Bridge, VA in 1834, attended UVa and Union Theological Seminary before the War. After the War, he became a Presbyterian clergyman in Texas.
As much of the population of Virginia was of "Scotch Irish" Ulster descent, it's is unlikely that a Virginia born Ulster Presbyterian, even if only second generation, would be referred to as an "Irishman". Who, then was Jimmy? Was he someone detailed from the First Virginia at all? Perhaps he were merely a local resident who had joined up with the command, as had John Underwood, William Hibbs and Dick Moran. Although we do not at this writing have any information on Irish immigrant communities in rural Northern Va. (although Carringon Jones notes that Joseph Blackwell's two farmhands were Irish). However, there were large Irish communities in Washington DC and in Alexandria, from which two Irish infantry companies and one artillery company were raised as part of the 17th Virginia.
23
Peachy R. Taliaferro
According to Keen and Mewborn, he was listed on the March-April muster roll as absent with Mosby's command. Captured in Loudoun County on April 27, paroled on May 10, returned to the 1st Va. on this date.
24
George Martin
Listed on the March-April 1863 muster rolls as being detailed to Mosby, but is listed as present for duty on all other 1st VA muster rolls.
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