Mosby's Rangers Disband

Unable to extend a truce with the Union army, Col. John S. Mosby assembled his command, the 43d Battalion Virginia Cavalry, in a field just west of here on 21 Apr. 1865. As Mosby sat astride his horse, his final order was read aloud. It stated in part: "I have summoned you together for the last time. The vision we cherished of a free and independent country has vanished, and that country is now the spoil of a conqueror. I disband your organization in preference to surrendering to our enemies." Strong men wept. This was the end of Mosby's Rangers.