Mosby

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In "The Mosby Myth: a Confederate Hero in Life and Legend (by Paul Ashdown and Edward Caudill)," it says that after Mosby disbanded his troops on April 21, he rode with 6 MEN towards Richmond hoping to join up with Johnston, but then found he had already surrendered. It says he, intentionally, used the term "disbanded" rather than "surrendered" when he spoke to his men. He wasn't "paroled" till June 17th at Lynchburg, so it looks like he would have had enough men to do whatever he wished, and the rest of his force, could, technically be called upon for service.

Interestingly, after reading quite a bit of his memoirs and reading about his work for the State Department, I don't see that he ever mentioned any involvement in the explosives plot nor the Lincoln kidnapping plot. That said, he was involved in a couple of other kidnapping plots, so he would have been up to the operation. However, since he worked for Frederick Seward in the State Department not too long after the end of the War and, at the time of the assassination, had expressed sadness at Lincoln's murder, I doubt he would have discussed the matter with anyone.

Working in government and his friend, Ulysses S. Grant were very important to him. Interesting how Ulysses S. Grant died the day after he sent the letter to Mosby notifying him that he had gotten Leland Stanford to offer him a job with the Southern Pacific Railroad.

The feeling I got about his personality is he didn't really want to dwell on operations and things in the past that had very unfortunate outcomes. He really loved talking about the good 'ol boy camaraderie.

One VERY POSITIVE aspect of his very diplomatic handling of this specific plot is, unlike others, he lived a very long life, dying in 1916--even after being kicked in the head by a horse and being hit by a bicyclist and left by the side of the road, suffering a fractured skull and losing an eye.

Who is Enoch Mason and how old was he when he died?

Are the Potter Papers reputable? Neff-Guttridge?

Have any of Mosby's "men" written/published memoirs about the Lincoln kidnapping plot (how long did they live after they were written/published, if they did)? Are there any official contemporary letters or telegrams issuing those orders, not including the telegram that notes Stanton's "suspicions?"