Mosby

[Gene C]

Did Mosby have enough manpower in March-April 65' near the end of the war, to be of any realistic help to some of these covert operations (including Booth)?

I've got Come Retribution, is the answer in there?
Gotta page #?

[richard petersen]

[quote='Gene C' pid='17939' dateline='1368027236']
Did Mosby have enough manpower in March-April 65' near the end of the war, to be of any realistic help to some of these covert operations (including Booth)?

I've got Come Retribution, is the answer in there?
Gotta page #?
Sorry I cannot be much help. For me, Come Retribution is a most difficult book to read; have gone thru it many times. Was Enoch Mason really a scout for Mosby?
It would be great if Laurie, Betty,Roger or Kate would give us a synopsis on the book that I could understand.
Looking forward to an answer to your question.

[BettyO]

While I LOVE Come Retribution (and cherish the memory of the authors even more!) it IS a difficult read - until you get to Mr. Hall's part (about halfway through!) General Tidwell, God rest his soul, wrote basically a text book explanation of covert operations in the first half. But the book itself is invaluable in the study of Confederate espionage.

To answer the question "Did Mosby have enough manpower in March-April 65' near the end of the war, to be of any realistic help to some of these covert operations (including Booth?)" Mosby was still somewhat active in the valley at this time and supposedly was involved with sending some of his command out to the Northern Neck of Virginia in order to support Thomas Harney. Powell, of course, had been sent in January 1865 to aid Booth, in what Powell described to comrades and friends as his "Maryland venture." It was later said by General William H. Payne with whom Powell boarded as well as General Bradley Johnson that Mosby was under orders from the Confederate Hierarchy to supply manpower for these auspices. This was reported in a post war letter from Payne to Johnson. Even after disbanding his command on April 21, 1865, Mosby went west to join General Joe Johnston's unit in North Carolina. Hearing that he had surrendered, he returned home to Virginia.

Knowing Mosby, I would not doubt that he had his finger in many pies as he could; even as late as April 21, 1865. Also remember that Willie Jett, Bainbridge and Ruggles were also from Mosby's unit. Just MO.....

[Gene C]

Richard, if you've read through this more than once, you must be an expert. You may have told us more than you meant to. Now I know who to ask if I have a question about something pertaining to this book. .

[Bill Richter]

And just how many men did Mosby need to help JWB escape? I daresay the fewer the better. Maybe just one, Mosby himself? This is not a shooting expedition but an intelligence exercise. The problem was Booth scared enough to trust Mosby? Neither had met before.

I found Come Retribution not that difficult. Read Ch 2, The Logic Trail--over and over again. And of course April '65 which explains more.

I bet Laurie would just LOVE to give you a synopsis of CR!

[RJNorton]

I receive a lot of comments, opinions, theories, essays, speculations, you name it through my Lincoln website. For example, here's a short commentary from an email I received in 2009:

"Certainly, I know that Mosby is involved in what was supposedly another plot to kill Lincoln and his Cabinet using explosives in the basement of the White House. Mosby was sent an explosives expert named Thomas Harney whom he was instructed to insert into the Capitol where Harney with the help of agents already on the ground, was to gain entrance to the White House basement through a greenhouse that existed at the time and detonate a bomb. The story behind this is as incredible as the charges brought against Mosby at war’s end which suddenly “disappeared” for no discernible reason."

[L Verge]

Bill,

CR was absolutely one of the hardest books I ever tried to get through - for the first ten chapters. After that, it was a piece of cake and I agree with their theories. As for writing a synopsis for you folks, I would rather have a root canal. The only other one more difficult for me to read was Dixie Reckoning.

[Bill Richter]

Laurie,

I know that--I just could not resist twitching the lion's tail.

[Laurie Verge]

You have twitched this lion's tail (and don't any of you take that the wrong way) so often that I'm wise to you now. I used to be afraid of you, but not anymore.

[scldrgnfly]

I think the difficult thing about "Come Retribution" is the fact that it is unlike any other book about the Lincoln Assassination Conspiracy I have ever read. You can't just plunk down in the middle of it and find just the particular item you are looking for. So much is tied so closely together. I realized you pretty much need to start at the beginning, read it as a whole and pay attention the whole way through. I think it is wonderful. It fills in so many blanks as to how the signal corp operated. If you are as impatient as I am waiting to find out some specific fact, it isn't an easy read, but what you learn is inestimable.

---

Lol!! Laurie, I just love looking at your picture while imagining you speaking that last post!! Wonderful!!

[Bill Richter]

I had the privilege to catalogue Gen. Tidwell's papers over in the James O. Hall Library a few years back and one of the most enjoyable things about it was to watch how his mind worked. He was a fantastic gentleman whom, I sorry to say died before I got into the Booth story, I never got to meet.

Ah, Laurie, there are so many more twitches to come!

As an ex-school teacher you will appreciate what a vexing student I was. Always twitching lions' tails and one of the sharpest students in class at the same time. Never got caught until my senior year when my Spanish teacher gave me the standard 10 demerits for disorderly conduct in her class. She was a lovely woman--looked like the Old Maid in our card set at home, red hair piled up on her head. She smiled when she signed the form, "Ah, señor," she said, shaking her head--I smiled, too, "Gracias, señora. Que amble."

You cannot imagine the other teachers who praised her so effusively. I always wondered what took one of them so long to act! BTW she is the one who taught me how to speak Spanish like a Sonoran vaquero. Que bueno! (Sorry, I only get some of the diacritical marks on my email program).

Enough of this--back to Come Retribution. I agree with scldrgnfly.

[JMadonna]

One of the problems I had with CR is that it repeats itself. Its like the 3 authors didn't know what the others were writing and events get repeated. When I put it down and then picked it up again I was always asking myself, didn't I read this before?

I think a good editor should take a crack at it and re-release it.

[Laurie Verge]

I never heard James O. Hall speak ill of very many people, but he had absolutely no use for the person who edited CR. It appears that it was a young lady fresh out of college with a hot degree in her hand that she took to mean that she could do what she wanted - including changing context. The obvious things, like checking for repetition, were overlooked. I was always convinced that the bad experience in publishing CR caused Mr. Hall to forget about his own work on Murder at Ford's Theatre.

[Gene C]

Laurie, maybe you can finish his work. I'd buy a copy.
You can do it, you've helped so many others in their efforts.

[John Stanton]

[quote='Gene C' pid='17939' dateline='1368027236']
Did Mosby have enough manpower in March-April 65' near the end of the war, to be of any realistic help to some of these covert operations (including Booth)?
Gene. I goofed - I mentioned Mosby's "ability to fight" in 1865 at Post 18 under the Thomas Jones Thread. It was late and I should have waited. Also "momth" is Month. OK?
Now to Post #2 here. Enoch Mason was one of the troopers from the 15th VA. CAV sent Here (King George Co. VA.) on detached duty. His original assignment was to be available to protect the kidnapped Lincoln when he was brought here along the "Secret Line" (which ran through KG.) He was one of many troopers sent here, that were expected to drive off any Union followers.
The entire Mason family was involved in the "Secret" business at that time. Socially, his sisters all married General Officers. That's my Gossip Column for today.