US ResearchConflictsCivil WarMosby's Raid at Aldie
Civil War

Mosby's Raid at Aldie

1863
Virginia
Era
Civil War
Year
1863
Location
Virginia
Status
Verified engagement
The Combatants

Who Fought

Forces
Not recorded in historical accounts
VS
Victor
Confederate
Outcome
Confederate forces under Major John S. Mosby achieved victory against Union forces under Major Joseph Gilmore and Captain Franklin T. Huntoon. The fight was historically significant as the first action of Mosby's Rangers within their operating territory in the central Loudoun Valley and demonstrated their characteristic tactic of attacking numerically superior forces while inflicting disproportionate casualties.
The Battle

History & Significance

On March 17, 1863, Captain John Singleton Mosby, nicknamed "The Gray Ghost", raided a Union outpost at Herndon Station in Northern Virginia. The raid was a part of a series of such raids coordinated by Captain Mosby and his raiders in 1863 in areas of Northern Virginia. The raid on Herndon Station was the furthest north into Union lines Mosby and his men ventured.

Duration
Single day engagement (March 17, 1863)
Historical context

The American Civil War (1861–1865) was the deadliest conflict in American history, killing an estimated 620,000 to 750,000 soldiers and an unknown number of civilians. The Confederate States of America, formed by eleven seceding Southern states, faced the Union in four years of warfare across 23 states and territories. Major engagements included First and Second Bull Run, Antietam (the bloodiest single day in American history, September 17, 1862), Chancellorsville, Gettysburg (July 1–3, 1863), Vicksburg (surrendered July 4, 1863), and Sherman's March through Georgia and the Carolinas (1864–1865). President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, transforming the war's stated purpose to include the abolition of slavery and enabling the enlistment of approximately 180,000 Black men in the United States Colored Troops. Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865. The war resolved the question of secession and ended American slavery, though Reconstruction would face sustained resistance in its attempt to secure civil rights for formerly enslaved people.

Forces Involved

confederate: Mosby's Rangers (~35)

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

When did Mosby's Raid at Aldie take place?
Mosby's Raid at Aldie took place in 1863. Single day engagement (March 17, 1863).
Where was Mosby's Raid at Aldie fought?
Mosby's Raid at Aldie was fought in Virginia, United States.
What was the outcome of Mosby's Raid at Aldie?
Confederate forces under Major John S. Mosby achieved victory against Union forces under Major Joseph Gilmore and Captain Franklin T. Huntoon. The fight was historically significant as the first action of Mosby's Rangers within their operating territory in the central Loudoun Valley and demonstrated their characteristic tactic of attacking numerically superior forces while inflicting disproportionate casualties.
What was the significance of Mosby's Raid at Aldie?
On March 17, 1863, Captain John Singleton Mosby, nicknamed "The Gray Ghost", raided a Union outpost at Herndon Station in Northern Virginia. The raid was a part of a series of such raids coordinated by Captain Mosby and his raiders in 1863 in areas of Northern Virginia. The raid on Herndon Station w
Protected heritage nearby

Historic Sites near Mosby's Raid at Aldie

Aldie Mill Historic District
Early Republic · 0.7 mi
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Source

Content adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Wikipedia source.

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