In the bar downstairs Mick O’Callaghan was sitting with his cronies. He had a leg wound which had earned him three week’s sick leave and he would use it well.
“We have found out the names of some of those bastards who killed Geraghty and Colm: Boswell, Murphy and Hogan. The fact that two of them are Irishmen makes it worse. As soon as I get down to the front again me and the lads’ll be looking for them. They are in the 1st Virginia. When I have killed them then our family honour will be avenged.” He glanced upstairs. “And I want you lads to watch Caitlin. She has some funny ideas lately, like postponing the wedding. When the three killers are dead then we’ll be married or else.”
“Or else what Mick?”
“Or else I’ll be left the bar in her will because one way or another this bar will be mine.”
The End
Maps
This image is a work of a U.S. Army soldier or employee, taken or made as part of that person's official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain.
Glossary
Name Explanation
Andrew Neil Estate manage and servant
Archie Stuart JEB Stuart’s nephew
Arthur St. John Beauregard A former redcoat
Barton Boswell’s Horse
blackbirders Slave ships
Blackie Jones Sailor- Rose of Tralee
Caitlin Hogan Jack’s sister
Carlton James Boswell’s Horse/1st VA Scouts
Cecil (Irish) Mulrooney Boswell’s Horse/1st VA Scouts
Clarissa Winfield Ebenezer’s daughter
Colm Boswell’s Horse
Colonel Cartwright 1st Virginia Scouts
craich Good conversation/banter (Gaelic)
Dago Spinelli Boswell’s Horse/1st VA Scouts
Danny Murphy Boswell’s lieutenant/1st VA Scouts
David Dinsdale Boswell’s Horse/1st VA Scouts
Davy Jones Boswell’s Horse/1st VA Scouts
Davy Thomas Sailor- Rose of Tralee
Ebenezer Winfield Plantation owner Atlanta
Fatty Hutton Cook- Rose of Tralee
gee jaws Cheap barter goods
Georgie Boswell’s Horse
Harry Grimes Boswell’s Horse/1st VA Scouts
Jack Hogan Farmer’s son/1st VA Scouts
Jacob Hines Boswell’s Horse/1st VA Scouts
James Booth Boswell Major/1st VA Scouts
Jedediah Hotchkiss Jackson’s map maker
Jedediah(Jed) Smith Boswell’s Horse/1st VA Scouts
Jem Cartwright Boswell’s Horse/the plantation
Jimmy Stewart Boswell’s Horse/1st VA Scouts
Matty Boswell’s Horse
Paddy Henry First mate- Rose of Tralee
Paul Boswell’s Horse
poteen Home made spirit
Sandie Pendleton Jackson’s aide
Sergeant Major Vaughan 1st Virginia Scouts
Small beer Watered down beer[1]
vedettes Mounted cavalry sentries
Wilkie Collins Boswell’s Horse/1st VA Scouts
Historical note
My heartfelt thanks to the re-enactors at Gettysburg in July 2013 for all their help and advice. Any historical errors in the book are mine and not theirs. I realise that there were few Springfield carbines in the war but the nature of the business of James Booth Boswell meant that he would be rich and, like the chaps in Silicon Valley, would have ensured that he used the most up to date technology. The irregulars I described are loosely based on Mosby’s Rangers and I used William S. Connery’s excellent “Mosby’s Raids in Civil War Northern Virginia”, extensively. Mosby was called the Grey Ghost and I used that appellation as the inspiration for my title. Boswell is not Mosby and this is a work of fiction; however the incidents such as the charges using pistols, the wrecking of the trains, being mistaken for Union horsemen are all true. Mosby and his men carried three or four revolvers and I have used that idea for Boswell and his men. They used captured guns which explains why they were formidably armed. I also used “The American Civil War Source Book” by Philip Katcher and that proved a godsend for finding who fought where, when and with what.
Sandie Pendleton was an aide to Jackson in the Valley and it was he who alerted Stonewall to the dangers from their left flank.
The Confederate cavalry preferred raiding to charging infantry and rarely used their sabres. They preferred to use pistols or carbines. This proved useful most of the time but, as Gettysburg showed, Stuart and his cavalry could let down his general at crucial times. It was said that the biggest supplier for the Confederate Army, and especially the cavalry, was the U.S. as they captured so many of the Union supplies.
The raid on Hartwood Church in Stafford County did result in Hooker ordering General Stoneman together a large force of cavalry and stop the frequent Confederate cavalry raids. The Battle of Kelly’s Ford took place largely as described and marked the point at which the Union cavalry became more confident. Stuart was at the Courthouse in Culpeper for a court martial and he rode with his friend Major Pelham to watch the battle. The Confederate cavalry fought on foot. Sixty sharpshooters held up the Union advance at the ford for over two hours. This action enabled Fitzhugh Lee to reorganise his forces and, ultimately, defeat a force much larger than his own. The Union cavalry were about to defeat the Confederates when Averill decided to retreat. He cited the sound of railroad cars and train whistles indicating that the Confederates were being reinforced. I have used that and adapted the idea to allow Jack to earn the general’s praises.
Thanks to Wikipedia for these public domain maps made by Hal Jespersen. I used “Civil War: The Maps of Jedediah Hotchkiss” by Chester G. Hearn and Mike Marino for the detailed maps of the valley. (Thanks to Rich for loaning me his copy!)
The events such as the capture of a colonel, the routing of larger numbers were all well documented and Mosby’s Rangers had an effect which was disproportionate to their unit size. They did profit from their raids and others, further west such as Quantrell could be considered as bandits. The Rangers did wear uniform but they were adept at deception. Having seen the Blues and the Greys on a battlefield and at dusk I can tell you that there is sometimes little to be seen to differentiate them. The main indicator was that the Union had identical uniforms whereas the Confederacy tended to be a little more idiosyncratic. I do not know if there was a prison for officers in Gettysburg but, as officers were frequently exchanged then I assume that there must have been somewhere for that purpose. Bearing in mind its later significance I chose Gettysburg. I apologise to the purists especially as this is a Brit trying to write about American history!
I used the terms darkie, negro and nigra rather than the more offensive words which would have been used at the time. The words I have used would have been the words used to describe the Afro-Americans in the period and I hope that none of my readers are offended. I used darkie rather the others more often because, if you listen to the songs such as Swannee River you will see that they were used by the song writers at the time. We may question their use but this is a novel of the time and I have tried to make it as accurate as I can. Any mistakes I have made are honest ones.
Griff Hosker August 2013
Other books
by
Griff Hosker
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Ancient History
The Sword of Cartimandua Series (Germania and Britannia 50A.D. – 128 A.D.)
Ulpius Felix- Roman Warrior (prequel)
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Book 4 Roman Retreat
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Book 8 The Last Frontier
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Book
12 Roman Wall
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Book 2 Outlaw
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Book 2 Saxon Revenge
Book 3 Saxon England
Book 4 Saxon Blood
Book 5 Saxon Slayer
Book 6 Saxon Slaughter
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Soldier Spy
1808: The Road to Corunna
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Rebel Raiders
Confederate Rangers
The Road to Gettysburg
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1914
1915 Fokker Scourge
1916 Angels over the Somme
1917 Eagles Fall
1918 We will remember them
Combined Operations series 1940-1945
Commando
Raider
Behind Enemy Lines
Dieppe
Other Books
Great Granny’s Ghost (Aimed at 9-14 year old young people)
Adventure at 63-Backpacking to Istanbul
For more information on all of the books then please visit the author’s web site at http://www.griffhosker.com where there is a link to contact him.
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[1] healthier than water in the nineteenth century