Mosby's Rangers

Rating:
Summary: Worth the Time
Review: An interesting account of one of the most colorful soldiers of the Civil War. The book appears to be very well researched and it is obvious the author has spent time on the ground that Mosby used to conduct his raids. The only small fault is that the author appears to be a bit biased to his subject. While Mosby makes for good stories, his overall impact on the civil war was minimal. Jeffry Wert seemed to try a bit to hard to make Mosby's impact into more than it was. Overall a great read and well written.

Rating:
Summary: Good read. Less opinionated than Shelby Foote.
Review: Being a fan of Civil War history, my view is biased.This book is a good look at the reality of Mosby and hismen. They were fed, clothed and sheltered by the populace. Any steps that the Union took to quench that support only seemed to make it grow. The reasoning is made clear to the reader through a wonderful narrative. Abundant references are also given. Even a listing of the Rangers is provided.

Rating:
Summary: Great Book!
Review: I found Mosby's Rangers to be a very interesting book and it is now one of my all-time favorites, Wersh gave very a detailed history of Mosby's life and his actions as a guerilla raider in the Civil War.

Rating:
Summary: Mosby's Rangers
Review: I have read many books on or about Mosby over the years, but this one contained the most detail and documentation. I highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Effort
Review: I love books about Mosby especially since I grew up in Prince William County Virginia, this is and was an area that in the civil war was known as Mosby's Confederacy because of the help the commander of the guerrilla unit had from the locals and the fact that one ths one unit almost single-handedly kept this part of Virginia in Confederate hands throughout the war.

Two points

One-More accurately it is a story about the UNIT with an emphasize on Mosby and while there are some elements that could be considered part of a biography on John Mosby that's not the whole purpose of this book. So if you are looking for a biography there are probably better books you could pick.

Two-While I loved the book I can certainly see where some others may have a problem, it suffers from a big problem in some historical accounts of all times, namely it is dry and at times it rambles. That's fine by me I like blow-by-blow accounts of operations and battles but someone who is looking for something different might want to try something else.

Overall-This book is sort of a like it or hate it book. I happen to like it.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully told, but no maps
Review: If you are interested in Mosby's Rangers, this is a great book. This is NOT a biography of John S. Mosby, though. It is a biography of the unit, with special attention towards the leader. The depth with which Wert has researched the individuals in the group provides a clear picture into the inner workings of the Rangers, and the civilians living within Mosby's Confederacy. The book was gripping, especially for someone who grew up and lives on the edge of Mosby's Confederacy.

I would warn others, though, that the lack of maps (Only one at the beginning of the book that charts all of Northern Virginia), can lead to confusion about the whereabouts of the Rangers, their adversaries, or allies, as well as the general positions of the people when in conflict. This is a let down to me since Wert included many maps in "Longstreet" to help transplant people to the Tennessee and Virginia battlefields, but I had to rely on my own knowledge of the area for Mosby's Rangers.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful narrative of South's best guerilla outfit
Review: Jeffry Wert has committed to words an excellent tale of the South's most successful guerilla leader and his troops. Whether you are a serious student of the Civil War or someone reading your first historical writing, this book will be most enjoyable. The author has skillfully woven personal accounts with narrative so that the military operations and tactical moves of Mosby and his Rangers come alive in the reader's mind. This book will put you in the saddle with the 43rd Battalion of the Virginia Calvary and let you ride along on their guerilla raids and attacks. When you have finished with this superb account of Mosby and his command, you will fully understand why Grant ordered that any Ranger who was captured should be immediately executed without benefit of a trial. For those looking for studious detail, Wert's research is extensive, using memiors, newspaper accounts, and other resources in his well-developed bibliography and notes. Mr. Wert also includes a roster of all soldiers

Rating:
Summary: Another good effort from Wert
Review: This is a nicely written story of a very interesting part of the war between the states, the partisan fighters commanded by John Mosby. Anyone who has read Wert's book on Longstreet should enjoy this one.

Rating:
Summary: Colorless.
Review: This is not a biography of John Singleton Mosby but rather an analysis of the men under his command. The writer does a fair job outlining Mosby's operations in Northern Virginia, primarily Loudoun, Fairfax and Fauquier counties, so from that point of view it appears well researched. But Wert's prose is flat and somewhat boring. As a result, this is a very difficult book to get into. Better maps might have helped.

Rating:
Summary: Aimless and rambling...
Review: This is the first effort by Mr. Wert that I did not enjoy.
Perhaps a misconception on my part, but I thought this would offer more of a biography of Mosby. Not the case. Oddly, I was more impressed with Col Mosby BEFORE I read this book!?@! Wert outlines countless tales of attacking a wagon train here, gathering horses there, hiding amid these hills, capturing some Federals - blah blah blah. I got no sense of purpose or the true mission of Mosby's command. Gosh, maybe they were just a bunch of horse thieves! Mr. Wert does not convince me of where Mosby's crew "fits" in the grand scheme of things.

Again, perhaps a misconception on my behalf, but little sense of Mosby's "greatness" is established within the text. His "rangers" do indeed take center stage here.

More maps, as other reviewers suggest, would have been helpful.