Gray Ghost sighting in Eldersburg

Last Saturday, the Gray Ghost appeared at the Eldersburg branch of the Carroll County Public Library.

It wasn't a haunting. It was an appearance by Civil War re-enactor David Shuey, who impersonates Confederate Col. John Singleton Mosby, known as the "Gray Ghost" for his ability to attack Union forces, then disappear into the countryside of Virginia.

Shuey, of Newville, Pa., presented his audience with more than an hour of first-person tales and reminiscences of Mosby's life and his Civil War exploits. The presentation was held outdoors to allow attendees to see an example of a cavalryman's tent and introduce them to Shuey's cavalry horse, Cecilia.

Shuey even stayed in character when a Maryland State Police Helicopter roared overhead.

"What is that thing? If only we'd had a couple of those things, or even one, things would have ended differently. We'd be sitting here in the shadow of my statue today!" he exclaimed.

One-hundred fifty years ago on Sept. 8, Mosby was in Maryland, riding with Gen. J.E.B. Stuart as part of Gen. Robert E. Lee's invasion of Maryland. That invasion led to the battles of South Mountain and Antietam. The bloodiest day in American history happened 150 years ago on Monday.

Mosby was one of the founders of guerilla warfare, leading a detachment of partisan rangers in the Shenandoah Valley and fighting the Union Army. Mosby was so feared in the north that, Shuey said, each night the Union Army would take planks out of the Alexandria Bridge over the Potomac River to keep Mosby out of Washington, D.C.

Shuey borrowed young volunteers from his audience to re-enact certain scenes from Mosby's life. The boys became either wounded soldiers or army commanders, depending on the scenario being illustrated.

After the war, Mosby, a lawyer, was jailed for a short time as a war criminal, then paroled by U.S. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant. As a result, Mosby and Grant became good friends and Mosby joined the Republican Party, which led to threats against his life in Virginia.

If you'd like to learn more about Mosby's life and his influence on a key player in World War II, you can attend one of the two upcoming presentations by Shuey. You'll also get to meet Cecilia and learn about how Civil War soldiers lived and fought.