"They had for us all the glamour of Robin Hood and his merry men, all the courage and bravery of the ancient crusaders, the unexpectedness of benevolent pirates and the stealth of Indians."  Thus wrote Sam Moore, a young man from Berryville, of the fascination held by the people of western Virginia for Confederate Colonel John S. Mosby's Partisan Rangers (43rd Battalion Virginia Cavalry).  With such a reputation, it is no wonder that Mosby found it easy to attract recruits.  

The life of a Ranger, the changing scenes, the danger, and wild adventure lured many men to the battalion.  Officers in other units gave up their commissions to enlist as privates.  Old soldiers and those who had been discharged as unfit for further service also joined.  Some recruits to the unit were too young to enlist in the regular Army, while others had been foreign soldiers of fortune.  Among the Battalion's youngest members was a 16-year-old Scottsville boy named Henry G. Harris.