ainst Washington. On Oct. 3, 1861, President Davis reviewed "a
brilliant turnout" of troops at the court house.

There were two more skirmishes at the court house in November of
1861. By December of 1862 the town found itself under the command of
an Unionist, Brigadier General Edwin H. Stoughton, who was living at
the home of Dr. William Presley Gunnell (present Truro Rectory) when
Mosby made his famous raid.

Here is the story in Mosby's own words, written to a friend in
Richmond.

"I have already seen something in the newspapers of my recent raid
on the Yankees, though I see they call me Moseley instead of Mosby.
I had only twenty men under my command. I penetrated about ten miles
in their line, rode right up to the General's Headquarters
surrounded by infantry, artillery and cavalry, took him out of his
bed and brought him off. I walked into his room with two of my men
and shaking him in bed said, 'General, get up!' He rose up and
rubbing his eyes, asked what was the meaning of all this. I replied,
'it means, sir, that Stuart's Cavalry are in possession of this
place, and you are a prisoner!...' I did not stay in the place more
than one hour.

We easily captured the guards around the town, as they never dreamed
we were anybody but Yankees until they saw pistols pointed at their
heads, with a demand to surrender...."

Stoughton was taken by Mosby to Culpeper and turned over to Fitz
Lee, with whom Stoughton had attended West Point.

Mosby was disappointed in what happened--"Lee came out of his tent
and welcomed General Stoughton ... as a long lost brother. He took
him into the tent to give him a drink and left me out in the rain!"

Lincoln was so outraged with Stoughton that he dismissed him from
the Army.

It is no wonder that Episcopal ministers who have inhabited the
Gunnell home in the past have complained of the lights flashing on
during the wee small hours of the night and of the stairs creaking.
It is hard to tell whether Mosby's ghost is coming again for
Stoughton or whether Stoughton's ghost is wandering through the
house, wary of a second attempt to surprise him at night.

Mosby writes further about his raid: "Just as we were moving out of
the town a ludicrous incident occurred. As we passed by a house an
upper window was lifted and a voice called out in a preemptory tone
and asked what cavalry that was. It sounded so funny that the men
broke out in a loud laugh. I knew that it must be an officer