Charles H. Ruggles Civil War Letter regarding Prisoners Taken by Mosby's Rangers

Access and use

Location of collection:
West Virginia and Regional History Center
West Virginia & Regional History Center
West Virginia University
P.O. Box 6069
1549 University Avenue
Morgantown, WV 26506
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Lori Hostuttler
Phone: (304) 293-3536
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No special access restriction applies.

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Preferred citation:

[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Charles H. Ruggles Civil War Letter regarding Prisoners Taken by Mosby's Rangers, A&M 1147, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.

Summary

Extent:
0.01 Linear Feet 2 pages (1 folder)
Creator:
Ruggles, Charles H.
Abstract:
Letter written by Charles H. Ruggles to a Mr. Lossing (possibly Benson J. Lossing), dated 26 November 1864. Ruggles asks Lossing to inquire of Colonel Milford at Fortress Monroe regarding the location and status of Majors David Ruggles and Edwin Moore, Union Army paymasters who had been taken prisoner by Mosby's Rangers during the Greenback Raid on the railroad between Harpers Ferry and Martinsburg on 14 October 1864. Collection contains a user copy. Please see "Historical Note" for further information.
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Charles H. Ruggles Civil War Letter regarding Prisoners Taken by Mosby's Rangers, A&M 1147, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.

Background

Biographical / historical:

Majors Ruggles and Moore were captured during a Confederate operation commonly referred to as the "Greenback Raid", one of many such guerrilla operations conducted by Colonel John S. Mosby. Between the hours of 2 am and 3 am on 14 October 1864, Mosby's Rangers (formally called the 43rd Battalion Virginia Cavalry) attacked a military train traveling along the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad several miles west of Harpers Ferry. Paymasters Ruggles and Moore were aboard the train, with a payroll of $173,000 to be used to pay General Sheridan's soldiers. Both paymasters and 18 other soldiers were taken prisoner and sent to the Confederate Military Prison at Danville, Virginia. Major Ruggles died in the military prison on 10 February 1865.

Acquisition information:
Purchase from Argosy Book Stores, 1958 November 28
Physical location:
West Virginia and Regional History Center / West Virginia University / 1549 University Avenue / P.O. Box 6069 / Morgantown, WV 26506-6069 / Phone: 304-293-3536 / URL: https://wvrhc.lib.wvu.edu/
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard