Old Salem Church on Rt. 671

Old Salem Church and Cemetery
 
The John Mobberly grave is located here, John W. Mobberly, also known as John Mobley or Morbly, (June 1, 1844 – April 5, 1865) was a Confederate guerrilla fighter who operated in the Loudoun Valley and between the Hills region of Loudoun County, Virginia, during the American Civil War. He also served as regular soldier in Elijah V. White's 35th Battalion, Virginia Cavalry, nicknamed the "Comanches." Mobberly is sometimes reported as serving under John Mosby, although this is not grounded in fact. His legacy is surrounded in controversy as Federal soldiers and Union sympathizers in Loudoun County accused him of committing war atrocities, including slave-rustling, while pro-Southern Loudoun residents claimed him to be a hero, second only to Mosby in local popularity. Mobberly was born near Neersville, Virginia. During the Civil War, after an altercation with Federal troops at a local farm, Mobberly enlisted in Company A of the 35th Battalion at Hillsboro on September 15, 1862. He saw his first significant combat action at the Battle of Brandy Station on June 9, 1863. During a May 17, 1864, skirmish with the Loudoun Rangers at Waterford, Mobberly shot Charles Stewart in the face, drawing ire from Federal sympathizers. Eight days later, he raided Berlin, Maryland (present day Brunswick). On November 10, in what became known as the Halltown Raid, he attacked a supply wagon en route to Halltown from Charles Town. On the 19th, Mobberly led a charge of the 35th against the pro-Union Swamp Dragons in central West Virginia. On January 17, 1865, while serving as a scout, Mobberly led the advance guard in the George's Schoolhouse Raid. His luck ran out on April 5 when Charles Stewart, who survived the wounds inflicted by Mobberly in 1864, and a group of locals and Loudoun Rangers ambushed and murdered Mobberly at Luther H. Potterfield's barn outside of Lovettsville

Hillsboro on Rt. 719 - Pott's Mill Enlarge
 
The “Great Burning Raid” was a major Union effort to clear the valley of food and forage for Mosby’s rangers and to hinder their activities. Everything that could aid Mosby was put to the torch between November 28 through December 2,1864. These are the remains of Pott’s Mill, a wollen mill, burned during the raid. Most of the damage from the raid was either rebuilt or razed. This is believed to be the only remaining evidence of the raid remaining in the county

Pott’s Mill Enlarge

Waveland Enlarge
 
In the waning days of the conflict, a disheartened Col. John S. Mosby would seek asylum at Waveland where he found the "amiable and patriotic lady" of the house and her "beautiful, graceful and refined daughters and nieces" most hospitable and entertaining. Although Augustine Washington's family had suffered heavy grief, (He was killed Sept. 13,1861 in fighting at Elkwater, now part of West Virginia), Mosby's surgeon, Aristides Monteiro, described an occasion that brought laughter into the home when one of the dinner guests included a "Mrs. F, a grass widow," so called because of a long separation from her gold digging husband in California. For amusement, Mosby told the lonely, spirited woman that the surgeon wanted a wife, so she aggressively pursued his attentions. Monteiro tolerated her courting for a while but began to lose patience with her shameless flirting. The embarrassed doctor thought her brash charms more appealing to Nebuchadnezzar and finally rebuked her inappropriate adulteress behavior so vehemently that she stormed from the room followed by reams of laughter

Typical view in the Mosby Heritage Area