Bristol Historical Association Meeting

Bristol Virginia – The Bristol Historical Association will welcome author Eric Buckland on Monday, November 18 to speak on an early Bristol resident and Confederate raider, John Singleton Mosby.  Buckland’s program is entitled, The Perfect Man in the Perfect Place, the story of Colonel John Singleton Mosby.  The meeting will be held at the Bristol Public Library at 6:30pm and is free to the public.

Mosby moved to Bristol, Virginia, then known as Goodson, and opened the town’s first law office but soon enlisted in the Confederate army at the outbreak of the Civil War. Where his law practice might have been lacking he found his success raiding Union encampments and with lightning-quick attacks and eluding capture, disappearing and blending in with local farmers and townsmen. By the end of the war, about eight hundred men had been mustered into the 43rd Battalion Virginia Cavalry, named Mosby’s Rangers. Nearly two thousand men rode with him over the period of January 1, 1863 to April 21, 1865.

The November program will focus on Mosby’s military skill. Eric Buckland has written five books on Mosby, with several telling the stories of some of the men who rode with Mosby’s Rangers during the “War Between the States”. His two newest books are “They Rode With Mosby” which provides the reader with in-depth biographical information and stories about twenty-four of Mosby’s most well-known men, and, “From Rockbridge To Loudoun” which tells the stories of the Fifty-seven men who attended the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) and rode with Mosby’s Rangers.

Buckland has received two of the prestigious United Daughters of the Confederacy’s Jefferson Davis Historical Gold Medals for his writing and research. He graduated from the University of Kansas with a B.A. in English and a commission as a 2LT in the United States Army. After a 22-year military career, Buckland retired from the Army as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1999. Eric served the majority of his time in Special Forces. Some of his awards include the Special Forces and Ranger Tabs, Master Parachutist Badge, Combat Diver Badge and the Combat Infantryman’s Badge. Eric is currently the President of The Stuart-Mosby Historical Society.

The November 18th meeting is open to the public and held in conjunction with the library’s mission of “Expanding Minds and Building Community”.  Contact Tim Buchanan, program chairman, for details of this or other upcoming programs, buchanan03@bvu.net. Get more details on Facebook at BRISTOL HISTORY.