Thomas Taylor Munford, a Platoon Commander for the 740th Tank Battalion in World War II from Las Cruces, New Mexico was awarded the Purple Heart whilst fighting in Germany in the battle of “The Bulge”. He was also awarded a Silver Star. His tank received an armor-piercing round, tore his leg to pieces and I understand he still managed to pull a wounded comrade to safety under fire and in his terribly injured condition. I was lucky enough to meet him before he died, and he was the humblest man I’ve known.

I was intrinsicly drawn to the military and spent 7 years in th US Marine Corps as an infrantryman in the 1980’s, even before I knew who my heroic grandfather and great-great grandfather were.

Ironicly, although raised as a Yankee in Iowa with my adopted family, since learning of my “confederate” past, I have lived as far south as an American can live – along the US/Mexico border! I would love to participate in re-enactments and stand in place of my great-great grandfather. Even if I need to go to Virginia! Anyone who could get me in touch with the right people to do that, please let me know. info@edgmexico.com

He hated partisans mostly because ‘Hanse’ O’Neill refused an order of Rosser’s that the wily and intelligent O’Neill believed detrimental to his command. Rosser said that ‘independent commands’ could not be made to fight – which, of course, was nonsense. His condemnation of such commands together with the obvious problems that many of them created in the areas in which they operated helped repeal the Partisan Ranger Act that had permitted many such independent commands – including the 43rd Battalion a/k/a Mosby’s Rangers – to come into being.

Rosser – who hated Mosby as much as Munford both for his partisan methods and his lack of a West Point pedigree – was smart enough to know, however, that Mosby was the darling of Stuart and very much admired by General Robert E. Lee as well as Secretary of War, James Seddon. Therefore, he kept his ‘sniping’ to Mosby’s command and methods rather than the man himself whom he ‘damned with faint praise’. In the end, only Mosby’s and O’Neill’s commands were ‘kept’ as functioning partisan commands although most independents paid no attention to the repeal of the PRA and continued to fight as usual. Elija White’s ‘Comanches’ were mustered into the regular army at that time but neither Mosby nor O’Neill wanted to go that route.

It is said that Lee spent more time keeping peace among his commanders than making war against the Union and that’s probably true. The Rosser-Munford situation is just one more reason that Lee was not able to make more of what he DID have and, indeed, given the clash of personalities that swirled around in the Army of Northern Virginia, one wonders how he made as much of it as he actually did!