The chieftain of McNeill's Rangers - an independent partisan cavalry troop. A brave, sharp, and kind man. His Rangers are portrayed as heroes that endured enumerable hardships, but were able to frequently terrorize Union commanders. Before he was compelled to defend Virginia, John Hanson McNeill was a mild mannered farmer, possessing a few slaves. Shorthorn cattle was his interest. He married Jemima Cunningham in 1837. They moved to Kentucky for some years, but returned to the valley of Virginia to raise a family and enlarge their farming business. McNeill grew his enterprise again in 1848 by choosing a farm in northern Missouri. He was farming there when the Civil War came. McNeill raised a company that included three of his sons, and joined the Confederate cause, fighting with Sterling Price. They fought at Carthage, Wilson's Creek, and Lexington, where McNeill was severely wounded. His son, George, was shot and killed, left on the field. John and his son Jesse found themselves in Federal Prison in Saint Louis. Jesse soon escaped and made his way to Virginia. John then escaped and ran to Ohio. The transformation of McNeill had taken place. The once peaceful cattleman had suffered a painful wound, been held in intolerable conditions, and lost a beloved son. John and Jesse met in Hardy County, Virginia. There John raised a cavalry company. Partisan Rangers, they were to cooperate with the Confederate Army, but were of independent command. John McNeill was captain, his son Jesse, lieutenant. There were over two hundred men on their roster, never more than two thirds gathering at any one time. Operating well over one hundred miles from Confederate controlled territory, they had no support from an army. They engaged in guerilla, hit and run tactics. They attacked supply trains with a rebel yell, capturing many loaded wagons with their horses and men. General Lee himself noted their skill and daring. On the retreat from Gettysburg, their activity supplied the Confederate Army with many sheep, cattle, and horses from Pennsylvania. The Rangers then turned their attention to disrupting the Federal Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. The raids were a tremendous success and closed out the fighting of 1863 on a high note for the troop. 1864 was full of the same, enough to fill a volume. Generally the purpose was to capture or disrupt wagon trains and railroads. This included burning machine shops and cutting telegraph wires. All the time with the most daring strategy in high risk circumstances. McNeill's amazing career was cut short on October 2nd, when he suffered the same fate as Stonewall Jackson, killed by his own. At daybreak he rode with his men into the midst of the enemy to capture a long wagon train. When McNeill fell, he turned the command over to his son Jesse. He was taken to the home of Reverend Addison Weller, where Mrs. Weller cared for him. The Yankees had heard of his wounding and scouted the area. Mrs. Weller shaved the Captain's hair and beard, greatly changing his appearance. Twice Yankee officers peered into the dimly lit room and failed to recognize him. The third time they came with a man who had deserted from the Rangers, for they knew he would know him. They looked each other in the eye, and McNeill's old friend, Simon Miller, reported; "No Sir, you are mistaken, this is not the man." The celebrated General Phil Sheridan arrived to make the Weller home his headquarters for a night. He sat and talked to the wounded captain in an amiable manner. Sheridan had called McNeill, "the most daring and dangerous of all bushwhackers." The war was over for John Hanson McNeill. The South had lost another leader of great wisdom and humanity, and a harassing guerilla, bent on sudden attack.