S8 Ep116: The Jesse Scouts and the Origins of Civil War Irregular Warfare Patrick K. O'Donnell The Civil War saw the rise of irregular forces like Jesse Scouts, named after John Fremont's wife, who used 21st-century tradecraft like infiltration and Confederate dis

1. The Jesse Scouts and the Origins of Civil War Irregular Warfare

Patrick K. O'Donnell

The Civil War saw the rise of irregular forces like Jesse Scouts, named after John Fremont's wife, who used 21st-century tradecraft like infiltration and Confederate disguises, led by John C. Carpenter. The Confederacy countered with the Partisan Ranger Act to control guerrillas like John Singleton Mosby. Confederate leaders were ambivalent toward partisans, viewing them as both useful and potentially destabilizing to command structure.