Mosby's Raiders is a solitaire board wargame based upon a Confederate partisan ranger unit led by famed Colonel John S. Mosby during the American Civil War.
Smith looked for a situation that had historical information he could work into the game play, and his research led him to the partisan activities of Confederate cavalry against Federal troops and supply lines in Northern Virginia (AKA "Mosby's Confederacy") between 1862 and 1864.
He selects targets for raids from those presented on the map (such as supply depots, rail lines and bridges) and from random historical targets presented by cards that are drawn at the beginning of each turn.
Mosby is aided by historical elements shown on cards that are drawn according to a formula that depends on his notoriety from previous successful raids.
His ability to recruit additional raiders from local residents depends on his health, notoriety, and random Federal sweeps through the countryside.