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'Joseph Orville Shelby' (December 12, 1830 – February 13, 1897) was a noted Confederate cavalry general in the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War.

Contents

Early life and education

The war years

Post war

References

Early life and education

Shelby was born in Lexington, Kentucky, to one of the state's wealthiest and most influential families. He lost his father at age 5, and was raised by a stepfather. Shelby attended Transylvania University and was a rope manufacturer until 1852. He then moved to Waverly, Missouri, where he engaged in steamboating on the Missouri River and in running a hemp plantation. During the "Bleeding Kansas" struggle, he led a company on the pro-slavery side.

The war years

In 1861, Shelby formed a cavalry company and was elected its captain, leading them into battle at Wilson's Creek. Promoted to colonel, he commanded a brigade at Prairie Grove. Shelby led his "Iron Brigade" of Missouri volunteers on what was to be the longest cavalry raid of the war. Between September 22 and November 3, 1863, Shelby's brigade travelled 1,500 miles through Missouri, inflicting over 1,000 casualties on Union forces, and capturing or destroying an estimated $2 million worth of Federal supplies and property. He was promoted to brigadier general on December 15, 1863, at the successful conclusion of his raid.
In 1864, Shelby commanded a division during Sterling Price's Missouri raid. He distinguished himself at the battles of Little Blue River and Westport, and captured many Union held towns, including Potosi, Boonville, Waverly, Stockton, Lexington, and California, Missouri.
Shelby's adjutant was John Newman Edwards, who later as editor of the Kansas City Times was to almost single handedly create the anti-hero legend of Jesse James.
After Robert E. Lee's army in had surrendered in Virginia, General Edmund Kirby Smith appointed Shelby a major general on May 10, 1865. However, the promotion was never formally submitted, due to the collapse of the Confederate government.

Post war

Rather than surrender, in June, Shelby and his men rode south into Mexico to offer their services to Emperor Maximilian, who declined to accept the ex-Confederates into his armed forces. However, the emperor did grant them land for an American colony in Mexico. The grant would be revoked two years later following the collapse of the empire and Maximilan's execution. Reportedly, Shelby had sunk his battle flag in the Rio Grande River on the way to Mexico rather than risk its falling into the hands of the Federals.
Shelby returned to Missouri in 1867 and resumed farming. He was appointed the U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Missouri in 1893 and retained the position until his death in 1897. He died in Adrian, Missouri, and is buried in Forest Hill Cemetery, Kansas City.

References

★ Eicher, John H., & Eicher, David J., ''Civil War High Commands'', Stanford University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8047-3641-3.

★ Biography from History of U.S. Marshals