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Joseph (Jo) ShelbyConfederate Cavalryman
Date of Birth: 12.12.1830
Country:  USA |
Content:
- Biography of Joseph (Joe) Shelby
- Iron Cavalry Brigade
- Promotion to Brigadier General
- Expedition to Mexico and Later Years
Biography of Joseph (Joe) Shelby
Early Life and Military ServiceJoseph Orville 'Joe' Shelby was born on December 12, 1830, in Lexington, Kentucky. He attended Transylvania College and married his distant relative, Elizabeth Nancy Shelby, in 1858. Shelby, a prosperous young aristocrat, owned land, slaves, and rope factories in Kentucky and Missouri. During the border conflicts in Missouri and Kansas, he formed and equipped a volunteer company at his own expense. When the Civil War began, Shelby sympathized with the South and declined his cousin Francis Preston Blair's offer to join the federal service. Instead, he joined the Confederate army, raising and arming a cavalry company in Neosho, Missouri.
Iron Cavalry Brigade
Initially serving as a captain under Sterling Price, Shelby participated in battles at Wilson's Creek, Lexington, Springfield, Pea Ridge, St. Charles, and Devil's Bluff. In June 1862, Shelby came under the command of General James Rains, and as a colonel, he began forming his legendary "Iron Cavalry Brigade." This brigade, part of John S. Marmaduke's cavalry division, participated in significant battles in Missouri and Arkansas, including Cane Hill and Prairie Grove. In January 1863, Shelby, along with Marmaduke, conducted a raid on the Missouri town of Springfield, joined by a contingent led by renowned Southern guerrilla Quantrill. On July 4, 1863, during an unsuccessful raid on Helena, Arkansas, Shelby was wounded.
Promotion to Brigadier General
On December 15, 1863, Shelby was promoted to brigadier general and gallantly fought alongside his "Iron Brigade" at Jenkins' Ferry. During Price's invasion of Missouri in the summer and fall of 1864, Shelby commanded a cavalry division. When General Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox, Joe Shelby refused to surrender to the pursuing federal forces. On June 1, 1865, he offered all willing soldiers to accompany him to Mexico. Gathering several hundred disciplined and well-prepared veterans, along with cannons, ammunition, and supplies, Shelby crossed Texas to Mexico, seeking service under Emperor Maximilian, a supporter of the French occupiers. Many respected individuals from the South, such as former Confederate governors of Texas, Louisiana, and Missouri, joined the expedition along the way.
Expedition to Mexico and Later Years
Shelby and his men crossed the Rio Grande, ceremoniously burying their Confederate battle flag in the river. In Mexico, they encountered Benito Juarez's rebels, who allowed the expedition to proceed south but confiscated all weapons except personal revolvers and rifles. In August 1865, Shelby and his comrades reached Mexico City, a journey marked by clashes with local guerrillas and bandits. Once there, however, they discovered that the emperor could not employ Confederates due to the provisions of his liberal "September Decree." Some of Shelby's men remained in Mexico as peaceful farmers, establishing colonies in Cordova and Tuxpan, while others managed to join the Mexican army or emigrated to South America. Shelby himself attempted business ventures in Mexico but found them unpromising. In 1867, he returned to Missouri.
Until his peaceful death in 1897, Shelby engaged in wheat farming, invested in railroads and coal mines, and was appointed as a United States Marshal by President Cleveland four years before his passing. The colonies established by Shelby's people in Mexico did not last long. Attacks by hostile Native Americans, the lawlessness of local residents, and ongoing civil wars forced the majority of surviving former Confederates to return to their homeland.
