The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-06-24
BEYOND THE RIO GRANDE.
JOE suELny's EXPEDITION svTe MEN.
200 AT TINE CLOSE on THE WAN.
Ala Teudered the Austrian ws"rpcs and
His French supporters.
tOhicsao l'ines |

Is full al, suggest Mexico, and the ptpbabill-
ties of an expedition Of conquest. The war
fever swept the State, and carried men from
every hamlet into Gen Hrptts army. Mis-
Ruurl was foremost among the States In the
contribution Of troops, and Missouri troops
were foremost In every battle beyond the
Rio To-day the Mexican veteran IL 10 be
found everywhere, and every boy In the eain-
monwealth knows Of Doniphen and his
There are other REASONS why this ID a favor
tie topic here. Missouri statesmen have
always had their eyes on Mexico. and when
those who had espoused the cause Of the
South were convinced that Il was really
lost, they hurried their steps toward the Rio
Grande and were exiles. until Maximilian' q
star went down
sHEnpy'a EXPEDITION 10 MEXICO
ia a part Of the late ware history. When
Lee surrendered, the trans Mississippi army
of the Cphfeueracy numbered fifty Thousand
men, under, Kirby Smith. There was held at
Marshal, Texas, q council attended by the
leading officers OF the West, III was decided
that Smith should be asked 10 resign; that
Gen. Buckner should assume command. that
tho army should concentrate and march to
Mexico, there to ally itself with Maxmilian
or Juarez, us should be determined afler me-
gutiatiun
The plot seemed ripe enough until the last
moment, when Kirby Smith backed out of the
arrangement. B,ickner began to have hopes
the order went out calling IN division after
division 10 Shreveport. where arms were laid
down. Shelby had nursed the Mexican pro-
iect from the fret, and when he saw the plans
given up he issued All address ~ the MiHauu-
rians, which, for want Of anything better,
waa printed on wall paper II was circulated
In the ranks, and when Shelby called for
volunteers togo to Mexico. a thousand men
responded They helped themselves to the
best there wnB left Of the confederate com
missary and arsenal stores, and marched
away 10 Mexico. In 1852 the exiles began
to find their way baek to Missouri, and now
the State contains O second generation, less
talked about, OF Mexican veterans.
40 IL happens that there are plenty Of men
IN Missouri who talk az knowingly, az will
ingly. OF Mexico, and who catch with eager
ness at every bit of revolutionary gossip re-
specsng, t tr ~ tha y . county
afforded your correspondent an opportunity,
for some time coveted, to interview Gen. 10.
Shelby. He has
TURNED FARMER
since the war, and cultivatea an estate Of
seven hundred acres near Page city. In the
garden ~ the StatclIaiayette, county. His
hospitality Ia proverbial, and The newspaper
man who once touches his salt Ia entertained
with generous frankncas mover to be for
gotten.
General" ! said, as we stopped under
shady tree, there is talk Of another tllibus-
tering expedition into Mexico something
larger and more ambitious than was ever
talked OF before. The newspapers are busy
with your name. You arc put down as n
blel Has Il substanceP Have you been an.
preached on the suhjectp IL there any TO
e .,r,..o going onS What about your old
shelby turned half reluctantly from his
satisfied contemplation of four hundred acres |
or wheat-a Way sea OF green and with a
look that said. well Young man. YOU have |
shown your hand, haven't your" entered into |
the spirit of the suhisct.
81 object to the word tilibustering he com |
lncnced q little sententiously, Sbecause il
isn't good word. A iilibuster is an adven-
turer, He seeks notoriety. rather that grim. |
unyielding, desperate fighting which either
wins or loses at gallon,. Filibustering
means victory. or death. There could be no
middle ground. Every race on earth born Of |
the .Spaniard mo matter how crossed. mon |
grelized, or dnbased- is u stubborn, unyield- |
ing. ttea.eherons, nniorgiying race, II knows
~ asks when face to face with The inevitable |
simplya priest a prayer. and n cigarito.
Therefore an expedition into Mexico, to be |
other than the laughing stock Of every brave
thoroughly armed and equipped Az TO its
size, that would depend greatly upon the oh
iects 10 be obtained No, know of nothing
being done In the way of enlistment. / have
never been approached directly with any pro.
position looking 10 the Inauguration of such
nm enterprise. am no longer a soldier. as
YOU may sec, but farmer and man of
peace"
But you led an expedition in Mexico
once, general
Yes, an expedition of thousand men, It
,ould have been nifty thousand just IA well"
Tell me something about the first cxpedi-
lion then
There were several things which led To
HAT h,s,Ns
Perhaps the time is ms good as any to make
hem known. inasmuch as the attention OF the
people and the government is diverted some
what toward Mexican matters. There were
thousand men In ny division who did not
would have felt IL my soldierly duty to have
stood by those two and TO have gone with
hem into the unknown. Then again had
deas or dreams, or ambitions. | saw or
imagined saw
AN EMPIRE BEYOND THE RIO.
This river they call the Great River. Through
ore the killing of Lincoln, some important ,
IL was to the effect that, in the /.
downfall of the Southern Confederacy and the
overthrow of the Confederates of tho East, |,
nitted TO march into Mexico drive out the /, .
french. fraternize with the Mexicans, look !
round them to see what they could see oc-
upy and possess land, keep their eyes fixed
teadfastly upon the future, and understand
rom the beginning that the future would ,
ave to take care of itself. In addition, every !
Federal soldier in the transmits !
issippi department, who desired service OF /
he Kind have indicated, would have been !
ermitted to cross over to the Confederates, !
With his arms and ammunition. Fifty thous- :
nd of these were eager to enlist In such an /,
Expedition. On my march south from San !
.ntonio TO Pedras Negras received no less 8
han two hundred messages from representa- !
i've Federal officers, begging me to wait for
hem beyond the Rio Grande." :
do you mean to say, General, that Presi- !
lent Lincoln was in favor of the movement
'ou have outlined?" !
u do mean to say so most emphatically. i !
ould show nothing for my assertion, but l |
lad such assurances as satisfied me- and :
ther officers of either army had such assur- /
noes as satisfied them. There was empire )
n it, and q final and practical settlement of /
his whole Mexican question ,,
why did the scheme fail 2" /,
will tell you why Before marching into :
he interior of Mexico from pedras Negras. a . .
title town on the Rio Grande, opposite Eagle e
'ass, called my officers and men about me :
"A sfu tad IN, fbppa hpnft,~ sl., | =