The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1897-02-24
A Famous Confederate Cavalry Leader
Dead.

KANSAS CITY, Mo-, Feb. 13.-Gen.
j. O. Shelby died at his country
home, eight miles from Adrian, Mo-,
at 4 o'clock this morning. The end
came peacefully. The patient had
been unconscious since early Monday
morning. At a consultation of his
physicians last night it was given out
that death must come before morning
and the family had been constant
watchers at the bedside of the dying
general. General Shelby was taken
i'll ten days ago with pneumonia and
gradually grew worse. His vitality
was great, however, and his friends
and family had hopes that he would
overcome the disease. He began to
sink rapidly Tuesday morning. Def
mite arrangements for the funeral have
not yet been made, but it is believed
that General Shelby will be buried in
Kansas City, where his family resides.
Gen. Joseph Orville Shelby was
born in Lexington, Ky, in 1881. At
19 years of age he came with his pa
rents to Missouri. When the Kansas
dispute came on Mr.. Shelby sympa-
thized with the pro-slavery element in
the "border troubles which followed,
and was leader in several of the raids
into Kansas.
When actual hostilities began, he
raised company Of Confederate cav
airy and entered the field, starting
South to join General Price. A few
weeks later Captain Shelby was COM
missioned as colonel Of cavalry and
ordered back-to Missouri to recruit a
regiment.
Colonel Shelby quickly organized a
regiment to which was Joined three
Missouri regiments in a cavalry or
ganization, known as "Shelby's Bri-
gade." This brigade, under General
Shelby, saw much hard service in
Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana and
Texas.
When the news of Lees surrender
came to the Confederate army in the
West, General Shelby found himself
at the head of well-equipped and
thoioughly-disci plined body of men, a
great many of whom would not admit
that their cause had been lost. Shell
by, however, succeeded in convincing
his followers that further fighting
against the government would be use
less and when, as an alternative, he
proposed a march to Mexico. to es-
pouse the cause of Macmillan, one
thousand men Of his following readily
joined him.
At Corsicana, an election was held
and Shelby was elected commander,
receiving every vote.
The column then moved on to Hous-
ton and then on to Austin, the capital
Of Texas, where the Confederate gov
ernment had a sub-treasury, in which
was stored $500, in gold and silver.
General Shelby's regiment arrived at
Austin barely in time to save this
treasure from marauding band of
guerrillas, under Captain Rabb, who
captured the treasury building and
started in to loot it. Shelby's men
surrounded the place and, after shoot
ing down a number of the marauders,
drove them off. General Shelby s men
guarded the treasury until the follow
ing day.
From Austin, Shelby's band march
ed to San Antonio and to Eagle Pass,
where they crossed into Mexico and
resumed their march. When they
reached the City of Mexico, Maximil-
ian had been reigning for a year.
Shelby offered to take immediate SER
vice with his band, and to recruit an
army of 10000 Americans to super
sede the native troops, but Maximil-
ian was suspicious and his company
was forced to disband.
General Shelby became freight
contractor in Mexico, but in 1867 he
returned to his farm in Missouri, where
he lived retired life until 1893, when
President Cleveland appointed him
United States Marshal for the West,
ern District of Missouri.