Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-02-25
GEN. ]. o. SHELBY
Distinguishing Himself in the Civil,
War and Then Went to Mexico.


country home, eight miles from Adrian.
Mo-, few days ago. was a brave SOL
der who saw hard service, first in the
Kansas border troubles, during which
he led several raids into Kansas and
acquired the title OF captain" and
afterward in the war of tn rebellion.
in which he was given command of a
brigade almost at the beginning. He
was born in Lexington, Ky. in 1881.
and lived there until he was 10 years of
age, when his parents moved to Mis-
souri,. Hemp was the great Missouri
staple at that time and the youth Sc
cured employment in a rope walk at
WaYerly soon after his parents had set
tied on farm near there. Later he
became the owner Of the works and all
so Of big plantation in Lafayette
County. Naturally, having a planta-
ton, he became q slave-owner and
sympathized with the pro-slavery ele-
ment when the Kansas dispute that
resulted in the border warfare began.
He was leader in this and became
captain by common consent. his neigh
bors bestowins the title upon him.
When the war of the rebellion really
broke out he was one of the first in the
field from that section of the country,
espousing the cause of the south He
personally raised company of cavalry
and started south tc join General Price.
A few weeks later Captain Shelby was
commissioned as colonel of cavalry and
ordered back to Missouri to recruit a
regiment. Returning with his band of
100 men. who had numerous slxirmishes
with federal bands, Colonel Shelby or
ganized regiment, to which was join
ed the three Missouri regiments in
cavalry organization known as Shelby's
brigade. This brigade, under General
Shelby, saw much hard service inMis-
souri,, 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 a. well-equipped and
thoroughly disciplined body of men,
great many of whom would not admit
that their cause had been lost. Shelby,
however, succeeded in convincing his
followers that further fighting against
the government would be useless, and
when, as an alternative, he proposed q
march to Mexico there to espouse The
cause Of Macmillan, 1000 men of his
following readily followed him. At
COrsicana an election was held and
Shelby was elected commander, receiv-
ing every vote
The column then moved on to HouS-
ton and then on to Austin, the capital
Of Texas, where the confederate gov
eminent had subtreasury, in which
was stored 100000 il. gold and silver.
General Shelby's regiment arrived
barely in time to save this treasure
from a marauding band of gaurrillas
under captain Raab, who captured the
treasury building and started in to loot
it. Shelby's men surrounded the place,
and after shooting down a number of
the marauders drove them off. General
Shelby's men guarded the treasury un-
til the following day. The morning
following the mayor of Austin pro-
posed to General Shelby that inasmuch
as his men we're the last organized
body of the confederacy in Texas they
should take this confederate money.
General Shelby positively refused, say
ing:
Il went into the war with clean
hands and by Gods blessing, | will go
out Of the war with clean hands"
From Austin Shelby's band marched
to San Antonio and to Eagle pass,
where they crossed into Mexico and re-
sumed their march When they reach
ed the City of Mexico Macmillan had
been reigning for a year. Shelby Of
fered to take immediate service with
his band and to recruit an army Of 49,
600 Americans to supersede the native
troops, but Macmillan was suspicious
and Shelby'S company was forced to
disband. Many of them settled in
Mexico, others went or to the Pacific
coast and shipped for California. while
some returned to theil former homes.
General Shelby became a freight con-
tractor in Mexico, but in 1867 he re-
turned to his farm in Missouri, where
he lived a retired life until 1893, when
President Cleveland appointed him
United States marshal for the western
district of Missouri. During the great
railroad strike in 1894, when Marshal
Shelby was active in suppressing the
strikers, he became involved in a con-
trOversy with Gov. Stone, who con
tended that United States officers and
troops were being used in violation Of
the doctrine of states rights-the very
doctrine which Shelby had fought so
bitterly for during the civil war-but
to Governor Stone General Shelby re-
piled that 'the question of states
rights was decided by that war, and
settled for all time when Lee sur
rendered at Appomattox"
In the recent campaign General Shell
by was an active supporter of the policy
of President Cleveland.