The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1897-04-23

OF all the conspicuous figures of the
civil war. none perhaps has so varied
and romantic an experience as General
Jo Shelby. Greater Generals than he
were in the conflict, more distinguish
ed commanders have passed into his
tory, but taking him by and large. as
typical American soldier-a free
lance among the lighter and more dash
| ing eXemplaries of the art of war-he
| stood with Sheridan, Jeb Stuart. Ros-
| ser. Custer and the other dare-deyils
who rode to win. in clouds of dust and
| amid the clatter of sabers. That lie did
| not know how or when TO surrender is
| not so much to his discredit as q sol
| dier. as his subsequent action in run
| ming off to Mexico and Offering his
sword TO foreign adyenturer reflected
| upon his American citizenship. But
| then his wounds We're sore; his years
| We're few: his ambition boundless. and
| his matured good sense had vet to
| come. When in 1867, after his expert
ence with Maximilian he crept back
| to Fayette County, Missouri, and saw
some beauty yet in the stars and
stripes, his vision took a wider scope,
and in spite of himself he had to admit
that there was no land like the land of
his birth.
General Shelby's experience in Mex
leo. at about the close of Maximilian's
regime, sounds like a romance. Major
John \. Edwards, who some years ago
was the Boswell of Shelby's career.
dwelt at length upon his experience
with the ll-starred Austrian. 1t is
worth reproducing here. Major Ed
wards said:
AT the close of the war. when Kirby
Smith, in command of the department.
was anxious to surrender, General
Shelby was an advocate of further re-
sistance. French support medicines,
ammunition and French gold We're
coming by way of Mexico, and upon
these be based hope His protest was
unavailng. and the surrender was
made at Shreveport and the army dis
banded. Before the surrender was
made the army became dissatisfied
with General Smith, and General Shell
by was commissioned to ask him to
withdraw as direct commander of the
army. which he did in favor of General
Buckner. At the surrender of the army
Smith surrendered to Buckner. and
Buckner surrendered to the United
States.
shelby then gathered about him GOO
men. They We're Missourians for the
most part, and We're willing to follow
their leader to the utmost confines OF
the earth They determined TO 90 into
Mexico and take part in the contest
then waging between Macmillan and
JuareZ. Shelby's march through Texas
IS remarkable in many respects Tex
as was a vast arsenal Of arms and am
munition at this time. and his troops
We're well supplied. Some returning and
disbanded soldiers at times attempt
ed to levy contributions upon the
surrounding country. but Shelby's
stern orders arrested them in the act,
and his swift punishment of depreda-
tions left q shield over the neighbor-
hood, that needed only its shadow to
insure safety
when the first Mexican station was
| reached General Shelby sold his can
non, and his men took vote the same
night to decide which of the contcnding
parties in Mexico they should join.
Shelby was decidedly il favor of join
ing Juarez, who led the revolution. we'll
arguing with his usual sagacity and
foresight that the United States would
never allow a foreign power to gain Il
fOCthOld on American soil. But his
men favored the imperial party and he
allowed himself to be governed by
their wishes. They crossed the Rio
Grande at Eagle Pass and entered
Mexico. a few days later Shelby was
offered the command of the States of
Nueva Leone and Coahula, but the Of
fer was declined, as his men had join
ed the imperial forces.
Historians say that had General
Shelby accepted this position he would
in all probability have been joined by
thousands Of Confederates whose for
tunes We're to be made, and with that
force he would have been able to save
Macmillan or might have become
power in AeXico's affairs.
However that may be, General Shell
by and his men had many bloody and
fierce encounter with the brigands that
infested Mexico before they reached
the City of Mexico. One of these was
the rescue and liberation of IneZ Walk
er, q beautiful American who had been
educated in California She was seen
years before by Rodriguez. a million
aire Spaniard, who took fancy to her
and abducted her In the encounter
he was killed, and the American wom-
| an received the protection of Shelby's
men.
shelby offered his services to the
| Emperor but they were refused. Max
imilian was not willing to trust the
Americans in his organized army 1t
| Is curious fact that General Shelby,
when interviewing Maximilian's repre-
sentative, predicted the situation that
afterward befell that luckless Emper-
or.
"When Shelby gathered his men
about him and announced the decision
OK the Emperor. he said: We are not