General Jo Shelby's March

by Anthony Arthur

One of the most remarkable but surprisingly little known stories of the post–Civil War era is the unforgettable account of how a famous Confederate general forged a defiant new life out of crushing defeat and finally achieved forgiveness and respect in his own reunited land.


General Jo Shelby, a daring and ruthless cavalry commander renowned and notorious for his slashing forays behind Union lines, declared after Appomattox that he would never surrender. With three hundred men, some from his fighting “Iron Brigade” regiment, others adventurers, fortune hunters, and deserters, he headed for Mexico.


In vivid detail, General Jo Shelby’s March describes the dusty and dangerous 1,200-mile trek that this “last holdout of the Confederacy” made through a lawless Texas swarming with desperadoes and on into a Mexico teeming with Juárez’s rebels and marauding Apaches. After near fratricide among his fraying band of brothers, Shelby arrived to present a quixotic proposal to Emperor he and his fellow Americans would take over the Mexican army and, after being reinforced by forty thousand more Confederate soldiers, the government itself. Though a dramatic, doomed, and brave endeavor, Shelby’s actions changed both him and American history forever.


Historian Anthony Arthur then recounts the astonishing end of Shelby’s his return to the United States and his renouncing of slavery, his nomination by President Grover Cleveland to become U.S. marshal for western Missouri, and his eventual fame as a model of nineteenth-century progressivism.

Genres: Civil War, History, Military Fiction, War, Biography, Nonfiction, American History

296 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Charles van Buren · Rating 5 out of 5]

 Heroic quixotic quest for meaning and a place in the world

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This review is from: General Jo Shelby's March (Kindle Edition)

Beautifully written, lively account of General Jo Shelby's march into Mexico to avoid surrendering to the Yankees at the end of the Civil War. Change a very few details and you have a fairy tale or a saga of knights errant. Shelby and company even rescued a fair maiden from the castle of an ogre. On the way to join Maximilian, they performed numerous other heroic and chivalrous deeds.

Perhaps more quixotic than his men, Shelby was unhappy that they chose to join the emperor's forces rather than Juarez, but agreed to lead them. Upon Maximilian's refusal to hire Shelby and his men, General Shelby accurately assessed the Emperor's weak position in Mexico, telling him that not one square foot of the country was in sympathy with him. Of course his warning fell on deaf ears. Emperor Maximilian also failed to heed Shelby's advice to always keep his Austrian troops close.

One of the great Confederate cavalry commanders, Shelby mellowed with age and was appointed a U.S. Marshal for Western Missouri by a Republican president. This well written book contains a wealth of fascinating information about Shelby, Maximilian, Napoleon III, Juarez, Mexico, the American Civil War and many other people and things. However it is not, nor is it intended to be, a complete biography of Shelby.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent readable accounting of this individual, along with an enticing glimpse into Mexico's governance and intrigues occurring at the same time as the Civil War.

The story of General Shelby gets interesting as the Civil War ends at the signing of surrender at Appomattox. A diehard Southerner and supporter of the Confederate States of America, the capable cavalry commander led hundreds of soldiers into Mexico rather than submit to the victorious Union.

Unclear to me until I read this book, it was France that controlled Mexico at the time though it was attempting to control a Mexican rebellion. The interjection of disgruntled Confederate soldiers into this country, and US diplomacy in the aftermath of its own Civil War with regards to both France and the uprising make up the majority of the book and at least for me was all fascinating new material.

But the story goes on in the later chapters with Shelby returning the US after a few years, accepting the defeat of his "side," and attempting to move on and fit in to America as it now stood. Shelby becomes a leader of a different kind, standing as a positive example to other reluctant southerners in submitting and changing their perspectives.

As I was finishing this informative narrative, it was coincidental that in 2015 the confederate flag was coming down being flown at the South Carolina state house. That action came after a debate whether the flag was first and foremost celebrating Southern heritage or more ominously, a more subtle still-defiant statement intertwined with latent racism. For one of the concluding aspects of Shelby's transformation occurred when he "stepped into the middle of a controversy concerning the display of the Confederate flag during a Fourth of July parade in Kansas City - he opposed it as "waving the bloody shirt" or needlessly inflammatory, was harshly criticized as a result." But as one with impeccable Southern credentials, he dismissed the criticism, and went on to be a positive force for reconciliation in the years after the Civil War.

The author has compiled a rich nugget of history that deserves a wider audience - still pertinent to today's social norms.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Confederate General Jo Shelby led a force of former Confederates into Mexico instead of surrendering at the close of the American Civil War. The work mainly deals with his struggles in Mexico but contains sections on his life prior to the war, during the war, and the later stages of his life after his return to the United States. An excellent biography of the man and history of Maximilian's French rule of Mexico.

[Jonathan Grice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how anyone important in the late 1800's seemed to be related to everyone else important. I got drawn in by the idea that there was a confederate who refused to surrender, but in fact the march to Mexico was just a small part of the book. It turned out Shelby was just a fascinating man, and the march became a footnote in his life.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

The subject of this book is interesting on many levels - General Jo Shelby was one of the most celebrated Civil War leaders in the Trans-Mississippi department and one of the outstanding cavalry leaders of the Civil War, but there are many other important connections. Shelby was connected to many of the leading Missouri families, and was even friends with members of the Blair family. Shelby interacted with Emperor Maximilian of Mexico. Shelby also intersected with the James brothers and testified on behalf of Frank James. Finally, he was a prominent southern general who reconciled to the restoration of the Union following war after his return from Mexico.
The focus of Arthur's book is less on Shelby's Civil War career and more on his leadership of a group of confederate soldiers into Mexico and their efforts to develop a ex-confederate colony there.
Arthur has a nice writing style, and the story is a good one that touches on a lot of themes.
There were a number of times, though, where Arthur worked to connect events to the broader events of the time where he (in my view) oversimplifies, is uncertain, or even misses the mark. His analysis often leaves the reader wanting more. One of the key events is Shelby looking to cast his lot with the Juarista forces, but his men overruling him and seeking to join Maximillian's forces instead. How had Shelby misread his men? Did he understand the challenge of trying to sell his preferred approach but was unable to convince them? A lot of questions that could use some more analysis, and Arthur's focus seems to only go one level below Shelby to his close subordinates or one level up to figures like Hindman and Kirby Smith.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting book about another often forgotten part of the aftermath of the Civil War. General Jo Shelby and many other Confederates went to Mexico for various reasons after the end of Civil War. This book follows Shelby from the last days of the Civil War through his adventures in Mexico and then to his death.
This book started with Shelby's early life and then briefly covered his Civil War service spending the bulk of the book on Shelby's time in Mexico. This was very interesting as Shelby sought to offer his services to Benito Juarez and the ultimately Emperor Maximilian.
Eventually, as the reign of Maximilian's empire collapsed, many Americans including Shelby opted to return to the United States and an uncertain future.
Shelby was very successful in the post-Civil War America as he rebuilt his life.
This book was well worth the read.

[Darryl Updegrove · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was probably longer than it needed to be. The basic story is interesting, and it is fascinating to see how many famous people this one individual cMe into contact with over his lifetime. Overall, though, his life is essentially of most interest during and prior to the US Civil War, and his journey to Mexico afterwards. The remainder of his life might more easily have been conveyed in a few chapters, but then the book would have been a short read.

[Travis Moody · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent read about an exceptional man and hero. History would be hard pressed to produce someone with the ilk of Gen. Jo Shelby.

One has to wonder what might have been, not only in the war for Southern Independence but in his travels to Mexico. What if this men would have voted to fight for Juarez, as he himself intended to do?

Can't recommend this book enough for anyone remotely interested in the Civil War Era.

[Charles Phillips · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting piece of Civil War history that focuses on the Trans-Mississippi region. Shelby was a very talented cavalry commander and guerrilla leader. Unfortunately, he was also a bit too deeply involved with the likes of Quantrill and Bill Anderson. Missouri, during the war, was a horror story written by men like Quantrill and Anderson.

The case is not so clear for Shelby. But, his later activities in Mexico showed no bent toward the indiscriminate violence of other Border Ruffians. So, one suspects he was a young man of talent who was part of a vicious guerrilla war.

After the loss of the Mississippi, the western states had their own private war with commanders of moderate skill leading units of moderate size into a series of battles now lost to most who study the Civil War. Both Shelby and Morgan were, however, superior commanders who led highly motivated troops.

As another reviewer noted, it is far from clear exactly why Shelby took the steps he did. My best guess, though it is not discussed in detail in the book, is that like many of those who traveled with him, he could expect no amnesty during the period immediately following the war. Regular army officers were asked to take an oath; guerrilla leaders were hung.

Another part of me sees him as a young cavalier who simply can't relinquish his sword. He has fought bravely and well, and he simply can't abide the idea of bending his knee and going back to a farm or a rope-making business.

The meat of Shelby's story is really found in Mexico. Soldiers from an army defeated in a civil war are not always welcome in the midst of a civil war in another country. Though Shelby's seems to have favored the Juaristas; his men wanted to join forces with the French monarchists. Much to their surprise, their offer of assistance was rejected.

Shelby and his companions are eventually given areas of Mexico where they could attempt to create "New Virginia." But, like almost all zealots, Shelby and his friends dramatically over-estimated the number of people who felt the same as themselves. The tens of thousands of Southrons that Shelby and others expected to see in Mexico did not appear. The end of French involvement also meant the end of the two fledgling colonies started by the Americans.

In the end, Shelby himself returned to the US, renounces slavery, indicated his regret that Phil Sheridan didn't catch him before he crossed the border, and became a US Marshal.

Beyond Shelby's trek, the most fascinating elements of the work are the hare-brained schemes involving Mexico and Central America cooked up by Americans during this period. Jefferson Davis seems to have at least considered taking the CSA south to Mexico and Central America as the war turned sour. After the war, Grant and some Union officials harbored some of the same wild dreams. Manifest destiny was for some no longer just a matter of east and west. It had an north to south element as well. Trial balloon after trial balloon were floated among the Americans about the conquest of Mexico, especially during the period of French intervention. Luckily none of these balloons held air for long. Given Walker's Latin American's follies prior to the Civil War, maybe this was just a continuation of a 19th century American tradition, rather than a wartime aberration.

The book, for me, just missed four stars. The fourth star was dependent on the author providing the readers with an in-depth picture of just why these few, and others like them, chose to flee the nation. The work has a number of fascinating details and characters, but that picture never really emerged. Despite that, the book is well worth a read. It covers a slice of history unknown to many but filled with both characters and events of unusual interest.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jo Shelby was a native of Missouri. During the "Bleeding Kansas" period before the Civil War, anti-slavery forces staged raids into Missouri and pro-slavery forces staged raids into Kansas and the two sides fought in Kansas. Shelby was on the pro-slavery side, opposed to John Brown. At the same time he was friends with leading pro-Confederacy figures (like Governor Claiborne Jackson)and pro-Union politicians (later turned generals) like Frank Blair who dominated politics in Missouri.

During the Civil War Shelby was an able Confederate cavalry general in the Trans-Mississippi Theater. He fought ably in most of the major battles in that theater and lead several cavalry raids into Missouri. He saved General Sterling Price's forces from destruction after they were defeated at the Battle of Westport. He thought that Price was an incompetent blowhard. Shelby's troops included guerillas/criminals like Jesse & Frank James.

At the end of the Civil War, Shelby refused to surrender. He led many of his men across Texas into Mexico, accompanied by several Confederate generals in the Trans-Mississippi Theater (Price, Magruder, Kirby Smith)and politicians like the Confederate governor of Texas. Although Shelby wanted to join forces with the deposed Mexican President Benito Juarez against Emperor Maximilian and his French troops, Shelby's men wanted to offer their services to Maximilian. So Shelby went along with them. Shelby tried his hand at farming & starting an ex-Confederate colony in Mexico. After the French forces left Mexico, Shelby and most of the other ex-Confederates returned to the U.S.

Shelby sheltered Frank James and later testified in court in Frank James' defense. Shelby later became a U.S. Marshal in Missouri. He was also quoted in the press as saying that he came to see that John Brown was right.

This book is a quick read. The author has an engaging style. He tries to be objective in describing the often brutal fighting in Kansas before the war, in Missouri during the war and in Mexico after the war. You may not admire Shelby personally but you have to respect his abilities.

[Doug DePew · Rating 5 out of 5]

"General Jo Shelby's March" by Anthony Arthur is an excellent book. It covers General Shelby's life from beginning to end. This is a story that is not widely known, and Mr. Arthur has done a very good job of summing it up. The book is very well written and held my interest from cover to cover. It's organized well into three parts covering different phased of Shelby's life. The first section covers some history of his family, his upbringing, and the war. Part two covers the little known march to Mexico and events that happened while there. Part three covers Shelby's life after returning to the US.

I found the section about Mexico and Shelby's life afterward fascinating. I study the Missouri war a lot, and I have never seen some of this information in print. I've seen better writings on military actions during the war, but that isn't the focus of this book. It's more of a summary of the war then discussion of Shelby's life after the war, and it was done well.

I recommend this book to anyone who would like to learn more about the Trans-Mississippi theater of the US Civil War and especially to people who are interested in the aftermath of the war. General Jo Shelby was one of a kind, and Anthony Arthur has done a skillful job of telling us about his life.

[Steelman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book does not adequately explain the reasons why some Confederates chose to flee to Mexico at the end of the Civil War rather than just going home. Nor does it fully explain Napoleon III/Maximilian's reasons for attempting to take over Mexico. As a result, the reader is left with an incomplete vision of why the major characters in the book took the actions they did.

The book was didactic in that it explained well the actions taken by the various players. I thought the final chapter of the book, which chronicled General Shelby's last act on the historical stage as the US Marshal for western Missouri, was superbly written.

In an effort to grasp the big picture, the author included a few too many off-subject tales that appeared to lead to some dead ends for the reader. The portions of the story dealing with General Shelby's role in the history of Missouri and surrounding areas were interesting and deserved further attention.

In short, the book attempted to tell the story of a group of Confederates in Mexico after the War, and did so incompletely. In that regard, I believe the author failed somewhat in his effort.

[Ken]

Jo Shelby left the western theater of the Civil War and entered Mexico with the idea of helping someone with his force of 300 odd men a few cannon and the Southern fighting spirit and cordial Southern ways. He wanted to go with the rebellion against the French and Maximilian, but his men wanted to fight for the French. Wrong side of history there and Shelby and his men futilely marched through Mexico, fighting as they went. Once they got to Mexico City, Maximilien couldn't find much use for them. Gave them a nice dinner or two and helped to set them up in business and publishing. Shelby himself was a successful farmer and businessman before he was shown the door. A couple of the Rebs remained in Mexico, but most went back home, once a general pardon of Confederates was given.
I recommend reading about this not so well known march. Shelby is a very interesting soldier in his own right and the author kept me involved even as he described Shelby as an old lawman in Missouri.

[Rudy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was expecting more of a full biography. This book skimmed over everything except the Mexico period. The Civil War received approximately 2 pages!!!