General Jo Shelby: Undefeated Rebel

by Daniel O'Flaherty, Daniel E. Sutherland

This vivid work, first published by UNC Press in 1954, reveals General Joseph Orville Shelby as one of the best Confederate cavalry leaders--and certainly the most colorful.
Born in Lexington, Kentucky, but drawn by the promise of the growing West, Shelby became one of the richest men in Missouri. Siding with the Confederacy at the outbreak of the Civil War, he organized his Iron Brigade of cavalry--whose ranks included Frank and Jesse James--taught his men a slashing frontier style of fighting, and led them on incredible raids against Federal forces in Missouri. When the Confederacy fell, Shelby refused to surrender and instead took his command to Mexico, where they fought in support of the emperor Maximilian. Upon his return to Missouri, Shelby became an immensely popular figure in the state, eventually attaining the status of folk hero, a living symbol of the Civil War in the West.

"O'Flaherty has written a first-rate book . . . combining careful scholarship with the ability to tell a story in an engaging manner.-- Saturday Review

"An interesting and readable life story of a long neglected Confederate general.-- Military Affairs

Genres: Biography, American Civil War, Transmississippi, Civil War

464 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1954

Reviews

[David Ingrum · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a Great Grandfather who served under General Shelby during the Civil War. Great Grandfather accompanied General Shelby and his command when they traveled into Mexico. Family history holds that at some time after the dissolution of the Iron Brigade, Frank and Jesse James visited Great Grandfather, who was then living in Kansas. It was very illuminating to read about the General's history, since it directly affected my family.

[Jimmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

With some of the battle descriptions, the author tends to ignore Shelby's role in the engagements; for example, at Pea Ridge, the only mention of Shelby's unit was that he "fought on horseback when he could and dismounted his men . . . when he could not". There are also no maps at all in the book (which seems a little strange to me, since this is a reprint; I don't see why maps couldn't have been added). There are a couple of very minor mistakes scattered through the book, such as referring to Stand Watie's Cherokee unit as a Choctaw regiment, but most likely few readers other than extreme Civil War enthusiasts are likely to notice.

The author also extensively covers Shelby's post-war career, including his part in the founding of a Confederate colony in Mexico. I've come across some mentions of Confederate immigrations to other countries in other books but not in this much detail, so this section was very interesting.

[Dr. Evil (jake) · Rating 5 out of 5]

i found out that one of my ancestors rode with jo shelby and no one else did for 4 years.my ancestor was also named jake stonestreet.and jo shelby was a confederate general.i also found out that my ancestor was the best fighter on his unit.he also got upgraded to major.