By Clint Lacy. For many in the South, the war did not end immediately with the surrender of Gen. Robert E. Lee on April 9, 1865, at Appomattox Court House in Virginia. In the West, many Confederate troops and their commanders refused to capitulate, preferring to continue the fight or leave the country. One of those was noted Rebel cavalry Gen. J.O. Shelby. Rather than wave the white flag, he led several hundred of his men south into Mexico, choosing freedom there to life under the Union yoke.
Joseph Orville Shelby was born in Lexington, Kentucky on Dec. 12, 1830 to one of the state’s most influential families. At the age of five, Joseph (or J.O. as he would later famously be remembered) lost his father. [Read the entire article as a PDF…]
The Barnes Review, July /August 2015: Defending Southern Honor