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JOSEPH
ORVILLE SHELBY
Brigadier General CSA Joseph O. Shelby was born in Lexington, Kentucky on December 12,
1830. He was destined to be a greater American than Jeb Stuart, Mark
Twain, and P. T. Barnum. He is considered one of the greatest
General's in History. He had no formal military training, yet he was
most successful as a military strategist during his service from the
Boarder Wars until his move to Mexico, which he and his troops
decided to do, rather than surrender.
Joseph O. Shelby was the son of Orville and Anna Maria Shelby,
grandson of David (B.1763) and Sarah (B. 1763) Shelby and great
grandson of John Shelby (B.1724). When Joseph was three years old
his father died and his mother remarried in 1843 to Benjamin Gratz,
a Kentucky Industrialist. In 1851, Joseph Inherited $80,000.00 and
started on his way to become one of the richest men in Missouri.
When he
moved to Lafayette County, Missouri, he settled in Lexington.
Then he established Berlin, a small town on the Missouri River and
started a hemp factory and a saw mill. The saw mill burned shortly
after Joseph was involved in the border war in 1858. After the saw
mill burned he moved his operation to a larger town down the
Missouri River to Waverly. Here he was the dashing young man, about
town with all his riches and was the desire of many a young lady.
With all his wealth he became a benefactor of education by giving a
portion of his land to set up an institution of learning. The
building was a landmark on the prairie and was built about 6 miles
south of Waverly and four miles north of Alma. It was named Shelby
College, but it's life was short due to the Civil War. After his
move to Waverly he built his rope walk and factory in the flat land
in the valley between Mount Rucker and Mount Ennis; there he had a
large warehouse containing some 10,000 square feet. On April 28th
1859 Joseph received a patent on his invention of a steam powered
hemp brake.
Joseph became enamored with a young lady whose name was Elizabeth
Nancy Shelby, a distant cousin, and on July 22, 1858 he married his Bettie. This was a
special day in Waverly. They were married by the Presbyterian
Minister of Lexington. Joseph had built a beautiful home about half
way down Mount Rucker facing the northeast so he could look down the
river at his steam boats, which he now owned. He, also built a home
for Bettie's parents and both of these homes and the factory, warehouse,
rope walk and hemp brake were burned as well as most of Waverly
south and west of Mount Rucker, by the Red Leg's during the 1860's.
After the wedding a Red Carpet was laid from his house down to the
steamboat at the dock and the entire wedding party and guest's were
taken to St Louis for a great party.
The now Captain Joseph O. Shelby was a cousin of Governor B. Gratz
Brown, and of Francis Blair Jr., member of congress and an intimate
friend of President Lincoln. He was offered a commission as
Brigadier General in the Union Army but turned it down. He, as many
of the citizens of Missouri, felt that the personal rights of the
people had been taken away, with the Missouri Compromise and the
Kansas- Nebraska Act.
On March 8th 1897, an eye witness told the following story to the
Republic News. After a summer campaign from Booneville to Wilson's
Creek, Joseph was sent by General Price to recruit men from Saline,
Lafayette and Carroll County. He recruited 1,000 men on the steps of
the United Methodist Church in four days. While he was in Waverly he
heard that the Sunshine, a Union Steamer was on its way to Fort
Leavenworth with a heavy load of red wagons, harness, flour, guns,
ammunition, boots and shoes Capt Shelby kept a close eye on the
river and here came the Sunshine with its load. He began firing a
six-pound cannon and the boat was forced to dock. It was unloaded
and the government goods were stacked on the dock along with the
wagons and Shelby ordered 25 cords of wood to burn the loot, which
he had no intention of doing. The ship’s clerk asked Joseph for a
pass to go to town to tell the merchants of his problem. Shelby said
that he would give him a pass but would not guarantee his safety, so
he thought better of going up town and told everyone he would see at
other ports, on the river, that Waverly was filled with an army of
desperate men. The steamer continued to Fort Leavenworth, now Shelby
had to find a place for the loot and the local farmers said they
would go and get their horses and pull the wagons and hide them in
their barns. The wagons that were left were taken to the slue and
pushed in below the water. After this Shelby and his men went to
Neosho to join General Price. Sometime later a Colonel Merrill and
his Black Horse Regiment came to Waverly and frightened the citizens
and they quickly told him where the wagons were, and once again they
were the property Of the US Government.
General Shelby claimed Waverly as his home for some 30 years, even
though he was living elsewhere. General Shelby was one of the last
Cavaliers, having a personal feeling for all those he knew. When
he was in the war he released many prisoners when other general's
were shooting them. He continued caring for people after he became
U.S. Marshall by helping families of those who he had arrested.
General Joseph O. Shelby died on February 13th 1897, in Adrian,
Missouri after suffering from pneumonia, and working and not taking
care of himself. His funeral was held in the Kansas City Armory.
This was one of the largest funerals in Kansas City, with many
soldiers of the Confederacy and of the Union Army in attendance. He
left behind Betty, his loving wife, who had traveled with him all
through the war when she could. He also left behind seven sons and
one daughter. The final resting place of the Undefeated Rebel is in
Forest Hills Cemetery in Kansas City, Missouri. Betty would live
another thirty two years and then join him in final rest.
Bibliography
Herbert F. Rice Kansas City Times 1959
Gilbert Knipmeyer, The Missouri Guardsman 1953
Submitted by
John Hinz 2006 |