The Journal

Recapturing the Jackson County Cavalry and Jo Shelby’s Famous Iron Brigade

By Roger D. Cunningham

The Autumn 2002 JOURNAL of the Jackson County Historical Society features Recapturing the Jackson County Cavalry and Jo Shelby’s *Infamous Iron Brigade, by Roger D. Cunningham

During the Civil War Missouri was one of three “border states” whose citizens wrestled with divided loyalties. Although Missouri never formally seceded from the Union, it was a slave state, and more than two-thirds of her white population was of Southern origin. A Confederate government-in-exile represented the state. Eventually, more than 30,000 troops fought for the South, as well as several thousand more irregular forces, or “guerrillas.” Among these Confederate units was the Twelfth Missouri Cavalry. This regiment was known by several other names during its three years of service (1862-65), but throughout the war it retained a nickname that recognized the home for most of its men--the “Jackson County Cavalry.”

Read more about Jo Shelby and his famous “iron brigade” in the printed version of the Autumn 2002 JOURNAL.

Roger D. Cunningham grew up in the Kansas City area. He is a retired army officer who currently resides in northern Virginia and writes articles on military history topics.

*EDITOR’S CORRECTION: The word “infamous” inadvertently replaced Mr. Cunningham’s own description of Shelby’s “famous” Iron Brigade in the printed version of the Autumn 2002 JOURNAL. A retraction of this epithet will appear in the Spring 2003 JOURNAL.

Selected Bibliography

Boatner, Mark M. The Civil War Dictionary. New York: McKay, 1959.

Britton, Wiley. “Resume of Military Operations in Missouri and Arkansas, 1864-65.” Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, vol. IV. New York: Thomas Yoseloff, 1956.

Brownlee, Richard S. Gray Ghosts of the Confederacy: Guerrilla Warfare in the West, 1861-1865. Baton Rouge: LSU Press, 1958.

Castel, Albert. William Clarke Quantrill: His Life and Times. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1999.

----------------. General Sterling Price and the Civil War in the West. Baton Rouge: LSU Press, 1968.

Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations From the State of Missouri (Roll 61, National Archives Microfilm Publication M322). Confederate Veteran 21 (May 1913), 22 (March 1914), 32 (February 1924).

Davis, William C. The Cause Lost: Myths and Realities of the Confederacy. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1996.

Edwards, John N. Shelby and His Men: or, The War in the West. Cincinnati: 1867.

Federal Census for Missouri, 1860 (Jackson County) and 1870 (Cass County)

Kennedy, Frances H., ed. The Civil War Battlefield Guide. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1998.

Leslie, Edward E. The Devil Knows How to Ride. New York: Random House, 1996.

Monnett, Howard N. Action Before Westport, 1864. Kansas City: Westport Historical Society, 1964.

Oates, Stephen B. Confederate Cavalry West of the River. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1961.

Rolle, Andrew F. The Lost Cause: The Confederate Exodus to Mexico. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1965.

Sifakis, Stewart. Compendium of the Confederate Armies: Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, the Confederate Units and the Indian Units. New York: Facts On File, 1995.

Snead, Thomas L. “The Conquest of Arkansas.” Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, Vol. III. New York: Thomas Yoseloff, 1956.

U.S. War Department. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Washington: GPO, 1880-1902.

Younger, Cole. The Story of Cole Younger by Himself. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2000.

Websites offering more information:

12th Missouri Cavalry

Tom Lea’s painting at the Pleasant Hill Post Office

Shelby’s Mule song

Missouri in the Civil War

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