Shelby's Raid (1863)

In December 1862, the Confederates suffered a defeat at the Battle of Prairie Grove, leading to a retreat and allowing Union forces to seize control of northwestern Arkansas. In January 1863, Fort Hindman, Arkansas fell to Union forces, weakening Confederate positions in the region. Additionally, Confederate attempts to reclaim Helena, Arkansas in July 1863 proved unsuccessful, further diminishing their control over key territories. In September 1863, the state capital, Little Rock, Arkansas, was captured by Union forces during the Little Rock campaign, leading to the effective control of the Arkansas River Valley. Additionally, on July 3, 1863, the Confederates in the Eastern theater faced a decisive defeat at the Battle of Gettysburg. This defeat compelled General Lee's Army of Northern Virginia to retreat, with casualties numbering in the thousands and making Gettysburg one of the bloodiest battles of the American Civil War. In July 1863, Union victories at Vicksburg, Mississippi and Port Hudson, Louisiana opened the Mississippi River. The river served as a crucial main route for supplies and communication throughout the South, as well as an essential lifeline for goods traveling north. The succession of strategic battlefield defeats resulted in widespread demoralization and a significant number of casualties, placing a burden on Confederate forces in both the Eastern and Western theaters. In April 1863, Marmaduke initiated a second raid with a 5,000-men force divided into two columns, commanded by Colonel George Washington Carter and Shelby. The objective was to attack General John McNeil's garrison in Bloomfield, Missouri. However, McNeil received advance notice of Carter's approach, prompting him to retreat to the well-fortified Cape Girardeau before Carter's arrival. Despite orders not to pursue McNeil, Carter disobeyed, leading to a minor engagement with artillery bombardment involving both Confederate and Union forces. Subsequently, General Marmaduke decided to order a retreat back to Arkansas. This retreat allowed McNeil to pursue and successfully repel the Confederate forces. == Raid plans ==

Colonel Shelby launched a political campaign to generate and gain approval for his raid. Shelby's men were ready to fight, however final approval needed to come from the Missouri governor. Colonel Shelby presented the idea of the Great Raid to Missouri Governor-in-exile Thomas Reynolds. His objectives extended beyond challenging the perceived Union control in Missouri. The following desired outcomes was presented: • Bolster his command: Recruiting more Missourians and uplift the morale of pro-Confederate residents. Initially hesitant, Marmaduke reluctantly granted authority to Major General Theophilus Hunter Holmes for the proposed raid. Following a tumultuous argument, Holmes eventually conceded and agreed to the plan. General Sterling Price, after officially consenting, forwarded the proposal to General Edmund Kirby Smith for ultimate approval. Shelby received orders to launch the raid despite the uncertainty surrounding the chain of command for the operation. Final approval came from Price on August 21 ==The raid's advance==

Arkansas River crossing On September 22, departing from Arkadelphia, Arkansas, Shelby's combined force of 600 to 700 men navigated through Federal territory in Missouri. Shelby's unit reached the Arkansas River, crossing the river on September 27 without detection. They crossed into the town of Rossville where Shelby sent a detachment of scouts to Clarksville, Dardanelle, and Ozark to spot Federal troops. While they passed through Huntsville and Bentonville, they committed sabotage on the telegraph wires located Fayetteville Road, which was destroyed as well. Strategic reinforcement At around October 1, Colonel DeWitt Clinton Hunter joined forces with Shelby's formation at McKissick Spring, Arkansas, bolstering their ranks with 200 newly recruited cavalrymen from southwest Missouri. The unified troops, under the command of Shelby, proceeded to Pineville, Missouri, on October 2. There, they encountered Colonel John Trousdale Coffee and his contingent of 400 men, who also joined Shelby's forces. McAfee recently departed from Neosho where he would encounter Coffee's cavalrymen two miles south of Neosho. McAfee ordered a retreat towards the town where they positioned themselves there. Coffee's men circled the town from the rear while Gordon's men took the right flank, and Shanks' men onto the left flank. Shelby, Hooper, and Hunter directed the artillery fire north towards Neosho in a bid to corner the troops into the center of the town, where the courthouse was located. The garrison fell for the trap and small arms fire was exchanged defending the courthouse. Shebly directed the cannon towards the courthouse, after two shots, Shelby demanded the Federals to surrender. After much protest from McAfee, they surrendered. McAfee surrendered 180 men in his command. Shelby left Neosho to go travel northeast to Sarcoxie. Stopping at Jones Creek for a five-hour rest, they resumed their journey, passing through Sarcoxie. Once reaching Bowers Mill, the raiders plundered and set ablaze the town, after considering it a safe harbor for Union militias. Shelby eventually took the town, taking four prisoners, twenty-five rifles, horses, provisions from the stores, and burned the courthouse. Humansville Shelby's forces arrived at Humansville on October 6, and engaged in minor skirmishes. Journalist John Newman Edwards would recount: " Gordon, swinging around to its rear, cut off the retreat of one hundred and fifty Federal cavalry, and they surrendered after losing 17 killed." After the brief battle with the local Missouri militia, they seized 30 wagons laden with commissary provisions. Tracking Shelby's movements Federal authorities faced challenges in determining Shelby's exact location following the events in Humansville. General John Schofield informed Ewing that Shelby's raiders were either heading towards Fort Scott or Springfield. This information was delayed, as Shelby had already moved past Pineville and reached Greenfield by the reported date. Furthermore, Colonel John Edwards, leading the District of Southwestern Missouri in Springfield, thought that Shelby's aim was Jackson County, on the Missouri-Kansas border. Ewing believed that Shelby would advance toward Fort Scott before dispersing. Cole Camp Colonel Bazel Ferdinand Lazear, leading the 1st Missouri State Militia Cavalry, was stationed in Warrensburg when he was instructed by Brown to relocate his unit to Osceola. Lazear learned that Osceola had already been seized and chose to disregard the given orders and proceeded to Clinton, Missouri. Lazear's contingent discovered signs of Shelby's presence near Cole Camp on October 8. In Cole Camp, most of Shelby's forces were disguised as Federal troops, wearing captured uniform from their looting in Neosho and Warsaw. A resident approached Shelby's disguised men and proclaimed to be hunting rebels in the area with a militia. Shelby ordered the man's execution. In Florence, Shelby's forces enjoyed the spoils of the deserted town, such as shelter and food. Forster arrived in Warsaw on the 9th, where he discovered that Shelby had advanced towards Sedalia via the Cole Camp road. Foster was able to capture three men of Shelby's rear guard, and to confuse and deceive Shelby, Foster's men dragged branches of trees behind them, generating a significant dust cloud that led Shelby to believe Brown's larger force was close behind. The successful ruse was enhanced where three prisoners was allowed escape and reach Shelby, giving false information about the proximity of General Brown's regiment. As a result, Shelby altered his course to the east in the direction of Tipton instead of Sedalia as originally planned. Tipton On October 10, Shelby approached Tipton and encircled the town before launching an attack. Shelby dispatched a scout detachment to observe a train going westbound. Coincidentally, Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Leonidas Crittenden, commander of the 7th Missouri State Militia Cavalry, was on board, and he spotted the raiders. Crittenden ordered a retreat back east escaping Shelby's grasp. Tipton was eventually captured and Shelby directed Captain James Woods' 100 strong detachment to Otterville as to sabotage the Lamine railroad bridge. The 28-sized guard detachment at the railroad bridge was ambushed which left the bridge defenseless, Shelby's men set the bridge on fire. Woods captured its commander, Captain Berry of the 5th Provisional Regiment and his 28 men. Syracuse Majors Kelly and Gentry, encountered Shelby's rear guard at Syracuse, six miles west of Tipton. The rebel force, numbering 2,000 and with two pieces of artillery, was charged by Kelly and Gentry, which forced Shelby's forces to a stand. Shelby's forces re-formed, opened fire with artillery, and drove the Union forces back to Syracuse. The Union forces, after being driven back to Syracuse, rode around Shelby's right flank. They met Lazear with 500 men at Tipton. Lazear had overtaken Shelby's rear guard in Tipton and driven them out of the place. Shelby's primary goal was to reach Jefferson City, which is forty miles southeast of Boonville. Federal forces from Lazear and Brown's command strategically divided to surround Boonville. Lazear directed his units to intercept Shelby's rear guard from Tipton, initiating a pursuit that involved engaging with Shelby's forces. The confrontations led to skirmishes where casualties were inflicted, and Lazear's forces succeeded in capturing multiple prisoners. Concurrently, Lazear's advancing forces continued their approach towards Boonville, maintaining contact with Shelby's rear guard. Brown's 800 men, converged on Boonville through Sedalia road. Brown decided Shelby would be moving east, so he marched his troops off from the road and towards Lazear's forces, he kept Lieutenant G. Will Houts with 30 men on Sadalia road, to guard. Houts met and attacked Shelby's advance guard, killing 4 men. Lazear redirected his forces and rescued Houts, while Shelby escaped and retreated west. Dug Ford Shelby, turned west towards Jonesborough and crossed the Lamine River to set up an ambush at Dug Ford. Lazear forced Shelby to shift west, this maneuver allowed Lazear to kill eight and take four as prisoner. Lazear's own losses amounted to two killed and two wounded. Combined Federal army After the skirmish with Shelby's rear guard, Lazear's force received reinforcement with 120 additional soldiers from the 9th Provisional Enrolled Missouri Militia, led by Captain W.D. Wear. With this addition, Lazear's combined strength reached around 1,150 men. Ambush at Dug Ford Shelby directed Gordon and his contingent of 200 men to set up an ambush at Dug Ford on the Lamine River, as the rest of Shelby's forces advanced to the west. Lazear resumed pursuit of Shelby, going westbound, while Brown followed closely, two miles south of Lazear's column. Brown's objective was to prevent Shelby from breaking southwest and evading capture. Brown's forces crossed the La Mine River in a bid to catch the raiders. During the early morning hours of October 13, Brown directed Lazear to guide his troops south of Shelby's camp, execute a northern turn into Marshall, assume a defensive stance facing east, and get ready to intercept Shelby at Marshall. By approximately 3 A.M., Lazear was prepared for Shelby's arrival as he entered Marshall. Brown's consolidated force reached approximately 1,600 men, composed of units from various militia units. The discrepancy in the total force emerged due to the inclusion of federal detachments engaged in scouting or town guarding that joined the pursuit. Despite these fluctuations, the organized Federal forces predominantly ranged between 1,400 and 1,600 by the time of the Battle of Marshall. == Battle of Marshall ==

The Battle of Marshall unfolded on the morning of October 13, with Shelby positioned between two formidable forces. To his front was Lazear, and Brown's troops positioned behind him, ready to press his rear guard. Shelby decided to attack Lazear's force first, aiming to eliminate it before dealing with Brown's troops, despite the numerical disadvantage Shelby faced. Shelby dispatched Major David C. Shanks to destroy the bridge across the Salt Fork west of Marshall to deny Brown's forces from crossing. Brown, in response, ordered Major Houts to engage Shanks, while he took his main force south of Shanks' position, crossing the river to attack Shelby's left. Simultaneously, Major Foster would cross the river north of Shelby to attack his right flank. Major Mullins held the center and Major Gentry held the left flank. Major Kelly's artillery were held in reserve. During Shelby's assault on Lazear, Hooper commanded the left, Hunter and Coffee led the right, and artillery, along with the battalion under Gordon, formed the center, with all cavalry dismounted. Once the raiders gathered and were ready, they went northeast through dense vegetation and deep gorges. Before proceeding, they needed to improvise a bridge to cross a significant ravine along with the supply wagons. However, a mounted charge by Federal forces, spearheaded by Major Young, disrupted Shelby's strategy, causing the raiders to quickly yield under pressure and scatter in various directions. Casualty results of the battle The Federals suffered 5 killed, 26 wounded, and 11 missing. In contrast, Shelby's losses amounted to 53 dead, 98 wounded, and an unspecified number captured. == Escape to Arkansas ==

Shelby was able to break through Lazear's lines at Marshall and found themselves some distance away from the town. Shelby decided to halt his forces as he wanted to regroup with Hunter's detachment. After waiting an hour, Shelby's forces set their sights for Waverly. While marching to Waverly, Philip's men chased them about eight miles and Shelby was able to hold them off until they reached Germantown. At Germantown, Shelby held his position and the Federals decided to not attack the town. Instead, General Ewing took over the pursuit. On October 15, Shelby's men passed through Holden, encountering some resistance, and were pursued by General Ewing and Colonel Brutsche. Lazear, now relieved by General Ewing, began a chase. The pursuit continued, with Shelby successfully evading capture and reaching Wadesburg, crossing the Grand River at Settle's Ford. Ewing's advance guard and Shelby's rear guard fought a minor engagement fifteen miles east of Butler, Bates County. Ewing chased Shelby to Carthage on October 18. In Carthage, a lapse in alertness resulted in the capture of 30 of Major Pickler and his men from Coffee's command. The lack of a rear guard allowed for their apprehension. The 30 individuals captured would later be paroled. While Shelby continued his retreat, Hunter's 300 strong detachment had traveled northeast. At Tipton, they were able to gather supplies and then move on to Florence where they battled a garrison. Their route continued with skirmishes against the 1st Arkansas Cavalry, this forced Hunter to go into hiding in the dense vegetation. Hunter's troops moved south with minimal opposition, and was in close proximity by Shelby's forces. Together, they left Carthage for Diamond Springs. General Ewing renewed the pursuit and then returned to Fort Scott as General McNeil was closer to Shelby. McNeil had a strength of 600 cavalry, 300 infantry, and four artillery pieces. Shelby forced changed directions towards the southeast and traversed the Wire Road near Cassville, where they sabotaged the telegraph lines. Shebly joined Hunter's men near Berryville, at Little Osage River on October 20. Shelby received word about Federal troops in Huntsville and elected not to engage with them, instead they traveled to the Boston Mountains on October 24. They would also cross the Arkansas River at Clarksville on October 26 and repelled a charge led by McNeil's forces. In the ultimate leg of their journey, Shelby's forces had to endure a severe snow and ice storm while navigating towards Washington, Arkansas, on November 3. The subsequent day, General Price received a dispatch from Shelby, who sought to leave the remaining portion of his force in Arkansas for reorganization. ==Results and aftermath ==

As a consequence of the raid, Shelby received a promotion to the rank of Brigadier General in the Confederate Army on December 15, 1863. Shelby's report Despite the difficulties and adversities encountered throughout the withdrawal, Shelby stated that his losses were approximately 150 men. He asserted substantial casualties on the Federal side, claiming to have inflicted 600 casualties, captured 500 prisoners of war, destroyed ten forts, and caused over $2 million worth of damage to infrastructure and supplies. Shelby also maintained that his forces gained 800 new recruits, 1,200 guns, and seized 6,000 horses and mules. Historical interpretation Dr. Terry Beckenbaugh, an associate professor, offered an evaluation of Shelby's raid, acknowledging the captivating nature of the narrative while presenting a mixed record in terms of military strategy. Beckenbaugh commended Shelby's tactical instincts, emphasizing the role of luck, audacity, and leadership in the raid's success. However, he expressed skepticism about the accuracy of Shelby's final battle report, suggesting potential exaggerations by John Newman Edwards. Despite the destruction of significant property during the raid, Beckenbaugh argued that the primary objective of diverting federal troops to Missouri did not materialize. Instead, the aftermath left Missourians grappling with the repercussions of property damage, food theft, and loss of lives. ==References==