Shelby Expedition through Van Zandt County
Canton, Van Zandt County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Gen. Joseph O. Shelby's command refused to surrender at the close of the Civil War. Shelby's men, the First Missouri Cavalry of the Confederate States of America, marched via Clarksville to Van Zandt County, proceeding through Grand Saline to Canton and on to Stone Point soon after learning of Gen. Robert E. Lee's surrender. From about April 22 to May 29, 1865, Shelby's troops camped at Stone Point while their leader attended a Confederate conference at Marshall, Texas. Determined to continue the war, Shelby's men journeyed to Mexico, stopping where they were needed to enforce the peace in a ravaged postwar Texas. (1998)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
As the Confederacy collapsed in the spring of 1865, Gen. Joseph O. Shelby's First Missouri Cavalry refused to lay down arms. Marching by way of Clarksville, Grand Saline, and Canton, the command camped at Stone Point from late April into May while Shelby attended a Confederate conference at Marshall. Rather than surrender after Lee gave up in Virginia, these die-hards pressed on toward Mexico, keeping order in a devastated postwar Texas as they went.
Why it matters
The march of Shelby's unreconstructed cavalry into Mexico is one of the most dramatic episodes of the Confederacy's refusal to accept defeat, and it left its trace on the roads of Van Zandt County.
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Related people
- · Joseph O. Shelby
- · Robert E. Lee
Related events
- · Surrender of the Confederacy
- · Shelby's Expedition to Mexico
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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