Shelby's Raid, also known as Shelby's Great Raid, was a Confederate cavalry incursion into Arkansas and Missouri during the American Civil War in 1863. Led by Colonel Joseph Orville Shelby, the raid took place from August 21, 1863, to November 3, 1863, covering over 800 miles across territories in west central and northwest Arkansas, as well as southwest and west central Missouri.
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 an attempt to uplift the morale of Missouri rebels, Brigadier General John Sappington Marmaduke initiated raids, targeting Springfield, thought to be lightly guarded, on January 8, 1863. Anticipating a surprise attack, Marmaduke's forces were detected near Dubuque, Arkansas on January 6, 1863, by Union Captain Milton Burch's forces. Burch promptly alerted Brigadier General Egbert Benson Brown, who reinforced the town with Enrolled Missouri Militia units. Facing resistance, Confederate Colonel Shelby conducted regiment-sized attacks, probing for weaknesses in the opponent's battle line. Despite attempts to charge, the Confederate forces realized their numbers were insufficient to overcome the garrison, leading to a retreat on January 9.
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.
The American Civil War (1861–1865) was the deadliest conflict in American history, killing an estimated 620,000 to 750,000 soldiers and an unknown number of civilians. The Confederate States of America, formed by eleven seceding Southern states, faced the Union in four years of warfare across 23 states and territories. Major engagements included First and Second Bull Run, Antietam (the bloodiest single day in American history, September 17, 1862), Chancellorsville, Gettysburg (July 1–3, 1863), Vicksburg (surrendered July 4, 1863), and Sherman's March through Georgia and the Carolinas (1864–1865). President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, transforming the war's stated purpose to include the abolition of slavery and enabling the enlistment of approximately 180,000 Black men in the United States Colored Troops. Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865. The war resolved the question of secession and ended American slavery, though Reconstruction would face sustained resistance in its attempt to secure civil rights for formerly enslaved people.
This page covers Engagement near Shelby Creek (second, Pike County). A full Aubrey report for the area pulls together this battle alongside historic sites, land records, and everything else the record holds within a few miles:
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