How Jo Shelbys troops grew into the greatest Confederate cavalry brigade west of the Mississippi. Jo Shelbys cavalry unit is considered by contemporary historians to have been one of the toughest cavalry units in the West. A descendant of one of Shelbys Brigade members, Deryl P. Sellmeyer offers an objective and even-handed view of this impressive military leader and his men. The authors decade-long research of Shelbys life and his principal officers is evident as he details the history of Shelbys Brigade from its origin in Missouri through the end of the Civil War and its eventual disbandment in Mexico.