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