Patrick H
Lt. Colonel
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2014
I'm reading SHELBY'S EXPEDITION TO MEXICO, AN UNWRITTEN LEAF OF THE WAR, by John Newman Edwards. As most of you know, his flowery writing style is often difficult to handle, but this seems to be one of his better-written books.
He asserted a couple of things that have me wondering. I'm curious whether anyone can either verify or debunk these assertions. One seems at least plausible to me, but I've never hear or read either of them before and I was fairly surprised when I came across them in this book.
First, Edwards states that Lincoln wished an "open road" to be left through Texas for any Confederates wishing to retreat to Mexico. He doesn't state whether this was an official order or more of an unofficial sort of directive.
The Confederates would be allowed to take with them any quantity of weapons, ammunition and supplies they wished to transport. This is the assertion that seems somewhat plausible to me. (Easier to allow them to leave than to force their surrender). Further, any Union troops who wished to follow the Confederates to Mexico would be allowed to do so as soon as their periods of enlistment were finished. The purported reason was so that these soldiers could drive out the French and re-establish Juarez. Edwards says this information came to Shelby indirectly via his cousin, Frank P. Blair.
Second, Edwards states that Shelby received numerous requests sent from Union outfits asking him to wait until they could join him at the end of their enlistments. This seems much less plausible to me. It seems to me that most Union soldiers would have every reason to return home, rather than ride off to another war in another country.
I have no previous knowledge of either of these assertions. Is anyone familiar with such a plan by Lincoln?
He asserted a couple of things that have me wondering. I'm curious whether anyone can either verify or debunk these assertions. One seems at least plausible to me, but I've never hear or read either of them before and I was fairly surprised when I came across them in this book.
First, Edwards states that Lincoln wished an "open road" to be left through Texas for any Confederates wishing to retreat to Mexico. He doesn't state whether this was an official order or more of an unofficial sort of directive.
The Confederates would be allowed to take with them any quantity of weapons, ammunition and supplies they wished to transport. This is the assertion that seems somewhat plausible to me. (Easier to allow them to leave than to force their surrender). Further, any Union troops who wished to follow the Confederates to Mexico would be allowed to do so as soon as their periods of enlistment were finished. The purported reason was so that these soldiers could drive out the French and re-establish Juarez. Edwards says this information came to Shelby indirectly via his cousin, Frank P. Blair.
Second, Edwards states that Shelby received numerous requests sent from Union outfits asking him to wait until they could join him at the end of their enlistments. This seems much less plausible to me. It seems to me that most Union soldiers would have every reason to return home, rather than ride off to another war in another country.
I have no previous knowledge of either of these assertions. Is anyone familiar with such a plan by Lincoln?