Joseph Orville Shelby, Confederate general (died 1897)

Joseph Orville "J.O." Shelby was a Confederate officer who commanded cavalry in the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War. After the Confederacy surrendered, Shelby tried to swear fealty to Emperor Maximilian I during the French invasion of Mexico. With the Emperor's permission, Shelby formed a colony of Confederate exiles in Mexico until the defeat of the French, then abandoned the operation.

December 12 is the 346th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 19 days remain until the end of the year.