Welcome to quantrillsguerrillas.com the most comprehensive resource for all things related to William Clarke Quantrill and the men who rode with him.

The history of guerrilla warfare is as old as civilization itself. When Caesar’s renowned Roman legions invaded Gaul they found that their best defensive option was utilizing guerrilla tactics. The utilization of guerrilla warfare is as American as "Apple Pie." During the American Revolution as British soldiers made their way in massed formations along the narrow dirt roads of New England, bands of citizen soldiers took a huge toll on their numbers demoralizing their morale by constantly harassing them.

This type of training carried down to the unorthodox method of fighting employed during the War of 1812 where the battle was won by the individual skill and courage of the citizen soldier. Despite the fact that the Mexican-American War is now perceived to be largely a conventional conflict that utilized established European style tactics, the Texas Rangers engaged the Mexican guerrillas “fighting fire with fire” as the American forces made their way into the heart of Mexico. Additionally General Taylor’s army of occupation in Northern Mexico encountered considerable opposition from a Mexican insurgency.

Quantrill’s guerrillas were born during the skirmishes and battles that were created during the conflict known as the Border Wars. Quantrill developed a fighting force of partisan rangers, which came to be known as Quantrill’s Guerrillas that are unrivaled in the world today. Their legacy included not only their fighting prowess but also their character and personal experiences that made them unique as combat soldiers.

Unfortunately the legacy of Quantrill and his command has been subjected to vicious campaign to misrepresent these brave and skillful warriors as barbarians and savages, who indiscrimatley enacted their deadly revenge upon hapless non-combatants and the saintly boys in blue alike. Today their greatest military achievement is routinely portrayed as an unprovoked act of terrorism against an non-military target. Quantrillsguerrillas.com was founded to help right this wrong.

Our mission as quantrillsguerrillas.com is to promote the study and understanding of Colonel William Clarke Quantrill and the men who rode with him, providing sound historical information and interpretation of the basis, events, people, and consequences of the Missouri-Kansas Border War.

We will promote and commemorate Southern heritage and education by advancing the awareness of the contributions of the Missouri Confederate partisan service through awards and scholarships in art, literature and music. We will cooperate with other Southern organizations to perpetuate Southern events, and support the preservation of Civil War battlefields, sites, artifacts and cemeteries pertaining to William Clarke Quantrill and his men. We accept the guardianship of the history surrounding these men.

When you join quantrillsguerrillas.com you can chat with award winning authors, noted researchers, and renowned collectors. Chat in real time via our member’s forum or receive a timely response to your comments via e-mail.

When you join quantrillsguerrillas.com you will enjoy ABSOLUTELY FREE OF CHARGE THE WORLDS LARGEST ON-LINE DISPLAY OF ORIGINAL QUANTRILL RELATED ARTIFACTS. Scores of rare and priceless relics from multiple private collections are already on display; and new items will be added on a regular basis.

At quantrillsguerrillas.com you will find all the Quantrill related items currently making news in one easy to read forum.

Once you are inside quantrillsguerrillas.com you will find information related to on-going efforts to preserve Quantrill related historic sites and promote public education of the Missouri-Kansas Border conflict.

Only at quantrillsguerrillas.com you can have your original relics and artifacts appraised by licensed and certified appraisers who are subject matter experts.

You can also arrange for a qualified subject matter expert to conduct a public presentation in various locations across the country.

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Below is an image of the memorial marker placed on Quantrill’s original resting place, quantrillsguerrillas.com's first public project. Thanks to Paul Petersen for sharing this image with the website.

This picture was recently found by my mother in a photo album of an elderly relative. The photo album is believed to have been owned by Raphael Dixon who lived in the northwest portion of Missouri. Towns in MO that the Dixon family lived in include Savannah, Maryville, Ravenswood and possibly others close by. More than likely it would have been closer to Savannah, MO, just outside of St. Joseph.

There has always been talk that Dixon family members rode with Quantrill’s guerrillas. There were also stories passed down that my mother’s family knew the James family as well. However, I would imagine a lot of people have made that claim. My mother also suggested I research the Smith-Dixon gang as there were rumors about family members being part of that gang as well.



Not long ago I sent the attached picture to a James family expert and he suggested I look to you members for help. I had seen a death photo of Charlie Pitts (James’s gang) and the similarities made me curious. However, since then I have seen a live picture of Charlie Pitts and I now question my initial thoughts. By the way, the expert could not confirm nor deny that the person was Charlie Pitts. He did say, however, that after his brief review of the picture that this person more than likely rode with Quantrill’s guerillas because of his style of shirt and the brandishing of his pistol. He mentioned that the members of the James gang rarely took pictures with their guns and the fancy shirt was indicative of someone who rode with the guerrillas.

Anyway, can someone shed some light on the identity of this person? I do appreciate your help.

John Potthast

If anyone has any information please contact the admin via a private message or by e-mail. Thanks in advance for your assistance.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

The officers of quantrillsguerrillas.com have been petitioned by one of our website visitors, Richard Stewart, to assist in a worthwhile historical project. A void has been found for a repository for Quantrill and Civil War related research items in the State of Arkansas. The purpose of this project is to build an inventory of Quantrill research materials that rivals that of a state historical society\'s archives in order to provide the resources and materials for students, teachers and the general public to learn the true story of William Clarke Quantrill and the Missouri-Kansas border war.

The Gentry Public Library of Northwest Arkansas has agreed to accept any donated books, documents, papers, letters, battle reports, photos, pension records, military rosters, lists or photocopies pertaining to Quantrill, his men, Missouri military units, Kansas military units, the Lawrence raid, Joseph O. Shelby and the Kansas-Missouri border war as a whole. They are also looking for any financial support in order to purchase popular books not previously donated. Donations are being requested under the name and earmarked to the Quantrill Special Collections Research by individuals, groups, organizations, etc.

Mr. Stewart has provided the following Mission Statement for this project:

Our purpose in establishing the Quantrill Special Collections Research project is to develop the advancement of education and broaden the focus on the subject of William Quantrill, his men, the Union forces that fought against him and the citizens and witnesses that had their lives changed. The Kansas-Missouri border wars affected the State of Arkansas as well as the Indian Territories of Arkansas and Oklahoma. New information on the subject of Quantrill and his Confederate guerrillas continues to rise to the surface in our modern era and it is our goal to build an extensive library dedicated to the study and re-study of this famous piece of our American history and to understand its importance.

Our aim is directed at students, teachers, genealogists, researchers, historians, Civil War enthusiasts and the community in an effort to revive the interest in the Kansas-Missouri border war, generate a different perspective of the people, places and events that took place and create a formidable repository for educational purposes. This new endeavor will open doors for future generations so that new questions may be asked and new facts and information can be reached and recorded. Tireless collecting of materials is always ongoing so that we may obtain the inventory necessary in expanding the range of interest and the tools needed to correctly explore this important topic. Books, documents, letters, stories, military records pensions, papers, lists and photos will equip everyone to analyze this extraordinary period of the Civil War.

Books already generously donated:

Branded As Rebels, Volume 1
Warren Welch Remembers
JO Shelby: Undefeated Rebel
I, Quantrill
Bloody Dawn
Order No. 11
Civil War on the Western Border
Military Posts Returns from Missouri
The Battle of Lexington
Reunion In Death 1 and 2
Quantrill\'s Thieves
True Civil War Stories of Missouri
Quantrill: An American Terrorist
Civil War Union Military Posts
Recollections of Quantrill\'s Guerrillas
Quantrill\'s War
The Devil Knows How to Ride


Books needed:

Guerrillas and Other Curiosities
Under the Black Flag
The Burning of Osceola, Missouri
Quantrill of Missouri
General JO Shelby
Noted Guerrillas
Captain Joseph C. Lea
Terror on the Border
The Killer Legions of Quantrill
Ride the Razor\'s Edge
Cavaliers of the Brush
Three Years with Quantrill
Bloody Bill Anderson
Jackson County and the Civil War
We Rode with Quantrill
Black Flag - Guerrilla Warfare
Tears and Turmoil Order #11
Dark Friday
Quantrill\'s Legacy
A Frontier State at War
I Knew Frank - I Wish I had Known Jesse
Branded as Rebels, Volume 2-3
Quantrill in Texas
Other Noted Guerrillas of the Civil War in Missouri
Shelby and His Men
Captain Tough - Chief of Scouts
Jim Cummins - The Guerrilla
Noted Guerrillas
Quantrill and the Border Wars
A True Story of Charles W. Quantrill
Civil War on the Missouri-Kansas Border
William Clarke Quantrill Scrapbooks Volume 1-2
The History of Lawrence Kansas
A Reunion in Death, Volume 1, 2 & 3
The Civil War Years of Clay County Missouri
William Clarke Quantrill - His Life and Times
They Called Him Bloody Bill
The Border Outlaws
The Man Who Wouldn\'t Surrender; Even in Death - General JO Shelby
Reminiscences of the Women of Missouri during the Sixties
Missouri Civil War Miscellany Volumes 1-5
Civil War and Reconstruction in Independence, Missouri
Battle of Independence - August 11, 1862
Battle of Lone Jack - August 16, 1862
Bloody Bill Anderson Scrapbooks, Volume 1 & 2The Civil War in Missouri Day by Day 1861-1865
The Fifth Season - General Jo Shelby, The Great Raid of 1863
The Civil War on the Missouri-Kansas Border

The Gentry Library has a tax exempt 501C3 status. Any donations are tax deductible. Please forward any and all donations to:

Gentry Public Library
Quantrill Special Collections Research
105 East Main Street
Gentry, Arkansas 72734
Website:gentrylibrary.us

Below is an image of Quantrill's headstone in Higginsville Missouri. Thanks to Col. Paul Petersen for this original image.

William Clarke Quantrill was an enigma. Not because of what he said or did but because of what his enemies wrote about him after the war. The victorious North who was accorded the privilege of writing the history of the conflict never ceased to vilify and denigrate the character of what even his critics considered to be the greatest light cavalry leader and guerrilla warrior in history. His enemies excelled in promoting a hysterical and paranoid account of him that included lies, half-truths and sensationalism.

We can look back and be thankful today for the journalistic efforts of those who sought out any new information about this great leader from his followers during their annual post war reunions. Though they were mostly reticent individuals we can piece together a solid example of Quantrill's personality and character by those who knew him best: his acquaintances and those he led through the dangers and perils of mortal combat through five states. What we find is not a "modern day terrorist" as the academics would like us to believe but a fascinating individual whose actions can be justified in fighting a determined enemy bent on total extermination of the Southern way of life.

We at quantrillsguerrillas.com are delighted to be able to share a few insights into Quantrill by those who knew him best reflecting on his personality and character. The following quotes are from Quantrill's friends and former guerrillas many of them continuing after the war in honorable professions; such as law enforcement, judges, congressmen and heads of universities.

On this website you can view other images of Quantrill, some of which are not available anywhere else. The next two images of Col. Quantrill in this article are only available here at quantrillsguerrillas.com.

Below is an 1/6th plate ambrotype of W.C. Quantrill. It was taken in Kansas in 1860. Inside the case, in Quantrill's hand, is written, "To Lydia from Quantrill 1860."Lydia is Lydia Stone who nursed Quantrill in Kansas when he came down with yellow fever. You will remember that Quantrill tried to save her father from his men during the Lawrence raid.

Thanks to Major Cantey for sharing this image with the membership.



Quantrill's childhood friend from Canal Dover, Ohio and a former Union soldier, William W. Scott said,"He was temperate and honest...He was uncommonly precocious intellectually...He was fond of books and quick to learn...Quantrill was a diffident, reserved youth."

Another friend from Quantrill's hometown was Joseph Talbott, a staunch Union supporter during the war. He recalled that "As a young man, Quantrill was honorable, well educated and universally esteemed.

Rufus Wilson who knew Quantrill's mother in Canal Dover and a Union soldier during the war remarked that "One of Quantrill's redeeming traits seem to have been a deep and tender love for his mother. He wrote her more or less regularly during all of his western wanderings and until the war came always sent her part of the money he earned."

Quantrill's mother, Caroline Quantrill described her son this way. "[He] was always a good boy. He was very, very good to me. He never forgot his old mother. Why, he sent me money all the time he was away from home, even when he was a Confederate soldier. He always divided his pay with me. He was kind and noble...Though of a retiring nature he had a ready smile and a warm heart and was never known to be quarrelsome...For he was very gentle and kind and affectionate. He was high minded, and I never knew him to manifest a cruel, or heartless disposition."

T. J. Walker whose father Andy Walker rode with Quantrill said that "My father said he didn't recall having any fear of the famous guerrilla, that he appeared to be a kindly and refined man."

James Campbell a follower of Quantrill said that "Quantrill was the smartest man I ever knew. He had the qualifications of leadership in him. He knew just what to do in every situation...He was gentle and sometimes jolly."

Quantrill's adjutant, Lt. William Gregg recalled that "Quantrill was very mild in his manner. He was well informed, and was not given to profanity, nor was he brutal...One thing I do know, however, and that is that he was a soldier and not afraid to die. That he was equitable and just to friend and foe."

Another of Quantrill's officers was Charles Fletcher Taylor. He remembered that "Quantrill was always well liked by his men. He always treated them well."

Harrison Trow another Quantrillian authored a book on Quantrill following the war saying that "Quantrill became a guerrilla because he had prudence, firmness, courage, audacity and common sense. His judgment was clearest and surest when the responsibility was heaviest, and when the difficulties gathered thickest about him. Based on skill, energy, perspicacity and unusual presence of mind, his fame as a guerrilla will endure for generations."

Guerrilla J. T. Keller knew Quantrill and remembered that "He had good judgment. He knew men and how to handle them. He was cautious and laid his plans well. He seemed to know just what to do, and he did it. His men all liked him. He was not at all tyrannical...Quantrill was a quiet spoken man."

Frank James, who went on to win his own brand of notoriety after the war remembered this about Quantrill. "He had none of the air of bravado or the desperado about him...He was full of life and a jolly fellow...We all loved him at first sight and every man under his command was tried and true. He was a demon in battle and did not know what it was to be afraid."

Thanks to research we now know it was common practice for the members of Quantrill's command to routinely changed their appearance sometimes more than once a day in an effort to help avoid detection.

In this tintype below Quantrill is seated between two of his Lieutenants. This is likely the image that was once owned by John McCorkle that is mentioned by more than one source. This photo was found in Independence Missouri, among the collection of well known collector and dealer Raymond Blake. Thanks to Lt. Col. Patrick Marquis for sharing this image with the membership.



Guerrilla Frank Smith, one of Quantrill youngest guerrillas and one of the first to become acquainted with Quantrill remembered that "He seemed to be a very pleasant sort of fellow."

A local resident remembered meeting Quantrill following the First Battle of Independence on August 11, 1862. "I saw Quantrill after the fighting was over, when he rode to the house to look after his wounded. He looked as little like the horrible, bloodthirsty bandit as it is possible to imagine. Instead of this, he was a modest, quiet, good-looking man, with blue eyes, gentle of manner and courteous as well."

Many old citizens of Independence, Missouri remembered Quantrill's pleasing personality recalling that "He mingled in the society of the best young women of the old town. He was magnetic, mild mannered and unusually intelligent. One individual specifically recalled that "I have never met a more entertaining man."

Adding to the enigma known as William Clarke quantrill was the fact that for more than 140 years there was one known image of Quantrill that was taken from life. That image was clearly altered by the photogapher, notice the hair and mustache. Below is a rare first generation copy of the war dated image taken in Independence Missouri that was utilzed for virtually every other image of Quantrill published untill the 1960's.

Thanks to Major Cantey for sharing this image with the membership.



References:

Quantrill of Missouri and Quantrill in Texas by Paul R. Petersen
Joplin, Missouri Morning Herald, April 29, 1881
Oak Grove, Missouri Banner - June 10, 1904
Quantrill Collection - Kansas State Historical Society

Article submitted by Paul R. Petersen– 2010 quantrillsguerrillas.com

"Permission should be requested and agreed to before using this or copyrighted essay and/or image."

Kentuckian Bennett Henderson Young started life studying to be a Presbyterian minister, but soon found himself robbing banks for the Confederate cause. He survived through dangerous and trying times to become an outstanding Louisville attorney, an author of many books on a variety of subjects, a Confederate benefactor and a philanthropist.

Bennett Henderson Young was born May 25, 1843, on a farm in Jessamine County near the town of Nicholasville. He was the son of Robert and Josephine Henderson Young. When the War for Southern Independence started in April, 1861, Bennett Young was a student at the Bethany Academy.

In September, 1861, Young entered Centre College, a Presbyterian school, located in Danville, Kentucky. He intended to study for the ministry, but was taken ill in 1862 with typhoid fever and had to discontinue his education.

By September 10, 1862, he was a Private in Company B, 8th Kentucky Cavalry under the command of Confederate Gen. John Hunt Morgan. Young served in Quirk’s Scouts during 1863 and rode with Morgan during the Great Raid into Indiana and Ohio. He was captured in July of 1863 and imprisoned at Camp Douglas near Chicago, Illinois.

Below is a period image of General John Hunt Morgan, thanks to member Patrick Marquis for sharing this image.




Young was able to escape and cross into Canada. He made his way back to the South through the blockade and to Richmond, Virginia. Young offered to return to Canada and work on several secret missions for the Confederacy. This idea was accepted by the Confederate leadership and Young was commissioned a Lieutenant.

Back in Canada, Lt. Bennett Young was able to recruit other escaped Confederates and form his own company named Young’s 5th Company Retributors CSA. Some of these young men orchestrated the most northern raid made by any Confederate land forces. On October 19, 1864, Lieutenant Young’s small unit raided the town of St. Albans, Vermont. The raiders got about $200,000 in greenbacks from several Yankee banks, but failed to burn the town. Only one civilian was killed during this short visit to St. Albans.

Thanks are in order to my friend, Stewart Cruickshank of Nashville, Tennessee, for shedding light on Bennett Young’s Confederate military service.

Unfortunately, Lieutenant Young and several of his associates were apprehended by the Canadian forces and much of the South’s badly-needed money was returned to St. Albans. Canada remained neutral during the War and was unwilling to extradite these brave Confederates. This famous raid is fully reported in many histories of the War for Southern Independence.

After the War ended, President Andrew Johnson did not include individuals such as Lt. Bennett Young in his amnesty proposal. Young was able to make his way to Ireland. Some authors have reported that he studied law at the University of Ireland and at the University of Edinburgh. Other researchers say he may have studied in Canada as well.

In 1868, he was able to safely return to Kentucky and settle down in the city of Louisville where he became a prominent attorney. He married Mattie Robinson and they had two children.

The list of Young’s accomplishments is legion. He was instrumental in developing the Monon Railroad and the Kentucky and Indiana Bridge. He became President of the Louisville Southern Railway.

Young’s High Bridge was built in 1888 for the Louisville Southern Railway at Tyrone, Kentucky. The bridge was named for him. It stands today as a unique and unaltered cantilever bridge over the Kentucky River. The bridge is no longer in use, but there have been ongoing efforts to find a way to utilize it. Bridge enthusiasts from all over the country visit Young’s High Bridge to study its design. It contains no middle piers and trains traveled over the top of the bridge instead of through the center of the structure.

Young was a Representative to the 1878 Paris Exposition and was named President of the Louisville Public Library. He was instrumental in the formation of our current Kentucky Constitution as a member of the 1890 Constitutional Convention. Young was selected to be National Commander of the United Confederate Veterans and was made an honorary lifetime commander. It is likely he received the rank of Colonel within the United Confederate Veterans Association. This organization was the forerunner to the S.C.V.

Below is a image of Colonel Bennett Henderson Young in his UCV uniform.





Colonel Young was an active Confederate benefactor. He was chosen President of the Davis Home Association and under his direction, the Jefferson Davis monument was brought to completion in Fairview, Kentucky, the birthplace of President Davis. He was very much involved in the creation of the Confederate Veterans Home in Pewee Valley, Kentucky. He was an advisor during the construction of the Captain Henry Wirz U.D.C. monument in Andersonville, Georgia.

From Page 162 of Valor in Gray by Gregg S. Clemmer: “On his own initiative, he organized the Bellwood Seminary and Presbyterian Normal School for orphan girls, ultimately contributing thousands of dollars of his own money when funds ran low.
For many years Bennett Young—he was “General” Young now to his friends in Louisville—served as President of the Kentucky School For the Blind, regaling youngsters well into the 20th century with his stories of the war times. And when he gave of himself for the benefit of his community, he worked for all. In 1879, he quietly led the effort to establish the Colored Orphan’s Home, serving as president of the charity for more than two decades. For 50 years, he had superintended the afternoon Sunday school at Stuart Robinson Memorial Church.”

Much of his legal work for the poor was done pro bono and the list goes on and on.

The following is a partial list by date of articles and books written by Colonel Young:

In 1890, Eight Years of Presbyterian Evangelistic Work in Kentucky

In 1898, A History of Jessamine County, Kentucky

In 1903, The Battle of the Thames: in which Kentuckians defeated the British, French and Indians, October 5,1813: with a list of the officers and privates who won the victory

In 1907, Kentucky Eloquence Past and Present, Library of Orations, After-Dinner Speeches, Popular and Classic Lectures Addresses and Poetry

In 1908, Complaint of Bennett H. Young et al Against the Synod of Kentucky 1908

In 1910, The Prehistoric Men of Kentucky

In 1914, Confederate Wizards of the Saddle: Being Reminiscences and Observations of One Who Rode with Morgan

In 1914, Colonel Roy S. Cluke’s Kentucky Raid, Forrest’s Pursuit and Capture of Streight, Forrest at Bryce’s Cross Roads all were published in the National Magazine.

In 1921, Dr. Gander of Youngland was published after his death. Many of the tales printed in this book were read by Colonel Young to the children at the blind asylum. This book was also printed in Braille.

It is reported that when Colonel Young visited Montreal, Canada, in 1911, a group of dignitaries from St. Albans called on him at the Ritz-Carlton.

Colonel Young’s home known as “Youngland” is located in the southwestern part of Louisville at the corner of Youngland Avenue and Dixie Highway. This fine brick building stood empty and in a state of disrepair for years. Fortunately, it has now been rehabbed into attractive apartments.

It is said of Col. Bennett Young that he lived an exemplary life and was never known to play cards, use tobacco, drink or utter a word that could not be repeated before any woman. He died on February 23, 1919, and is buried at Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville.

There are similarities associated with the lives of Col. Bennett H. Young of Kentucky and another honorable Confederate, Capt. Henry Wirz. Both of them were men of mettle and worthy recipients of the Confederate Medal of Honor. Capt. Henry Wirz’s Medal of Honor is on permanent display at the Welcome Center in the village of Andersonville, Georgia. The telephone number for the Welcome Center is (229) 924-2558.

Below is a image of Capt. Henry Wirz in his Confederate uniform.





On Page 163 of the book, Valor in Gray: “His (Young’s) Confederate Medal of Honor is on permanent public display at the Kentucky Military Museum in Frankfort, Kentucky.” A spokesman at the Kentucky Historical Society which operates the Military Museum has just informed me that they have never had his medal! Quite likely the medal has been stolen or purposely misplaced due to political correctness.

Those same folks who run the show in Frankfort exposed their true colors several years ago when they voted against protection for the statue of President Jefferson Davis in the Kentucky State Capitol. For questions about that medal, call (502) 564-3265. If anyone knows where Young’s Medal of Honor is today, please call me at (502) 969-4893.

Colonel Bennett Henderson Young’s large grave marker is designed with an open bible and engraved upon the open pages are these words: I Have Kept the Faith.

Article submitted by Nancy Hitt – 2010 hunleyhitt@earthlink.net/quantrillsguerrillas.com

"Permission should be requested and agreed to before using this or copyrighted essay and/or image."

Members:

Below you will find some wonderful information about another previously unsung Confederate hero and former Quantrillian Thomas Bridges Webb. A while back one of our members Bonnie Stanfield contacted us and with the generous offer to allow some of her family relics to be posted on our website. Due to an miscommunication I did not post the items.

Being the angel she is, Bonnie brought this oversight to our attention and she allowed me the opportunity to correct my error. I thank her for her patience and understanding.

When I reviewed the information she forwarded while attempting to write an article, I suddenly realized that I was so busy looking at the forest that I couldn’t see the tree in front of my face. The plain truth is the information Bonnie forwarded is stellar and any attempt to improve it would be futile.

The reason I share this little tale is two fold. First and foremost is quantrillsguerrillas.com is an interactive website which was designed with the intent that all of all members would contribute and utilize this ever evolving resource in every manner possible. The founders of this website envisioned that eventually we will have information concerning virtually every aspect of the Missouri Kansas border conflict. However Rome was not built in a day, and we want and need the help of our membership to obtain our ultimate goal.

Frankly some of our members have stated they feel a bit reluctant to submit written information because it may be compared to the stories written by some of our members who are considered “experts“ in the field. If this is truly your concern, I implore you to reconsider your decision. The fact is the we have never rejected any subject submitted that was relevant to our subject. Additionally any member can post any information in a forum without approval, and they submit any story they feel is important enough to be posted on our front page, and we will review it and post it as soon as it is approved. Finally if you cant figure out how to post it, send it to us via mail and we’ll post it for you.

Perhaps you only know a little bit about your family history or your knowledge is limited to one area of expertise, we implore you to share your information with your fellow members. I know we have members who are extremely knowledgeable about other Confederate partisans, we would welcome them to write about what they know. Just because we have gotten around to discussing the exploits of John Singleton Mosby, John Hunt Morgan, Nathan Bedford Forrest and all the rest yet doesn’t mean we won’t get there eventually.

Finally we pride ourselves on responding in a prompt and professional manner. However we are human and sometimes miscommunication can occur. If you have submitted something to us and you don’t receive a response within a couple days, please make a second attempt. We don’t have any problem in presenting and supporting our position on any issue, and we want our members to feel the same level of comfort. When you read Bonnie’s article please bear in mind that virtual all of the information she shared is previously unknown. Members please don’t deny your fellow members a chance to learn what you already know.

Without further ado I know you will enjoy the wonderful article submitted by Bonnie Stanfield. If you don’t well I think you are "Stinkin' like Lincoln!" She didn’t include a title so I have dubbed it:

THOMAS BRIDGES WEBB, A REBEL’S REBEL.


I am looking forward to seeing this article on your web-site about my family. I feel this family has a lot of Civil War history to tell. But, until now, Thomas and his brother's and cousin's have been unknown except to Missourians, and I am glad to see them be acknowledged for the soldiers they were.

Thomas Bridges Webb was born in Jackson, Co., MO on July 3,1839. His parents were Asa Webb, 1806-1888 and Mary Polly Bridges 1806-1889. Thomas was in the 12th MO Calvary CO H, also known as Shanks MO Calvary. He was captured in Jackson, MO on May 28, 1862 by the Union Army. On August 20, 1862 he was sent to Alton Prison along with his brother Preston Webb. On Dec 27, 1862 he along with Preston and George, his cousin, were sent to St. Louis by order of a Lt. Col. Dick. There they took the Oath of Allegiance on January 7, 1863 and on January 14, 1863 were released after each posting a $1,000. bond. He stated in his letter that he was with Price at Lexington, but didn't admit to anything else. I didn't know he was with Quantrill until I saw him in the Reunion Photos.

Below is an image of the oath of allegiance.




After the war he went to California briefly during the Gold Rush, but returned with a gold nugget for his sweetheart and told her that "Those CA miner's would rather shoot you as look at you!" On 7 March 1871 he married her, Melissa Ellen Stephenson, daughter of Robert Stephenson and Catherine Carpenter. She was born 29, March 1851 in Indiana. Her sister Sarah Jane, 1849 NY-1886 MO was the wife of George Webb 1842-1872, who was the son of Allen Webb, Asa's brother. Sarah secondly married George Land a brother to known James Gang member John M Land. Allen Webb was shot and killed in 1862 while a prisoner at Warrensburg. Family legend says that he was one of the oldest soldiers in the war.

Capt. John A Webb was another son of Allen who enlisted in the MO State Guards in 1861. He served under Shelby's command during the war and was wounded at the battle of Cane Hill. His mother was a Shelby. His brother Joseph Harris Webb also rode with Shelby and was taken prisoner at Vicksburg and never returned, presumably killed there. Preston Webb and Hugh Webb were also brother's of Thomas. Thomas Webb had two sons, Joseph A, 1872-1969 and Walter L, 1874-1949 and my Grandmother, Retta May, 1887-1929.

Thomas took care of Asa in his old age and was rewarded for his kindness when he inherited the full estate of his father Asa. Retta and her husband John Russell took care of Thomas in his old age. He lived in an upstairs bedroom of their home, which I was fortunate to see, on one of my trips to MO. He told tall tales to his Grandchildren, which they thought he made up. I have found that most of his stories were true. He told them he knew and rode with Jesse James. When they used to visit his farm, he kept them away from his cellar so that was always very mysterious to them. He said he spent time in prison and he said that he had an alias. I thought he might have been "Jack Keene" as his sons and Retta were 13 yrs apart, but I found him at home in the 1880 Census with his family.

Next is an image of Thomas on his farm with one of his godson's.




He always had lots of money even in his retirement. He paid my Aunt a silver dollar NOT to learn the Gettysburg Address in school saying "No kin of mine is going to recite that!" When the grandchildren were misbehaving he would say they were "Stinkin' like Lincoln!" Thomas died on Oct 21, 1928 at the age of 89 and is buried in Blue Springs Cemetery with Melissa. I have a copy of the Provost Marshal's letter and documentation found on Ancestry about their capture and transfer from Alton. Somewhere I also have a copy of a document where George and Thomas were caught stealing something at gunpoint.. I will have to look for that. So as you can see, this family had and lost many in the Civil War. They were proud and fierce Confederates. I have more info, but this sums them up. Let me know if you have anymore questions. Respectfully, Bonnie Stanfield.

Here is an image of Thomas taken many years after the war



PS: I have done a lot of research on the related families of these guys. Joab Perry who was a son of my Bridges line was also married to Allen Webb's daughter Louisa. They actually changed their name to Liggett and moved to Greene County. If I can answer any questions about who some of the raiders were related to feel free to ask. The Lands, Perry's, Roger's, Searcy's, Baxter's, Pettyjohn's, Hurst's, and so many more were related to my Webb family. Keep in touch, Bonnie.

So I asked Bonnie the following question. I noticed that Donald Hales; “Branded As Rebels,” has information about a Thomas Webb that has totally different information. Is this a mistake, or were there two of them?

Bonnie replied:

Yes, there were two Thomas B Webb's. The other, Thomas Benton Webb was born 13 June 1835 in Oak Grove, MO. He was the son of John P Webb and Elizabeth Birdwell. His wife was Sarah Ann Sharp. He died 8 Nov 1914 in Butler, Bates, MO. In most records I have seen, he is listed as the Thomas Webb who attended all the reunions..and he might have also. But unless he and my Thomas looked alike, it is my Thomas who is in the photos. That is why I wanted you to see the pictures. We believe Thos Benton was from the Oak Grove Webb's..but some trees have him in our line, but there is no proof. Census info and the wills we have found have no John P. Webb. DNA research of our line linked us way back to the Rev John Webb from Rutherford, NC. And, like I said previously, the Oak Grove Webb's are also linked to us by DNA, but my mother's family were told that they were not related to them. I have even found Thomas B Webb's listed with mine's birth date and Benton's death date. It is very confusing. But, I know that the confederate records I found are our families. And, Asa Webb was the father of our Webb boys...and the snips that talk about Press and Thomas Webb refer to Asa and his farm. Anyway, that is why I wanted to clear all this up. I will see if I can find through Ancestry any living relatives of T Benton Webb and see if we can find a picture of him. More later, Bonnie.

Article submitted by Bonnie Stanfield– 2010 quantrillsguerrillas.com

"Permission should be requested and agreed to before using this or copyrighted essay and/or image."

The strength behind Southern soldiers was without doubt the Southern women who protected them, defended them, supported them, clothed them, fed them and nursed their wounds in guerrilla hospitals deep in the woods away from prying Union spies and patrols. Guerrilla Captain William H. Gregg said that from the start of the war the part played by the women of the South exceeds in self sacrificing glory that of the men. He continued by saying they were noble. Christian and Godlike, amidst the perils and dangers which confronted them during the war.

One woman of which little is known but legends have been written about was one Ann E. Fickle simply known as Annie. Annie Fickle’s Southern sympathy brought her into trouble. She was one of the most daring of young Southern women sympathizers. Annie Fickle was a girl, twenty-years old who, when the war began, lived in Lafayette County, Missouri, near what is now the town of Odessa. Armed men of either side, sometimes in companies of two or three or more, sometimes alone, rode up and down the country seeking each other with hostile intent, and fighting at every crossroads. In the midst of it all went Annie Fickle, flitting about hither and thither, sometimes like an angel of mercy ministering to some sick or wounded friend in concealment, sometimes boldly playing the spy on the enemy. It was all kind with her; anything to assist the men of the south. Annie's older brother was a private in the 10th Missouri Cavalry. His unit served in General John B. Clark's Brigade of the Trans-Mississippi Department, and skirmished in Arkansas and saw action in Price's Missouri Expedition. Her chosen one was Captain Andy Blunt, a dashing, daring fellow who followed the irregular methods of the guerillas—here today, there tomorrow. She was the daughter of a substantial farmer and blacksmith of intense Southern sympathies. Her father, feared not only for his life but that of his daughter for in those days men were killed for opinion's sake. Though a mere girl, she was a leader among her sex in the work of caring for the wounded, the burial of the dead or the rescuing of the captured.

Guerrilla Captain George Shepherd recalled that in May of 1862 fellow guerrilla Otho Hinton was found in the house of Mr. Fickle, by a company of Federals and was arrested. When the arrest was made Annie became so abusive to the Federals that she was taken into custody and carried to Lexington, where she was imprisoned for a week, and then permitted to return home. Here came in Annie Fickle. Otho Hinton was her neighbor and friend. As soon as she was released from prison she went to Lexington to make her temporary home with a friend. The place was strongly garrisoned by Federal troops. Hinton’s jovial good nature and musical accomplishments had so charmed the federal authorities that he was allowed unusual liberties. In charge of a single guard, he was permitted to visit some of his friends and occasionally dine with them. At one of these places he often met Annie, and thus became acquainted with a plan for his rescue. Annie resolved to take the lieutenant, the officer of the guard into her confidence. He listened to her story and professed loyalty to her. Hinton was invited to take supper on a certain evening at the house of a friend where he often met Annie. The night arrived, and Hinton and the guard arrived, Annie, too, was there. Blunt and one of his men presumably George Shepherd were to be in town in disguise, call at the house, and knock at the door at a certain time. They were to be admitted, overpower the guard, but not harm him, take Hinton away, and restore him to his liberty. Annie had told the guard all and he had assented.

In the face of the plot now about to be developed, Annie, the guard, Hinton and the people of the household sat down to supper just as the shadows of the night came on. The supper was well nigh concluded, and the appointed moment had arrived. There was a knock at the door. Blunt was there. Annie knew it. Hinton knew it. The guard knew it. The guard knew what it meant. He arose from his seat at the table, drew his revolver and shot Hinton dead. This was a signal for the entrance through the rear of the house of a squad of soldiers who first arrested Annie and then rushed to the front door to secure Blunt, but he and his men had fled as soon as they heard the pistol shot. Outside twenty Federals rose from ambush and fired on Shepherd, killing his horse which in the fall, pinioned one of his feet for a moment, but as horse and rider fell, Shepherd drew his pistol and killed the lieutenant, whose treachery was then apparent. By extraordinary efforts Shepherd released himself and darted for a stone fence, which he leaped amid a shower of bullets, and , being fleet of foot, ran rapidly along and behind the fence until he had outstripped his pursuers, who groped aimlessly in the dark, not being able to discover which direction Shepherd had taken.

Annie was hurried away to the same prison that had for many weeks been the home of Hinton. From Lexington she was sent to Warrensburg. Captain Jehu H. Smith of the 1st Regiment Missouri State Militia Cavalry was the provost marshal at Warrensburg and he related to Lieutenant Cole Younger after the war the following incident that occurred in the time she was under his charge: “Annie impressed me as an uncommon girl," said he, “and my attention was particularly attracted to her by the affair in which she was mixed up at Lexington. I was surprised one day to receive a note from her saying she wanted a private interview. I went to see her and when we were alone she told me she wanted to lay a matter before me that concerned her honor, and that she had determined to tell me everything and trust me for protection. She then proceeded to tell me of the proposal by an officer of the regiment, one of high standing and who had access to the prison. She said she was helpless, that she did not know what to do except lay the matter before me. I was naturally indignant at the conduct of the officer, as Annie, whatever political crimes might have been charged to her, was a girl of irreproachable character. I told her she could depend upon me to protect her and that I would have the officer court-martialed and driven from the army. “No," she said, "do not do that.” There is enough publicity about me already. I do not ask that and would not have you take such a step. Your word that I shall be protected is all I ask.” Thus the matter ended. Soon after that Annie was taken from my jurisdiction.”

From Warrensburg she was sent to the Gratiot Street prison in St. Louis, where many Missourians of Southern sympathies were confined. After she had been there a few weeks, she and a Confederate officer imprisoned there dug a tunnel under the prison walls, the officer doing the digging and Annie carrying the dirt away in her apron. They reached a point where they thought it safe to ascend to the surface and break through. They were, indeed, after weeks of patient toil, outside the prison enclosure and under the brick pavement of the street. When they raised the bricks and were about to make their exit a prison guard discovered them and shot the officer. Annie went back to remain until the close of the war. In the meantime, her betrothed, Captain Blunt, was killed in a fight near Chapel Hill, Missouri.

Local legends collaborate the aforesaid facts that in May of 1862 Annie's family home had been invaded by a company of Federals, and they arrested Annie when she was found to be in the company of a Partisan Ranger. Later, legends further state that Annie was said to have been rescued by the Partisans, and she never forgot this. As a token of her appreciation, Annie made a battle flag for the Partisan Rangers. The flag was made of four layers of black, quilted alpaca, and was three by five feet. Running edgewise through the middle of the flag was the name QUANTRELL in dark red letters. This was her response to the Union's recent order stating that any guerrillas captured would be summarily executed on the spot. Annie, in the dead of night, took the flag into Quantrill's camp near a little church in the Sni-a-bar Township, wrapped in a piece of plain paper.

Here is a rending of the flag that was published on the cover of Donald Hale's "We Rode With Quantrill. "




She addressed the guerrillas in a patriotic tone saying, "It is a hard fate which awaits every brave Southern soul found in Missouri fighting for a cause as sacred to every true man as is the love of God....let the border ring with the cry of freedom. And ever let your battle cry be, Quantrill and Southern Supremacy!" William C. Quantrill accepted it himself, and gave a deep and heartfelt thank you to Anne. He promised to carry and protect the banner so long as he had life to do it. Jim Little was chosen as the color bearer. Quantrill's men gave three cheers, waving their hats, and giving full approvals, honors and recognition to this 20 year old Missouri girl who had risked her life to make this gift.
The men attached the flag to an eight foot hickory pole, attached with twelve nails. Some claim the flag was carried into many battles, such as Lawrence, Kansas and was riddled with many bullets. Further claims was that Quantrill even took it with him into Kentucky in 1864 where its whereabouts became unknown.

Here is an artist rending of Annie presenting the flag




When the war ended and Annie was released from prison she returned to her old home in Lafayette County. As the years went by she met and loved a Mr. George Parker, whose wife she became. Her husband had served as a Confederate soldier in the 12th Missouri Cavalry Regiment, formerly the Jackson County Cavalry, organized during the summer of 1863. The unit was assigned to General Shelby's Brigade, Trans-Mississippi Department, and confronted the Federals in Missouri and Arkansas. Later it was part of Price's operations in Missouri. Annie became the mother of many children, who grew up to call her name blessed, for she made a good and blameless woman. She and her husband removed from Odessa, Lafayette County to Louisiana, where they were engaged in rice farming. She was often heard to say the last message she had from Captain Blunt was his tapping on the door the night Otho Hinton was killed in Lexington and that the memory of it is like a sound from another world.

Here is an artist’s rending of how Quantrill and his men may have looked riding on the road to Lawrence.



Article submitted by Paul R Petersen– 2010 quantrillsguerrillas.com

"Permission should be requested and agreed to before using this or copyrighted essay and/or image."

Attention Civil War Book Authors



Have your Civil War book reviewed by our distinguished panel of historians and have your book review displayed on our nationally recognized award winning website. at quantrillsguerrillas.com.

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Of particular interest for consideration will be guerrilla warfare in the Civil War in the Trans-Mississippi theater, and related events during and surrounding the Civil War years.



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February Book Review by quantrillsguerrillas.com

War Crimes Against Southern Civilians by Walter Brian Cisco

Pelican Publishing Company - 2007 - 220 pages

Mr. Cisco starts out brilliant enough beginning with the Union atrocities committed on Missouri citizens at Camp Jackson in St. Louis, where German mercenaries under General Nathaniel Lyon surrounded the legally mustered Missouri State Militia taking them prisoner. As the soldiers were being led away to be paroled a large assembly gathered precipitating the German mercenaries to fire on the unarmed crowd killing 28 innocent men, women and children. One woman had her two children in her arms killed. Seventy-five others were wounded. The following day another 10 citizens were murdered again by Lyon's German mercenaries. For this atrocity Lyon was promoted from captain to brigadier-general by Abraham Lincoln.

The writing is in an easy readable style that is hard to put down simply because the reader finds the level of Union atrocities unbelievable. Though Missouri initially suffered a full two years before the Southern blue bloods in the Eastern Theater felt the crushing blow on their way of life by Lincoln's generals Cisco takes us through several states showing how the level of atrocity on Southern civilians was an act of collusion orchestrated from Washington. Lincoln's aim was not so much to achieve a military victory in the field as to wipe away all semblance of the Southern way of life as possible. Many a Kansas Jayhawker or Union forager stole everything that "wasn't nailed down or burning hot." Diaries by Northern soldiers give ample evidence bragging of their thieving expeditions.


The principle of people having the right to freely choose their own destiny was utterly repugnant to Lincoln. The understandable principle, on which the war was waged by the North, was simply this: That Southerners might be compelled to submit to, and support, a government that they did not want, and that resistance, on their part made them traitors and criminals. But the most astonishing revelation that Cisco brings to light is the atrocities committed on free blacks and slaves that came under Federal protection. Slaves were robbed of all their possessions and those that thought that by leaving their masters and following the juggernaut of the invading Union army found themselves miles from their homes, left without shelter, food or clothing, leaving them to starve to death. Reports of rapes on Negroes by Union soldiers was a common occurrence in every Union army but the most horrendous act was by soldiers of General William T. Sherman who gave supposedly medicine to hundreds of helpless slaves that turned out to be poison. Their deaths were pitiful and painful.

For those wishing to gain a better understanding of the War for Southern Independence by discovering the actions and philosophy of the Union army off the battlefield I highly recommend War Crimes Against Southern Civilians. It will be a welcomed addition to my own library.


Cisco is an accomplished author who has already brought us other fine books such as: States Rights Gist - A South Carolina General of the Civil War and many others. Author Walter Brian Cisco has published articles in Southern Partisan, Civil War, and Confederate Veteran. His book Wade Hampton: Confederate Warrior, Conservative Statesman won the Douglas Southall Freeman History Award from the Military Order of the Stars and Bars in 2006.

Below is an image of the front cover art of War Crimes Against Southern Civilians.

This book review was submitted by Paul R Petersen– 2010 quantrillsguerrillas.com

Here is a new feature for 2010. Each month we will feature an article written by one of our members. The following article was written as an assignment in American history by a freshman who is attending an fine instituion of higher learning. I think Andrei did an excellent job, and once you read it we're sure you will agree. Editor

If you asked most people in the world who was the most famous American Western Outlaw in history, the name would most probably be JESSE JAMES. The name is so famous, it has become a part of our language. Movies have been made about him, books have been written about him, he is in TV advertisements, used to describe types of men, and all sorts of things. He is an American Western Icon. Some considered him a ruthless criminal. Others considered him a hero like Robin Hood who turned to crime because he had no choice. Both of these descriptions are true.

Jesse Woodson James was born September 5, 1847 in Missouri. At the age of three his father, Rev. Robert James, left Missouri to search for gold in California. His father died of yellow fever shortly after he arrived, leaving Jesse, his brother Frank, and his sister Susan orphans with a single mother, Zerelda, to raise them with little money on a farm in Clay County, Missouri.

In 1852, Jesse's mother Zerelda married a local farmer by the name of Benjamin A. Simms. Simms seems to have been a mean man to the kids so the James children hated him. Because he treated her children badly, Zerelda threw him out of her house and was going to divorce him. However, he was killed in some sort of accident with a horse.

In 1855, Zerelda married again to Dr. Rubin Samuel. Most writers say that the James children liked him and got alone OK with him. He treated them well and they respected him. Samuel had four additional children with Zerelda and the James children loved their half brothers and sisters. In 1863, Samuels even refused to tell a group of Union soldiers anything about his step son Frank James (who was at that time in Confederate Partisan Ranger service). For this, he was cruelly hanged three times to the point of death from a tree outside of his home. He survived but was never healthy again.

Jesse's older brother, Alexander Franklin (Frank) James joined the guerrilla group led by William Clarke Quantrill in 1861. Jesse was only about 14 years old at the time and was a brash, rather sullen, hard to handle young man who really wanted to go and fight with his brother. His mother, at the time, forbid that. Also, Quantrill did not accept any boy that young in his guerrilla group. However, in 1863, at age 16, a group of so called Union Missouri militia rode onto the James farm in Kearney, Missouri. They were looking for Frank James. When they got nothing out of Jesse and Frank's parents, they rode down Jesse who was working in the corn fields. They whipped and beat him bloody but he refused to talk. They left him for dead. After being nursed back to health, Zerelda sent him to St. Joseph, Missouri to be cared for by his Mimms (mother's) family there.

Jesse soon returned home and later in 1863 he joined "Bloody Bill" Anderson's guerrilla band. Anderson was one of Quantrill's Captains. He had no problem attaching young boys to his group. Of Jesse, he supposedly said, "not to have had any beard, he is the keanest and cleanest fighter in the band." Jesse fought with the guerrillas at Fayette on September 20, 1864 and Centralia, September 27, 1864. Many writers say he was also at Lawrence, Kansas, August 21, 1863 but that is still being debated. As he joined in 1863, that is quite possible as 450 guerrillas attended the sacking of that vicious Jayhawker town.

At the end of the Civil War, in 1865, the Missouri guerrillas were told that if they came in to Lawrence, Missouri, surrendered, and signed the oath, that they would be allowed to go home. Jesse rode in with a group of guerrillas to do that in 1865. They came in under a white flag. Unfortunately, they were fired on by another group of worthless Yankee militia. The guerrilla group turned and ran and Jesse was very badly wounded, being shot through the lung. He survived by crawling into the woods where he was later found by a kind farmer who helped
him and later arranged for him to be sent to his family to be cared for. This event helped him to continue after the war in a life of crime in that he never trusted a Yankee based government or their promises again.

Here is an image of Charle Fletcher (Fletch) Taylor, Alexander Franklin (Frank) and Jesse Woodson James. It was taken in 1865 in Nashville Tennessee.Jesse was suffering from the wound he received earlier that year.



Jesse was again moved to his mother's family in St. Joseph, Missouri (to an area called Harlem at the time). There he was nursed back to health after several difficult months by his cousin Zeralda (Zee) Mimms. He fell in love with Zee and Zee fell in love with him. However, it took nine years until they were finally married in 1874. Also, as a consequence of these terrible wounds he got in 1865, he suffered the rest of his life, often resorting to laudanum (made from Opium).

By 1867-68, and after a trip to Paso Robles, California to rest and relax, Jesse was well enough to enter, with his brother Frank, into a life of robbing banks and trains. There are many reasons why they turned to crime that have been examined. Those are such things as knowing nothing more after the war, suffering from poverty due to the war, being forced into the life because the Union soldiers and Union governments refused to stop pursuing him, needing to provide for their family with few skills, to just plain enjoying the excitement. All of these are certainly part of the reasons. However, they are all meaningless in that they DID go into a life of crime and that life of crime led to Jesse James becoming that famous outlaw that he became.

Jesse James and his gang never robbed as many stages, trains, and banks as he was blamed for. During his 15 years in the "business" of robbery, he was literally blamed for almost every robbery in Missouri and the surrounding states. He had become that well know and famous. He did, however, accomplish quite a few successful robberies and took several hundred thousand dollars in all. That was astronomically successful for the 1870-1882 period
in our history.

All of Jesse's robberies were carefully planned and executed, with little left to chance. Because of this, Jesse was in many ways the "father" of the more organized robberies. He was the first to specialize and perfect the train robbery in the United States. Each bank and train was carefully watched, or "cased", over time. Schedules were carefully checked, the habits of clerks and railway employees were watched and noted, in most cases Jesse himself entered a bank before he robbed it to cash a large bill so he could personally see the inside of the building and where each employee was working. Each town was examined and all escape routes were discovered and planned ahead of time. The robberies were timed carefully as modern bank robberies are today. If needed, local men were later kidnapped and made to help them find the easiest and fastest escapes. To say the least, Jesse and Frank were crack shots who were never afraid to use their guns to kill. They killed several men in their robberies.

Jesse James was a very unusual man. He had an eye condition that caused him to blink constantly. He was suspicious of nearly everyone except his own family (a trait his mother taught him). He read every newspaper he could find and had subscriptions to most of the Missouri and Kansas newspapers under the names of his aliases. He constantly read his bible and could quote most of it by verse and line. Law enforcement stated constantly that he seemed to know ahead of time every time they tried to arrest him. His men also stated that he knew immediately when they did something wrong or attempted to turn against him. It was a main reason they feared him and respected him. Later, as he got older he became quite paranoid, took drugs such as laudanum, and moved from place to place in an attempt to avoid the law and protect his wife and two young children. To those who feared him, he was a bad man but to his family he was a loving, personal and caring husband, father, and son. However, possibly the most interesting aspect of Jesse James was that he could hide in plain sight. He went walking down common city streets, shopped, stopped into saloons for a drink and talk, talked about horse racing and the horse buying industry to important business men, all without being in the least suspected about who he really was. That seems to be the main reason why no one ever caught him. No law enforcement office or Pinkerton detective ever got near enough to him to kill or arrest him. It took a "dirty little coward" named Bob Ford and his brother Charlie (Jesse's cousins) to do that murder.

In the last few months before Jesse's death, he was trying to put together another team of men for another bank robbery. At this point, most of his trusted gang members were either dead, in jail, or had moved away. His available men were slim and not very experienced. Unfortunately, he chose two of his cousins, Charlie and Bob Ford. It was a terrible choice in that he trusted them as relatives when they were more interested in collecting the reward on his head and Bob
had been working with the sheriff and the state governor to give Jesse up.

On April 3, 1882, in St. Joseph, Missouri, Jesse removed his guns (something he never did before) and climbed up on a chair to dust the top of a favorite picture he had on the wall of his living room. Charlie and Bob Ford stood by the outside door behind him. Bob carefully took his new gun out (one that Jesse had just given him as a present) and shot Jesse in the back of the head in cold blooded murder.

The Fords thought they would collect the $10,000 reward but actually they got very little of it. They began later to act out what they had done in theatres for the public. Eventually, the public began to hate them as cowards and booed them from their seats. Charlie Ford fell apart and killed himself on May 4, 1884. In February, 1892, Bob Ford is killed by a man named Ed Kelley. Jesse finally got justice for his murder and his legend lives on until today.

Here is perhaps the most famous image of Jesse James. It was taken in Nebraska City Nebraska in 1875. Thanks to member Patrick Marquis for sharing this image with the membership.



Article submitted by Erol Andrei Cantey 2010 quantrillguerrillas.com

"Permission should be requested and agreed to before using this or copyrighted essay and/or image."

References:

1) Jesse James in the County of Clay, by Jack Ventimiglia, The Friends of the James Farm, 2001.

2) Internet Web site, Quantrillsguerrillas.com.

3) Jesse James, Last Rebel of the Civil War, by T.J. Stiles, Alan A, Knopf, 2002.

4) Guerrillas and Other Curiosities/ Bud Donnie & Me, by Samuel Anderson Pence,Two Trails Publishing, 2008

Editor’s note: Due to circumstances beyond our control we were delayed in posting this month’s article. We apologize for any inconvenience encountered. Without further delay here is our first article of 2010, we hope you will enjoy it.

The officers of quantrillsguerrillas.com are pleased to make available to our members a short profile of some of the brave men that rode with Colonel William Clarke Quantrill during the Border Wars during the Civil War. This is a service we take pride in but surprisingly we have discovered that every one of the histories that have been offered for the last several months share a common thread throughout their narratives and that is an account of cruelty and brutality from wanton attacks by Kansas Jayhawkers and Union officials before, during and after the war. Like other young men who chose to defend Missouri's right of sovereignty over the dictates of a central government the family of John Thrailkill suffered intolerably.

John Thrailkill was a six foot tall, twenty-three year old from Oregon in Holt County, Missouri. He first enlisted as a captain in the 1st Regiment, Missouri Cavalry, known as Gordon's Regiment, in the Missouri State Guard under General Sterling Price. Thrailkill was in charge of the skirmishers and sharpshooters in the command. The 1st Cavalry Regiment was formed during the summer of 1861. Many of its members had served with the Missouri State Guard. The unit fought at Elkhorn Tavern, then moved east of the Mississippi River and was dismounted. Many members of the regiment left with the understanding that they did not enlist in order to fight outside their native state.

Thrailkill was of Russian descent and known as a quiet, unassuming painter from northwest Missouri. He was born around 1838 in Livingston Co. and orphaned at a young age and living with a relative in Andrew County when the war broke out, He was destined to play a legendary role in the Civil War taking part in the most important battles and hairbreadth escapes. Thrailkill's relative's homes and possessions were burned out by Federals during the war. His friends and neighbors also suffered similar fates. When the war started he was engaged, but on the eve of his wedding, a militia patrol of twenty Federals rode to the bride’s home and killed her fifty-year-old invalid father on the doorstep in front of his daughter. As a result of this brutal assault she suffered an emotional breakdown and died shortly afterwards. To avenge her Thrailkill joined Quantrill, but not before making a solemn vow at his sweetheart’s grave: “Blood for blood; every hair in her head shall have a sacrifice.” Thrailkill eventually killed eighteen of the twenty men who caused his fiancée’s death. Thereafter Thrailkill became known as a ruthless killer all over Northern Missouri. Following this he became a guerrilla leader under Quantrill. It was said his only home was in the saddle.

During his illustrious career Captain Thrailkill fought in the battles of Carthage , Wilson ’s Creek, Dry Wood Creek, Lexington; Pea Ridge, Arkansas, Fayette, Centralia and several lesser engagements. He was captured on July 18, 1863 in Clinton County while on a recruiting mission and sent to the Myrtle Street Prison in St. Louis. Rather than take the oath of allegiance Thrailkill proudly boasted, “I am not ashamed to say that I am a Rebel and if I am shot in the defense of my country I will die in a glorious cause. And if I live through, I will never be ashamed to own up to the fact that I have been in the Rebel ranks.” For his patriotism he was then transferred to the Gratriot Street Prison in St. Louis before being transferred again to the Alton Military Prison, 25 miles away on the Mississippi River in Illinois.

Prison life was harsh and cruel. Gratiot was more of a clearing house for POWs in the Trans-Mississippi. Prisoners who were held a long time at Gratiot were officers who had been caught recruiting behind the lines, or engaging in other such illegal activities, spies, smugglers, and political prisoners. Many prisoners were sent on to Camp Douglas in Chicago or Camp Chase or were sent east for exchange and return south until exchanges were halted. In November 1862, Gratiot Street prison had 960 prisoners, many without bunks, when it’s maximum capacity was around 500 prisoners. The quarters were described as “a very dark, gloomy place, and very filthy besides.” The prison had a dungeon described as “the darkest pit of the prison,” and “a damp unhealthy hole, with a strong offensive smell.” The prisoners found that the Gratiot Street prison was a hard place and the “fare so rough, it seems an excellent place to starve.” In March of 1863 smallpox broke out among the prisoners causing them to wonder that “every disease under heaven does not break out in the lower quarters, half starved and crowded together as they are in dirt and rags.” In April two physicians were appointed by the Sanitary Commission and declared the prison to be a disgrace “to us as a Christian people. In these rooms the prisoners spent day and night, for the small yard of the prison is scarcely sufficient to contain a foul and stinking privy.... it is difficult to conceive how human beings can continue to live in such an atmosphere as must be generated when the windows are closed at night or in stormy weather. Here were persons lying sick, with pneumonia, dysentery and other grave diseases awaiting admission to the hospital.”


At the Alton Military Prison over 11,764 Confederate prisoners would pass through the gates. The prison was built in the style of a fortress, made of stone with walls 30 feet high. Initially the prison held 24 cells. The size of these cells has been determined to be 4 feet wide by 7 feet 4 inches long. Reports indicate there were 3 men in each cell. Of the four different classes of prisoners housed at Alton, Confederate soldiers made up most of the population. Citizens, including several women, were imprisoned here for treasonable actions, making anti-Union statements, aiding an escaped Confederate, etc. Others, classified as bushwhackers or guerrillas, were imprisoned for acts against the government such as bridge burning and railroad vandalism. While in the Alton prison, Thrailkill fared no better. Conditions in the prison were harsh and the mortality rate was above average for a Union prison. Hot, humid summers and cold Midwestern winters took a heavy toll on prisoners already weakened by poor nourishment and inadequate clothing. The prison was overcrowded much of the time and sanitary facilities were inadequate. Pneumonia and dysentery were common killers but contagious diseases such as smallpox and rubella were the most feared. The prison was so bad that it had been condemned two years prior to the war and it too had an epidemic of smallpox in 1863. Overcrowding in the prison made the disease impossible to control or eliminate. A prisoner's diary complained that "This is a much harder place than Gratiot-it is almost impossible to sleep on account of the rats, which run over us all through the night. There is much sickness, the small-pox is prevailing, and many are dying daily." Records indicate 1,613 deaths, but other estimates place the total as high as 5,000.

Next is an image of the infamous Alton Military Prison.



On June 10, 1864 Thrailkill managed to escape from the Alton Military Prison and return to Missouri and rejoin Quantrill where he commanded a group of guerrillas while maintaining he was a regular Confederate officer. Captain Thrailkill operated in numerous missions with Quantrill’s men namely those with Lieutenant Fletcher Taylor with Frank and Jesse James. Thrailkill was with Fletcher Taylor when they were ambushed and where Taylor lost his right arm by a blast from a double-barreled shotgun on August 4, 1864 near Missouri City along the Missouri River in Jackson County. The militia reported that they also wounded Captain John Thrailkill in the head, but if so it was a slight wound as Thrailkill continued in the saddle leading the guerrilla's advance.

In the fall of 1864 Thrailkill had only 16 men in his command but was known throughout the border as a desperate fighter. As the guerrilla bands began to head towards Boonville to meet up with General Price on his invasion of Missouri Thrailkill was in charge of the advance scouts under Captain George Todd as they made their way across the Missouri River on September 13, 1864. Three days later they engaged a militia company in Ray County. Leading George Todd’s advance, Thrailkill’s company often skirmished with Federal militia. George Todd had forty men along with Captain Dave Poole’s thirty men. They made a long-range patrol through the counties east of Kansas City and toward Howard County, where they knew Quantrill was staying and waiting for their arrival. With Todd and Poole Thrailkill attacked the Federal garrison in Tipton and killed its garrison of forty militiamen. Leaving Moniteau County, the guerrillas next raided the town of Boonville in Cooper County eliminating Federal resistance prior to Price's arrival.

During the skirmishing the guerrillas lost some of their best fighters. Riley Crawford was shot from his saddle by a load of “buck and ball” fired by a militiaman in ambush from a fence corner along the Lamine River. Not yet seventeen years old, Riley had witnessed the hanging of his father and the murder of his two sisters by Federal troops. Because of his youth, Riley’s death was much lamented by his fellow guerrillas. In revenge, they fought ferociously, and the result of their raiding soon claimed 114 Federal militiamen killed and 80 horses captured, 50 recruits gathered up, and half a million dollars of Federal property destroyed.

Next is an image of Riley Crawford in Union uniform, thanks to Major Emory Cantey for sharing yet another image from his vast collection.




Following the guerrillas disastrous setback where they were repulsed by the small Federal garrison at Fayette on September 20, Thrailkill headed east with Todd and Captain Bill Anderson where they camped outside the little town of Centralia. Unbeknownst to the guerrillas Maj. A. V. E. Johnson, in command of the Thirty-ninth Missouri Militia, mounted around 155 men and were in the saddle looking for the guerrillas. Johnson’s advance scouts ran into Anderson’s company around noon on September 26, 1864. Anderson, not wanting to bring on an attack, slipped into the darkness just outside Centralia. He rejoined George Todd’s command along with John Thrailkill’s and other small guerrilla units camped on the Singleton farm four miles south of Centralia. Here they gathered with a combined strength of more than 225 men. The guerrillas had just received word of Sterling Price’s reentry into Missouri with twelve thousand troops.

That day the sky was blue with the chill of early fall in the air. The ground was covered with prairie grass, long and coarse, bending in the afternoon breeze. Major Johnson's men had followed a group of Anderson's men back towards their camp. Todd ordered his men to saddle up. The outcome of the battle was determined before the action began. The guerrilla warriors sat their horses, armed to the teeth. Many were only teenagers but still veterans of numerous battles the North called massacres because of the overwhelming death toll the guerrillas inflicted on the enemy. The men under Captain John Thrailkill threw down a fence and advanced along a small creek branch to the west of their camp. To the left of the little branch rode the commands of George Todd and Silas Gordon. Bill Anderson was assigned the center of the battlefield. David Poole arranged his men behind Anderson, slightly overlapping his line. The only guerrillas visible to Johnson was Anderson’s company. When Anderson saw that the others were in place, he waved his hat three times as a signal. Poole’s and Thrailkill’s forces soon appeared. Anderson’s company was on line and began a slow walk toward the enemy. It was four o’clock in the afternoon. The sun was beginning to set, and the guerrillas knew that they must make short work of the fight ahead of them. Jesse James had a watch and timed the fight. In exactly five minutes 123 of Johnson's men including Johnson were dead upon the battlefield.

Following Centralia, Thrailkill undoubtedly continued aiding General Price in his invasion of Missouri as he headed towards Kansas City taking part in the 2nd Battle of Independence and the Battle of Westport and he continued to ride with General Price as he pulled his forces back south into Texas. When the war ended Thrailkill went to Mexico with Gen. Joseph O. Shelby and joined with the dictator Porfirio Diaz. Diaz was probably the only dictator to improve his country. Diaz offered the ex-Confederates land knowing they would improve the economic conditions of his country. As a result Thrailkill became quite wealthy becoming successful in the mining, cattle and railroad business. Thrailkill died in Mexico City in 1895.

Here is a post war image of John Tharilkill.





Article submitted by Paul R Petersen– 2009 quantrillguerrillas.com

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