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| '''William Clark Quantrill''' (], ]–], ]) was a pro-] ] fighter during the ]. | '''William Clark Quantrill''' (], ]–], ]) was a pro-] ] fighter during the ]. | ||
| Born in ], he was originally a school teacher. In 1858, he |
Born in ], he was originally a school teacher. In 1858, he traveled to Utah with the gold rush. In 1859, he returned to Lawrence, Kansas and again taught school after being attacked by Jayhawkers and having his best friend killed. In 1860, he joined the Missouri forces after exposing those in Kansas who were carrying out a criminal raid on an innocent Missouri farmer. | ||
| Quantrill entered the ] on the Confederate side with enthusiasm. By late 1861, he was the leader of ], a small force of no more than a dozen men who harassed Union soldiers and sympathizers along the Kansas-Missouri border and often clashed with ], the pro-Union guerrilla bands that reversed Quantrill's tactics by staging raids from Kansas into Missouri. Union forces soon declared him an outlaw, and the | Quantrill entered the ] on the Confederate side with enthusiasm. By late 1861, he was the leader of ], a small force of no more than a dozen men who harassed Union soldiers and sympathizers along the Kansas-Missouri border and often clashed with ], the pro-Union guerrilla bands that reversed Quantrill's tactics by staging raids from Kansas into Missouri. Union forces soon declared him an outlaw, and the | ||
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| The climax of Quantrill's guerilla career came on ], ], when he led a force of 450 raiders into Lawrence, Kansas, a stronghold of pro- | The climax of Quantrill's guerilla career came on ], ], when he led a force of 450 raiders into Lawrence, Kansas, a stronghold of pro- | ||
| Union support and the home of ] ], whose leading role in the struggle for ] in Kansas had made him a public enemy to pro-slavery forces in Missouri. Lane managed to escape, racing through a cornfield in his nightshirt, but Quantrill and his men killed |
Union support and the home of ] ], whose leading role in the struggle for ] in Kansas had made him a public enemy to pro-slavery forces in Missouri. Lane managed to escape, racing through a cornfield in his nightshirt, but Quantrill and his men killed around 143 men whose names were on death lists due to their criminal deeds in Missouri and their inflammatory speaches enticing Kansans to plunder homes in Missouri. Out of 300 buildings in Lawrence only around 80 were burned. | ||
| The ] led to swift retribution, as Union troops forced the | The ] led to swift retribution, as Union troops forced the | ||
| residents of four Missouri border counties onto the open prairie while Jayhawkers looted and burned everything they left behind. | residents of four Missouri border counties onto the open prairie while Jayhawkers looted and burned everything they left behind. | ||
| Quantrill and his raiders took part in the Confederate retaliation for this atrocity, but when Union forces drove the Confederates back, Quantrill |
Quantrill and his raiders took no part in the Confederate retaliation for this atrocity, but when Union forces drove the Confederates back, Quantrill took his men to Texas like he usually did during the winter when the woods could not hid them any longer. Anderson was known to carry a black silken cord with knots for every Union soldier he killed. On ], ], Quantrill was shot in a surprise attack by Union guerrillas, and he died on ] at the age of 27. | ||
| Even after his death, Quantrill and his followers remained almost folk heroes to their supporters in Missouri, and something of this celebrity later rubbed off on several ex-Raiders—] and ], and the ] and ]—who went on in the late 1860's to apply Quantrill's hit-and-run tactics to bank and train robbery. | Even after his death, Quantrill and his followers remained almost folk heroes to their supporters in Missouri, and something of this celebrity later rubbed off on several ex-Raiders—] and ], and the ] and ]—who went on in the late 1860's to apply Quantrill's hit-and-run tactics to bank and train robbery. | ||
Revision as of 05:16, 25 December 2004
William Clark Quantrill (July 31, 1837–June 6, 1865) was a pro-Confederate guerrilla fighter during the American Civil War.
Born in Ohio, he was originally a school teacher. In 1858, he traveled to Utah with the gold rush. In 1859, he returned to Lawrence, Kansas and again taught school after being attacked by Jayhawkers and having his best friend killed. In 1860, he joined the Missouri forces after exposing those in Kansas who were carrying out a criminal raid on an innocent Missouri farmer.
Quantrill entered the American Civil War on the Confederate side with enthusiasm. By late 1861, he was the leader of Quantrill's Raiders, a small force of no more than a dozen men who harassed Union soldiers and sympathizers along the Kansas-Missouri border and often clashed with Jayhawkers, the pro-Union guerrilla bands that reversed Quantrill's tactics by staging raids from Kansas into Missouri. Union forces soon declared him an outlaw, and the Confederacy officially made him a captain. To his supporters in Missouri, he was a dashing, free-spirited hero.
The climax of Quantrill's guerilla career came on August 21, 1863, when he led a force of 450 raiders into Lawrence, Kansas, a stronghold of pro- Union support and the home of Senator James H. Lane, whose leading role in the struggle for free-soil in Kansas had made him a public enemy to pro-slavery forces in Missouri. Lane managed to escape, racing through a cornfield in his nightshirt, but Quantrill and his men killed around 143 men whose names were on death lists due to their criminal deeds in Missouri and their inflammatory speaches enticing Kansans to plunder homes in Missouri. Out of 300 buildings in Lawrence only around 80 were burned.
The Lawrence Massacre led to swift retribution, as Union troops forced the residents of four Missouri border counties onto the open prairie while Jayhawkers looted and burned everything they left behind.
Quantrill and his raiders took no part in the Confederate retaliation for this atrocity, but when Union forces drove the Confederates back, Quantrill took his men to Texas like he usually did during the winter when the woods could not hid them any longer. Anderson was known to carry a black silken cord with knots for every Union soldier he killed. On May 10, 1865, Quantrill was shot in a surprise attack by Union guerrillas, and he died on June 6 at the age of 27.
Even after his death, Quantrill and his followers remained almost folk heroes to their supporters in Missouri, and something of this celebrity later rubbed off on several ex-Raiders—Jesse James and Frank James, and the Cole Younger and Jim Younger—who went on in the late 1860's to apply Quantrill's hit-and-run tactics to bank and train robbery.
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