The Marais des Cygnes massacre (, ) is considered the last significant act of violence in

Bleeding Kansas Bleeding Kansas, Bloody Kansas, or the Border War was a series of violent civil confrontations in Kansas Territory, and to a lesser extent in western Missouri, between 1854 and 1859. It emerged from a political and ideological debate over the ...

prior to the outbreak of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

. On May 19, 1858, approximately 30 men led by Charles Hamilton, a Georgia native and

proslavery Proslavery is a support for slavery. It is found in the Bible, in the thought of ancient philosophers, in British writings and in American writings especially before the American Civil War but also later through 20th century. Arguments in favor o ...

leader, crossed into the Kansas Territory from

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

. They arrived at

Trading Post, Kansas Trading Post is an unincorporated community in Linn County, Kansas, United States. History It is said to be one of the oldest continuously occupied locations in the state. In 1842, a United States Army fort was built there, shortly after the en ...

in the morning and then headed back to Missouri. Along the way they captured 11 Free-Staters, none of whom were armed and, it is said, none of whom had participated in the ongoing violence. Most of the men knew Hamilton and apparently did not realize he meant them harm. These prisoners were led into a defile, where Hamilton ordered his men to shoot, firing the first and last bullet himself. Five men were killed and five severely wounded. Only one Free-Stater escaped injury. Hamilton and his gang returned to Missouri. Only one man was ever prosecuted for the crime. William Griffith of

Bates County, Missouri Bates County is a county located in the west central part of the U.S. state of Missouri, two counties south of the Missouri River and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,042. Its county se ...

, was arrested in the spring of 1863 and was kept until October 30th of that year. Charles Hamilton returned to Georgia, where he died in 1880. The incident horrified the U.S. and inspired John Greenleaf Whittier to write a poem on the murders, "Le Marais du Cygne", which appeared in the September 1858 ''

The Atlantic Monthly ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

''.

References

External links

Kansas State Historical Society: Marais Massacre
* {{Lynching in the United States 1858 riots 1858 in the United States Massacres in 1858 Bleeding Kansas Massacres in the United States Deaths by firearm in Kansas Crimes in Kansas 1858 in Kansas Territory May 1858 events American anti-abolitionist riots and civil disorder

See also

References

External links