James J. Chiles (May 1, 1833 – September 21, 1873), also known as Jim Crow Chiles, was a

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

outlaw who fought with

Quantrill's Raiders Quantrill's Raiders were the best-known of the pro- Confederate partisan guerrillas (also known as " bushwhackers") who fought in the American Civil War. Their leader was William Quantrill and they included Jesse James and his brother Frank. ...

Personal life

Born on May 1, 1833, Chiles was from a

Jackson County, Missouri Jackson County is located in the western portion of the U.S. state of Missouri, on the border with Kansas. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 717,204. making it the second-most populous county in the state (af ...

family. His father, James Chiles, was a

state senator A state senator is a member of a State legislature (United States), state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. History There are typically fewer state senators than there ...

. Chiles married Sarah Ann Young in 1861, when she was 16 years of age. Her sister was Martha Ellen Young Truman, the mother of President

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...

. Initially, Chiles seemed like a good husband for Sarah Young. He came from a family that held a lot of land and were early settlers in the county. In fact, he was "a highly unsavory character… the dark side of frontier life, a future skeleton for the Young-Truman family closet." He was described as someone who could be good-natured, "but subject to violent fits of anger, and when angry, a very dangerous man." In 1857, a man commented on Chiles' table manners, and Chiles killed him. He was tried for murder, but was not convicted, in part due to his family name. He received the nickname Jim Crow for his skill in dancing the song-and-dance caricature of blacks, the Jim Crow Set. Chiles and his brothers Elijah and Henry were fined in Jackson County in the 1850s for racing and gambling on Sunday. His father and father-in-law, Soloman Young, were pro-slavery.

Civil War raider

During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, Chiles rode with

William Quantrill William Clarke Quantrill (July 31, 1837 – June 6, 1865) was a Confederate States of America, Confederate guerrilla leader during the American Civil War. Quantrill experienced a turbulent childhood, became a schoolteacher, and joined a group ...

and

Bloody Bill Anderson William T. Anderson (c. 1840October 26, 1864), known by the nickname "Bloody Bill" Anderson, was a soldier who was one of the deadliest and most notorious Confederate States of America, Confederate Guerrilla warfare in the American Civil Wa ...

. The gang included some of the most infamous raiders of the time, including

Jesse Jesse may refer to: People * Jesse (biblical figure), father of David in the Bible * Jesse (given name), including a list of people * Jesse (surname), a list of people Music * ''Jesse'' (album), a 2003 album by Jesse Powell * "Jesse" (s ...

and

Frank James Alexander Franklin James (January 10, 1843 – February 18, 1915) was a Confederate States Army, Confederate American Civil War, soldier and Guerrilla warfare in the American Civil War, guerrilla; in the Reconstruction era, post-Civil War p ...

, the Younger Brothers, and Ike Flannery. They and Chiles raided and burned many pro-union towns and caused havoc for many union supporters and northern families. One of the best known raids that Chiles can be associated with is the infamous

Lawrence Massacre The Lawrence Massacre (also known as Quantrill's Raid) was an attack during the American Civil War (186165) by Quantrill's Raiders, a Confederate guerrilla group led by William Quantrill, on the Unionist town of Lawrence, Kansas, killing ar ...

in August 1863. The gang killed more than 150 men and boys and burned most of the town. In 1863, Chiles established a combination saloon, gambling house, and hotel in

Sherman, Texas Sherman is a city in and the county seat of Grayson County, Texas, United States. The city's population in 2020 was 43,645. It is one of the two principal cities in the Sherman–Denison metropolitan area, Sherman–Denison metropolitan statist ...

. It was also his home. He received many "refugees" from Jackson County. Chiles fought with two men over gambling disputes and killed both of them.

Post-war life

Due to Chiles activities during the war, and the anti-Confederate sentiment in Missouri following the war, Chiles had a difficult time adjusting to normal life. For instance, people who had been supportive of Confederates were not allowed to get certain jobs, vote, or hold office. In

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more t ...

, he ran a saloon and gambling house. Chiles was wanted on indictments for three other murders and accused of killing nine additional men. On September 21, 1873, he was killed by Deputy Marshal James Peacock during a confrontation in downtown Independence, Missouri. Peacock (who survived with Chiles' bullet lodged in his spine) was then shot by Chiles' son, Elijah, who was shot and killed by Peacock's son, Charles.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chiles, James J. 1833 births 1873 deaths American mass murderers American people acquitted of murder Confederate war criminals People shot dead by law enforcement officers in Missouri Outlaws of the American Old West Quantrill's Raiders