Quantrill Raiders
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Quantrill's Raiders were the best-known of the pro-
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 ...
partisan
guerrillas Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, Partisan (military), partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include Children in the military, recruite ...
(also known as "
bushwhacker Bushwhacking was a form of guerrilla warfare common during the American Revolutionary War, War of 1812, American Civil War and other conflicts in which there were large areas of contested land and few governmental resources to control these tra ...
s") who fought in 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 ...
. Their leader was
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 they included
Jesse James Jesse Woodson James (September 5, 1847April 3, 1882) was an American outlaw, Bank robbery, bank and Train robbery, train robber, guerrilla and leader of the James–Younger Gang. Raised in the "Little Dixie (Missouri), Little Dixie" area of M ...
and his brother Frank. Early in the war Missouri and Kansas were nominally under Union government control and became subject to widespread violence as groups of Confederate bushwhackers and anti-slavery
Jayhawkers Jayhawker and red leg are terms that came to prominence in Kansas Territory during the Bleeding Kansas period of the 1850s; they were adopted by militant bands affiliated with the free-state cause during the American Civil War. These gangs were ...
competed for control. The town of
Lawrence, Kansas Lawrence is a city in and the county seat of Douglas County, Kansas, United States, and the sixth-largest city in the state. It is in the northeastern sector of the state, astride Interstate 70 in Kansas, Interstate 70, between the Kansas River ...
, was a center of anti-slavery sentiment. In August 1863, Quantrill led an attack on the town, killing more than 180 civilians. The Confederate government, which had granted Quantrill a field commission under the
Partisan Ranger Act The Partisan Ranger Act was passed on April 21, 1862, by the Confederate Congress. It was intended as a stimulus for recruitment of irregulars for service into the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. The Confederate leadership, lik ...
, was outraged and withdrew support for such irregular forces. By 1864 Quantrill had lost control of the group, which split up into small bands. Some, including Quantrill, were killed in various engagements. Others lived on to hold reunions many years later, when the name Quantrill's Raiders began to be used. The James brothers formed their own gang and conducted robberies for years as a continuing insurgency in the region.


Origins

The
Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...
-
Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...
border area was fertile ground for the outbreak of
guerrilla warfare Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include recruited children, use ambushes, sabotage, terrori ...
when the Civil War erupted in 1861. The historian Albert Castel wrote: In February 1861, Missouri voters elected delegates to a statewide convention, which rejected secession by a vote of 89–1. Unionists, led by regular US Army commander
Nathaniel Lyon Nathaniel Lyon (July 14, 1818 – August 10, 1861) was a United States Army officer who was the first Union Army, Union General officer, general to be killed in the American Civil War. He is noted for his actions in Missouri in 1861, at the beginn ...
and Frank Blair of the politically-powerful Blair family, fought for political and military control across the state against the increasingly pro-secessionist forces, led by Governor
Claiborne Jackson Claiborne Fox Jackson (April 4, 1806 – December 6, 1862) was an American politician of the Democratic Party in Missouri. He was elected as the 15th Governor of Missouri, serving from January 3, 1861, until July 31, 1861, when he was for ...
and future Confederate General
Sterling Price Sterling Price (September 14, 1809 – September 29, 1867) was an American politician and military officer who was a senior General officers in the Confederate States Army, officer of the Confederate States Army, fighting in both the Weste ...
. By June, open warfare occurred between Union forces and troops supporting the Confederacy.
Guerrilla Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, Partisan (military), partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include Children in the military, recruite ...
warfare erupted throughout the state and intensified in August after the Union defeat at the
Battle of Wilson's Creek The Battle of Wilson's Creek, also known as the Battle of Oak Hills, was the first major battle of the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War. It was fought on August 10, 1861, near Springfield, Missouri. In August, Confe ...
. One historical work describes the situation in the state after Wilson's Creek: By August 1862, with the Union victory at the
Battle of Pea Ridge The Battle of Pea Ridge (March 7–8, 1862), also known as the Battle of Elkhorn Tavern, took place during the American Civil War near Leetown, Arkansas, Leetown, northeast of Fayetteville, Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas. United States, Feder ...
, Missouri was free of significant regular Confederate troops, but the insurgent violence continued. The most notorious guerrilla force was led by
William Clarke Quantrill William Clarke Quantrill (July 31, 1837 – June 6, 1865) was a Confederate guerrilla leader during the American Civil War. Quantrill experienced a turbulent childhood, became a schoolteacher, and joined a group of bandits who roamed the Misso ...
.


Methods and legal status

Quantrill was not the only Confederate guerrilla operating in Missouri, but he rapidly gained the greatest notoriety. He and his men ambushed Union patrols and supply convoys, seized the mail, and occasionally struck towns on both sides of the Kansas-Missouri border. Reflecting the internecine nature of the guerrilla conflict in Missouri, Quantrill directed much of his effort against pro-Union civilians by attempting to drive them from the territory that he operated. Quantrill's guerrillas attacked
Jayhawker Jayhawker and red leg are terms that came to prominence in Kansas Territory during the Bleeding Kansas period of the 1850s; they were adopted by militant bands affiliated with the free-state cause during the American Civil War. These gangs were ...
s, Missouri State Militia, and Union troops and relied primarily on ambush and raids. Under his direction, Confederate guerrillas perfected military tactics such as disguises, co-ordinated and synchronized attacks, planned dispersal after an attack that used preplanned routes and relays of horses, and technical methods such as the use of multiple .36-cal. Colt revolvers for increased firepower and their improved accuracy over the .44-cal.


Confederate induction

On 15 August 1862, Quantrill was granted a field commission as a captain in the Confederate army under the Confederate
Partisan Ranger Act The Partisan Ranger Act was passed on April 21, 1862, by the Confederate Congress. It was intended as a stimulus for recruitment of irregulars for service into the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. The Confederate leadership, lik ...
. Other officers were elected by the men, and Quantrill often referred to himself as a colonel. Despite the legal responsibility assumed by the Confederate government, Quantrill often acted on his own with little concern for his government's policy or orders. His most notable operation was the
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 ...
, a revenge raid on
Lawrence, Kansas Lawrence is a city in and the county seat of Douglas County, Kansas, United States, and the sixth-largest city in the state. It is in the northeastern sector of the state, astride Interstate 70 in Kansas, Interstate 70, between the Kansas River ...
, in August 1863.


Lawrence massacre

Lawrence was the historic base of operations for
abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was Kingdom of France, France in 1315, but it was later used ...
and
Jayhawker Jayhawker and red leg are terms that came to prominence in Kansas Territory during the Bleeding Kansas period of the 1850s; they were adopted by militant bands affiliated with the free-state cause during the American Civil War. These gangs were ...
organizations. Pro-slavery forces also operated in the area, as both sides tried to gain power to determine whether Kansas would allow slavery. During the period of border warfare (1855–1861), the region became known as "
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 ...
" in the press. During the Civil War, Jayhawkers continued their raids into western Missouri, where slavery was concentrated in the area known as Little Dixie along the Missouri River. Robberies, theft, arson, and murders of citizens were committed by both sides. In August 1863, Union authorities assigned to the so-called District of the Border were frustrated by the hit-and-run tactics of Quantrill's guerrillas, particularly the aid provided by Confederate sympathizers in western Missouri border counties. Authorities began imprisoning the female members of the known guerrillas' families, with the intent of banishing them. The females, some teenagers, were jailed in
Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...
, in makeshift jails, including the house on Grand Street in which local artist
George Caleb Bingham George Caleb Bingham (March 20, 1811 – July 7, 1879) was an American artist, soldier and politician known in his lifetime as "the Missouri Artist". Initially a Whig, he was elected as a delegate to the Missouri legislature before the American C ...
kept his studio. The Union soldiers enlarged the space on the first floor by removing supporting beams. As a result, the structure collapsed, maiming and killing several women. The deaths of the women outraged the pro-Southern guerrillas, as they were close, familial, relations to Quantrill and his men. Calling for revenge, Quantrill organized a unified partisan raid on Lawrence although there is evidence that the raid had been planned before the collapse. Co-ordinating across vast distances, small bands of partisans rode across of open prairie to rendezvous on
Mount Oread Mount Oread is a hill in Lawrence, Kansas, upon which the University of Kansas, and parts of the city of Lawrence, Kansas, are located. It sits on the water divide between the Kansas River and the Wakarusa River. It was named after the long de ...
in the early morning hours before the raid. Quantrill's men burned a quarter of the town's buildings and killed at least 150 men and boys. One of the main targets of the raid, abolitionist U.S. Sen. Jim Lane, escaped by fleeing into corn fields. The Lawrence raid was the most deadly and infamous operation of Missouri's Confederate guerrillas.


Confederate reaction

The Confederate leadership was appalled by the raid and withdrew even tacit support from the "
bushwhacker Bushwhacking was a form of guerrilla warfare common during the American Revolutionary War, War of 1812, American Civil War and other conflicts in which there were large areas of contested land and few governmental resources to control these tra ...
s." After the raid, Quantrill led his men behind Confederate lines down to
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 ...
, where they wintered in 1863–1864. Along the way, they attacked
Fort Baxter (Kansas) Fort Baxter, also known as Fort Blair, was a small US Army post located in the southeast corner of Kansas near present-day Baxter Springs. This area was known as the Cherokee Strip. It was one of a few Kansas forts attacked by Confederate force ...
, and ambushed and killed near 100 Union troops in the
Battle of Baxter Springs The Battle of Baxter Springs, more commonly known as the Baxter Springs Massacre, was a minor battle of the American Civil War fought on October 6, 1863, near the present-day town of Baxter Springs, Kansas. In late 1863, Quantrill's Raiders, a ...
. In Texas, they continued to embarrass the Confederate command by their often-lawless actions. In Texas in 1864, two of Quantrill's Raiders, the Calhoun Brothers, were killed in a gunfight with
Collin County Collin County is a county in the northern part of the U.S. state of Texas. It is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metropolitan statistical area, and a small portion of the city of Dallas is in the county. At the 2020 United States cens ...
Sheriff Captain James L. Read. Read was able to escape Quantrill's rage after he went into hiding but was lynched by Quantrill's supporters in
Tyler, Texas Tyler, officially the City of Tyler, is a city in and the county seat of Smith County, Texas, United States. As of 2020, the population is 105,995. Tyler was the List of municipalities in Texas, 38th most populous city in Texas (as well as the m ...
on May 18, 1864. Some Confederate officers appreciated the effectiveness of these irregulars against Union forces, which rarely gained the upper hand over them, especially Quantrill. Among them was General Joseph O. Shelby, who rode south into Mexico with his troops, rather than surrender at the end of the war. His command was remembered as "The Undefeated."


John Noland

Among Quantrill's men was an enslaved man,
John Noland John Noland (c. 1844 – June 25, 1908) was an enslaved man who was the personal servant of bushwhacker William Quantrill, William C. Quantrill during the American Civil War. Noland was a Chattel slavery in the United States, chattel slave owned by ...
. John was owned by Francis Asbury Noland. There is no evidence that John was given his freedom before or during war. In the 1999 film '' Ride with the Devil'', which depicts a group of fictionalized Missouri bushwhackers, the character Daniel Holt was inspired by Noland.


Dissolution and aftermath

In late winter 1863, Quantrill lost his hold over his men. In early 1864, the guerrillas returned from Texas to Missouri in separate bands, none being led by Quantrill.


Deaths

Quantrill's guerrillas, as a group, did not maintain operations in winters along the border. Quantrill took his men to Cedar Mills, Texas, over winter and offered his services to the Confederacy. Their assignments included attacking teamsters who supplied the Union, repelling Union and Jayhawker raids into northern Texas, warding off Indian attacks, and policing and rounding up deserters roaming in Texas and Oklahoma. The guerrillas were rowdy, undisciplined, and dangerous. Quantrill lost his control of the men in the winter of 1863–1864. The men split into bands and were commanded by Lieutenants "Bloody Bill" Anderson and George M. Todd. The guerrillas returned to Missouri in early 1864, and Quantrill took several of his loyal troops east, towards Kentucky. In Kentucky, pro-Union soldiers and hired killers tracked Quantrill and his men. They were cornered in a barn, where a shootout resulted in Quantrill being injured in the spine and left unable to move. He was arrested, but he reportedly died a week later from his wounds. Anderson's splinter group of guerrillas was assigned to duty in 1864 north of the
Missouri River The Missouri River is a river in the Central United States, Central and Mountain states, Mountain West regions of the United States. The nation's longest, it rises in the eastern Centennial Mountains of the Bitterroot Range of the Rocky Moun ...
, during the General Sterling Price raid. He was to disrupt Union operations north of the Missouri River and draw Union troops toward his cavalry command. Anderson was reportedly shot dead north of Orrick. His body was dragged through the streets of
Richmond, Missouri Richmond is a city in Ray County, Missouri, and part of the Kansas City metropolitan area within the United States. The population was 6,013 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Ray County. History Richmond was platted in 1828. The com ...
. His gravemarker is in the old Mormon Pioneer cemetery, in the extreme southwest corner, behind some pine trees and near the road. Todd's splinter group was attached to Major General Sterling Price's raid south of the Missouri River. He functioned as a cavalry scout. Todd died after being shot out of his saddle by a Union sniper, north of
Independence, Missouri Independence is a city in and one of two county seats of Jackson County, Missouri, United States. It is a satellite city of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the largest suburb on the Missouri side of the Kansas City metropolitan area. In 2020 Unite ...
, a day before the
Battle of Westport The Battle of Westport, was fought on October 23, 1864, in modern Kansas City, Missouri, during the American Civil War. Union Army, Union forces under Major General (United States), Major General Samuel R. Curtis decisively defeated an outnumber ...
. Captain William H. "Bill" "Stuart" tewartof Quantrill's Raiders was shot and killed November 1864 in Howard County Missouri as he tried to rob a Union cattle drover. Some of the guerrillas continued under the leadership of
Archie Clement Archie Clement (January 1, 1846 – December 13, 1866), also known as "Little Arch" or "Little Archie", was an American pro- Confederate guerrilla leader during the American Civil War, known for his brutality towards Union soldiers and pro-Uni ...
. He kept a group together after the war and harassed the Missouri state government during 1866. In December 1866, state militiamen killed Clement in Lexington. Several of his men continued as outlaws, emerging in time as the James-Younger Gang. The last survivor of Quantrill's Raiders died in 1940.


In popular culture

* ''
Jesse James Under the Black Flag ''Jesse James Under the Black Flag'' is a 1921 American silent film, silent Western (genre), Western film directed and written by Franklin B. Coates. It is about the bandit Jesse James, who is portrayed by his son Jesse E. James, Jesse James Jr. ...
'' (1921), a silent film features Quantrill and Jesse James * The film ''
Dark Command ''Dark Command'' is a 1940 Crime western film starring Claire Trevor, John Wayne and Walter Pidgeon loosely based on Quantrill's Raiders during the American Civil War. Directed by Raoul Walsh from the novel by W. R. Burnett, ''Dark Command'' ...
'' (1940) deals with the fictional William Cantrell's Raiders, also led by a partisan made an officer by the Confederacy. * '' Fighting Man of the Plains'' is a 1949 American film directed by Edward L. Marin.
Randolph Scott George Randolph Scott (January 23, 1898 – March 2, 1987) was an American film actor, whose Hollywood career spanned from 1928 to 1962. As a leading man for all but the first three years of his cinematic career, Scott appeared in dramas, come ...
plays Jim Dancer, one of Quantrill's Raiders staging attacks on Kansas on behalf of the fallen Confederacy in the years following the Civil War. * The
Audie Murphy Audie Leon Murphy (20 June 1925 – 28 May 1971) was an American soldier, actor, and songwriter. He was widely celebrated as the most decorated American combat soldier of World War II, and has been described as the most highly decorated enli ...
film, ''
Kansas Raiders ''Kansas Raiders'' is a 1950 American Western film directed by Ray Enright, and stars Audie Murphy, Brian Donlevy, Marguerite Chapman, and Scott Brady. It is set during the American Civil War and involves Jesse James coming under the influence ...
'' (1950), deals with Quantrill's Raiders in the period immediately after the Civil War, As does ''
Arizona Raiders ''Arizona Raiders'' is a 1965 American Techniscope Western film directed by William Witney and starring Audie Murphy.''Arizo ...
,'' also starring Audie Murphy. * The film ''
Best of the Badmen ''Best of the Badmen'' is a 1951 Western film directed by William D. Russell that is set in Breckenridge Missouri during the post-American Civil War period. It stars Robert Ryan, Claire Trevor and Robert Preston. It was a loose follow-up to ...
'' (1951) is a fictional account of the remnants of Quantrill's Raiders in the western frontier after they had surrendered to Union forces. * The film ''Red Mountain'' (1951) has a "General" William Quantrill stirring up rebellion in various Indian Nations in 1865. *
Anthony Mann Anthony Mann (born Emil Anton Bundsmann; June 30, 1906 – April 29, 1967) was an American film director and stage actor. He came to prominence as a skilled director of ''Film noirs, film noir'' and Western film, Westerns, and for his Epic film ...
's film
Bend of the River ''Bend of the River'' is a 1952 American Western film directed by Anthony Mann and starring James Stewart, Arthur Kennedy, Julia Adams, and Rock Hudson. Based on the 1950 novel ''Bend of the Snake'' by Bill Gulick, the film is about a t ...
(1952) features
James Stewart James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military aviator. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morali ...
as Glyn McLyntock, a Missouri-Kansas border raider trying to escape his past and make good by accompanying a wagon train of settlers to Oregon. * The film ''
The Stranger Wore a Gun ''The Stranger Wore a Gun'' is a 1953 American Western film directed by Andre de Toth and starring Randolph Scott and Claire Trevor. Based on the short story "Yankee Gold" by John W. Cunningham, the film is about a war criminal wanted for the ...
'' (1953) has
Randolph Scott George Randolph Scott (January 23, 1898 – March 2, 1987) was an American film actor, whose Hollywood career spanned from 1928 to 1962. As a leading man for all but the first three years of his cinematic career, Scott appeared in dramas, come ...
playing Jeff Travis, a former spy for Quantrill's Raiders, who rides to Arizona to start a new life, but finds that his reputation has preceded him. * Season 1, episode 20 of ''
Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centered on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central charact ...
'' titled "Reunion '78" (1956) shows a survivor of a Quantrill raid ten year earlier seeking revenge on a raider. * The ''
Lone Ranger The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked former Texas Ranger who fought outlaws in the American Old West with his Native American friend Tonto. The character has been called an enduring icon of American culture. He first appeared in 1933 in a ...
'' episode "The Twisted Track" (1956) is about a member of Quantrill's Raiders ( William Henry) seeking revenge against a Union officer. * Though historically inaccurate, Allied Artists Pictures made a B-Western entitled '' Quantrill’s Raiders'' (1958), starring
Steve Cochran Steve Cochran (born Robert Alexander Cochran, May 25, 1917 – June 15, 1965) was an American film, television and stage actor. He attended the University of Wyoming. After a stint working as a cowboy, Cochran developed his acting skills in loca ...
as a fictionalized hero and with
Leo Gordon Leo Vincent Gordon (December 2, 1922 – December 26, 2000) was an American character actor and screenwriter. During more than 40 years in film and television he was most frequently cast as a supporting actor playing brutish bad guys but oc ...
as the title character. * In the film ''
Bandolero! ''Bandolero!'' is a 1968 American Western film directed by Andrew V. McLaglen and starring James Stewart, Dean Martin, Raquel Welch, George Kennedy, Andrew Prine, Will Geer, and Clint Ritchie. The story centers on two brothers on the ...
'' (1968), Mace Bishop (
James Stewart James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military aviator. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morali ...
) compares his riding with Union
General Sherman William Tecumseh Sherman ( ; February 8, 1820February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as a General officer, general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865), earning recognit ...
to his brother Dee Bishop's (
Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor, and comedian. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Cool", he is regarded as one of the most popular entertainers of ...
) riding with Quantrill as "war versus meanness". * In the films '' True Grit'', protagonist Rooster Cogburn (
John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne, was an American actor. Nicknamed "Duke", he became a Pop icon, popular icon through his starring roles in films which were produced during Hollywood' ...
in the original 1969 version and
Jeff Bridges Jeffrey Leon Bridges (born December 4, 1949) is an American actor. He is known for his Leading actor, leading man roles in film and television. In a career spanning over seven decades, he has received List of awards and nominations received by ...
in the 2010 version) prides himself for having been part of Quantrill's Raiders during the Civil War. He has a cat named General
Sterling Price Sterling Price (September 14, 1809 – September 29, 1867) was an American politician and military officer who was a senior General officers in the Confederate States Army, officer of the Confederate States Army, fighting in both the Weste ...
after the notable Confederate general from Missouri. * The main character of the film ''
The Outlaw Josey Wales ''The Outlaw Josey Wales'' is a 1976 American revisionist Western film set during and after the American Civil War. It was directed by and starred Clint Eastwood (as Josey Wales), with Chief Dan George, Sondra Locke, Bill McKinney, and Joh ...
'' (1976) joins Bloody Bill Anderson's unit after his family is murdered by Jayhawkers. * Season 4 episode 8 of ''
Little House on the Prairie The ''Little House on the Prairie'' books comprise a series of American children's novels written by Laura Ingalls Wilder (b. Laura Elizabeth Ingalls). The stories are based on her childhood and adulthood in the Midwestern United States, Americ ...
'' called "The Aftermath" (1977) was about
Jesse James Jesse Woodson James (September 5, 1847April 3, 1882) was an American outlaw, Bank robbery, bank and Train robbery, train robber, guerrilla and leader of the James–Younger Gang. Raised in the "Little Dixie (Missouri), Little Dixie" area of M ...
and his brother Frank who holed up in Walnut Grove and references Quantrill's Raiders throughout. * In the 1978 movie ''
Goin' South ''Goin' South'' is a 1978 American Western comedy film directed by and starring Jack Nicholson, with Mary Steenburgen, Christopher Lloyd, John Belushi, Richard Bradford, Veronica Cartwright, Danny DeVito and Ed Begley Jr. Plot Henry Llo ...
'',
Jack Nicholson John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is an American retired actor and filmmaker. Nicholson is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of the 20th century, often playing rebels fighting against the social structure. Over his five-de ...
plays Henry Lloyd Moon, a former member of Quantrill's Raiders. * ''Enemy Gold'', a 1993 B movie from Andy Sidaris, uses the myth of Quantrill's Gold as fuel for the storyline—though the historical connections are thin at best. * The
DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
, series ''
The Kents ''The Kents'' is the title of a 12-issue comic book limited series published by DC Comics, from August 1997 to July 1998. The story concerns a troubled generation of ancestors to Jonathan "Pa" Kent (Superman's adoptive father). Set in the mid t ...
'' (1997) has the protagonist's brother and an ancestor of
Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
, Jeb Kent, as a member of the Quantrill's Raiders. * '' Ride with the Devil'' (1999), starring
Tobey Maguire Tobias Vincent Maguire (born 27 June 1975) is an American actor and film producer. He is best known for starring as Peter Parker (2002 film series character), Spider-Man in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man in film#Sam Raimi's trilogy, ''Spider-Man'' tr ...
and Jewel, depicts Quantrill's Raiders and the Missouri-Kansas conflict. * The movie ''
The Hateful Eight ''The Hateful Eight'' is a 2015 American western thriller film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It stars Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Demián Bichir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, and Bruce De ...
'' (2015) makes references to the Mannix Marauders, a fictionalized version of Quantrill's Raiders. * In the video game, ''
Red Dead Redemption 2 ''Red Dead Redemption 2'' is a 2018 action-adventure game developed and published by Rockstar Games. The game is the third entry in the ''Red Dead'' series and a prequel to the 2010 game ''Red Dead Redemption''. The story is set in a fictiona ...
'' (2018), the town of Lawrence is mentioned in a letter found on a Lemoyne Raider, the in game version of Quantrill's Raiders. In said letter, fights with the Jayhawkers are said to be going on, possibly referring to the massacre in the town. * The 36th album of the American Civil War-themed
Belgian comic Belgian comics are a distinct subgroup in the comics history, and played a major role in the development of European comics, alongside France with whom they share a long common history. While the comics in the two major language groups and re ...
''
Les Tuniques Bleues ''Les Tuniques Bleues'' (Dutch: De Blauwbloezen) is a Belgian series of ''bandes dessinées'' (comic books in the Franco-Belgian tradition), first published in '' Spirou'' magazine and later collected in albums by Dupuis."Best of Belgium's Cart ...
'' is entitled ''Quantrill'' and concerns the main (Union Army) characters' encounter with Quantrill and his Raiders.


Literary fiction and music

* In the song "Frank and Jesse James" on his 1976 eponymous album,
Warren Zevon Warren William Zevon (January 24, 1947 – September 7, 2003) was an American rock singer and songwriter. His most famous compositions include "Werewolves of London", "Lawyers, Guns and Money" and "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner". All t ...
sings about young Frank and Jesse James when "they joined up with Quantrill" just after "war broke out between the states".Frank and Jesse James, by Warren Zevon
/ref> * Quantrill's Raiders are a major element in ''Wildwood Boys'' (William Morrow, New York; 2000), a
biographical novel The biographical novel is a genre of novel which provides a fictional account of a contemporary or historical person's life. Like other forms of biographical fiction, details are often trimmed or reimagined to meet the artistic needs of the fictio ...
of "Bloody Bill" Anderson by
James Carlos Blake James Carlos Blake (May 26, 1943 – January 11, 2025) was an American novelist as well as a writer of novellas, short stories, and essays. His work has received extensive critical favor and several notable awards. He has been called “one of th ...
.


See also

*
List of Missouri Confederate Civil War units This is a list of Missouri Confederate Civil War units, or military units from the state of Missouri which fought for the Confederacy in the American Civil War. A border state with both southern and northern influences, Missouri attempted to ...


Notes


References

* Castel, Albert.''Civil War Kansas: Reaping the Whirlwind.'' (1997) . This is a revised version of the 1958 edition, with a new introduction and some text corrections. * Donald, David Herbert; Baker, Jean Harvey; and Holt, Michael F. ''The Civil War and Reconstruction.'' (2001) * Fellman, Michael. ''Inside War: The Guerrilla Conflict in Missouri in the American Civil War.'' (1989) * Gilmore, Donald. ''Civil War on the Missouri-Kansas Border'' (2006) * Hulbert, Matthew Christopher
''The Ghosts of Guerrilla Memory: How Civil War Bushwhackers Became Gunslingers in the American West''
Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2016. . * * Nevins, Allan. ''The War for the Union: The Improvised War, 1861–1862.'' (1959) SBN 684-10426-1 * Petersen, Paul. ''Quantrill of Missouri'' (2003) * Petersen, Paul. ''Quantrill in Texas'' (2007) * Petersen, Paul. ''Quantrill at Lawrence'' (2011) * Schultz, Duane. ''Quantrill's War: The Life and Times of William Clarke Quantrill.'' (1996) {{Missouri Confederate units navbox Military units and formations established in 1861 Military units and formations disestablished in 1865 1861 establishments in Missouri 1865 disestablishments in Missouri Units and formations of the Confederate States Army from Missouri James–Younger Gang Bleeding Kansas Bushwhackers Missouri in the American Civil War Kansas in the American Civil War Irregular forces of the American Civil War American outlaws