bloody bill anderson guns
The residents of Lawrence, Kansas, would never forget what happened on August 21, 1863, if indeed they were lucky enough to survive. [32], Quantrill's Raiders had an extensive support network in Missouri that provided them with numerous hiding places. The rest rushed to obey the orders. [24] Confederate General Sterling Price failed to gain control of Missouri in his 1861 offensive and retreated into Arkansas, leaving only partisan rangers and local guerrillas known as "bushwhackers" to challenge Union dominance. Residents resented seizure of supplies and the increasingly harsh measures to control them. There he met Baker, who temporarily placated him by providing a lawyer. Even then, reloading the powder & ball would have been almost as fast as changing out the cylinder. William and Jim Anderson then traveled southwest of Kansas City, robbing travelers to support themselves. 17 reviews The first-ever biography of the perpetrator of the Centralia and Baxter Springs Massacres, as well as innumerable atrocities during the Civil War in the West. Quantrill attained near-unanimous consent to travel 40 miles (64km) into Union territory to strike Lawrence. Anderson is loosely portrayed by Jim Caviezel as Black John Ambrose in the 1999 Ang Lee film Ride With The Devil. Raised by a family of Southerners in Kansas, Anderson began to support himself by stealing and selling horses in 1862. Touch for map. Violence dropped in the area affected by Order No. [152] In 1967, a memorial stone was placed at the grave. Answer: Coffeyville. [46] They left town at 9:00am after a company of Union soldiers approached the town. [50] Shortly after the initial assault, a larger group of Union troops approached Fort Blair, unaware the fort had been attacked and that the men they saw outside the fort dressed in Union uniforms were actually disguised guerrillas. His family had been living in Council Grove, Territory of Kansas, at the start of the war. After selecting a sergeant for a potential prisoner swap, Anderson's men shot the rest. Bloody Bill pulled his revolver, shot and killed both. [139], Union military leaders assigned Lieutenant Colonel Samuel P. Cox to kill Anderson, providing him with a group of experienced soldiers. [124] Anderson watched the fire from nearby bluffs. Etsy Search for items or shops Close search Skip to Content Sign in 0 Cart Gifts for Every Valentine Jewelry & Accessories For instance, you could play Jesse James-an American outlaw who was also a confederate soldier under Bloody Bill Anderson's leadership. [56] In March 1864, at the behest of General Sterling Price, Quantrill reassembled his men, sending most of them into active duty with the regular Confederate Army. [111] Anderson then led a charge up the hill. They later fought under "Bloody Bill" Anderson . He angered Anderson by ordering his forces to withdraw. They buried him in an unmarked grave in Richmond's Pioneer Cemetery. Bushwhackers were involved in Price's 1864 Raid, the last official Confederate campaign in Missouri. [60] Sutherland described Anderson's betrayal of Quantrill as a "Judas" turn. By the time of his death in 1864 Anderson had become one of the most sought after men in Missouri and had left a trail of blood and hatred across the west and central portions of the state. [13], Upon his return to Kansas, Anderson continued horse trafficking, but ranchers in the area soon became aware of his operations. Marker is on the Ray County Courthouse grounds. William Quantrill and William "Bloody Bill" Anderson are well-known bushwhacker leaders in Missouri. [87] Although they forced the Union soldiers to flee, Anderson and Jesse James were injured in the encounter and the guerrillas retired to Boone County to rest. Marker is at or near this postal address: 100 West Main Street, Richmond MO 64085, United States of America. Union troops used horses to drag Anderson's body through the streets around the Ray County Courthouse. The Civil War was a brutal and savage conflict, but try as I might, I can't think of anyone as bloodthirsty as William T. "Bloody Bill" Anderson. The act sanctioned guerrilla activities against the Union army while attempting to gain some measure of control over the guerrillas. The cashier pulled a gun on him and James killed him in self-defence. During the American Civil War, the James family sided with the Confederates, and Frank and Jesse James joined a group of guerrillas, or . . Anderson led a band of volunteer partisan raiders who targeted Union loyalists and federal soldiers in the states of Missouri and Kansas. This historical marker was erected by Missouri State Parks. Jesse James and his brother Frank were among the Missourians who joined Anderson; both of them later became notorious outlaws. [73], In June 1864, George M. Todd usurped Quantrill's leadership of their group and forced him to leave the area. Raised by a family of Southerners in Kansas, Anderson began to support himself by stealing and selling horses in 1862. In October of 1864, Anderson's unit was trapped and outnumbered in Missouri, and 'Bloody Bill' was killed when he charged the Union troops. He thought the cashier was an informant. [145], Union soldiers identified Anderson by a letter found in his pocket and paraded his body through the streets of Richmond, Missouri. Plot [ edit] Cocaine dealer, Darrell, leads a cop on a chase through the desert. The rapid rate of fire made the revolver perfect for the quick attacks executed by these men. Baker, a local judge who was a Confederate sympathizer. [77][78] His fearsome reputation gave a fillip to his recruiting efforts. [29], In early summer 1863, Anderson was made a lieutenant, serving in a unit led by George M. Todd. Anderson was described as "nearly six feet tall, of rather swarthy complexion and had long, black hair, inclined to curl. Note: Click on photos to get larger view. Desperate to put a stop to Anderson's bloodshed, the Union Army eventually raised a small militia to hunt him down. [27], In May 1863, Anderson joined members of Quantrill's Raiders on a foray near Council Grove, Kansas,[27] in which they robbed a store 15 miles (24km) west of the town. 2, in March 1862, allowed Union troops in Missouri to hang guerillas as robbers and murder[er]s. Future orders followed the same tone. [76] Anderson was selective, turning away all but the fiercest applicants, as he sought fighters similar to himself. Anderson was hit by a bullet behind an ear, likely killing him instantly. The younger Anderson buried his father[17] and was subsequently arrested for assisting Griffith. On the other hand, the use of tactics like arson, robbery and murder seemed beyond the bounds of honorable combat. Usually a wife, sister, mother or sweetheart used ribbons, shells and needlework to create the ellaborately [sic] decorated shirts. [97], On the morning of September 27, 1864, Anderson left his camp with about 75 men to scout for Union forces. Anthony Edwards as "Goose" in Top Gun (1986) : Bloody Bill dead. John Wallace (within shouting distance of this marker); Colonel Alexander W. Doniphan (within shouting distance of this marker); Ray County Bicentennial Memorial (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); 1856 Courthouse Cornice Planter (about 300 feet away). A State Divided: The Civil War in Missouri. Gen. Thomas C. Hindman was the head of the Confederate Army's Trans Mississippi Department in Little Rock, Ark. A lack of Confederate military presence in Missouri led Southern sympathizers to form guerrilla groups to harass Union soldiers and pro-Union citizens. As soon as the company attains the strength required by law it will proceed to elect the other officers to which it is entitled. Posted on 19th March 2021. He took a leading role in the Lawrence Massacre and later took part in the Battle of Baxter Springs, both in 1863. I. [37] Castel and Goodrich maintain that by then killing had become more than a means to an end for Anderson: it became an end in itself. [69], In early July, Anderson's group robbed and killed several Union sympathizers in Carroll and Randolph counties. Quantrill disliked the idea because the town was fortified, but Anderson and Todd prevailed. Many of Anderson's men also despised the Union, and he was adept at tapping into this emotion. [79] General Clinton B. Fisk ordered his men to find and kill Anderson, but they were thwarted by Anderson's support network and his forces' superior training and arms. [166] According to journalist T.J. Stiles, Anderson was not necessarily a "sadistic fiend",[167] but illustrated how young men became part of a "culture of atrocity" during the war. [9][d] On June 28, 1860, William's mother, Martha Anderson, died after being struck by lightning. Death 27 Oct 1864 (aged 24-25) Albany, Ray County, Missouri, USA. [33] In August 1863, however, Union General Thomas Ewing, Jr. attempted to thwart the guerrillas by arresting their female relatives,[34] and Anderson's sisters were confined in a three-story building on Grand Avenue in Kansas City with a number of other girls. 2. The guerrillas were only able to shoot the Union horses before reinforcements arrived; three of Anderson's men were killed in the confrontation. [1] There he robbed travelers and killed several Union soldiers. The Guerrilla Lifestyle , The life of a guerrilla was difficult and violent. His family had been living in Council Grove, Territory of Kansas at the start of the war. Anderson's prodigious talents for bloodshed were such that, by the end of his life in 1864, he'd left a trail of destruction across three states which took just two years to blaze. In 1908, the ex-guerrillas and former outlaws Jim Cummins and Cole Younger arranged for a funeral service at Anderson's gravesite. The Tactical Genius of Bloody Bill Anderson by Sean McLachlan 2/13/2018 His ruthless nature earned his moniker and obscured a flair for strategy. The Union militias sometimes rode slower horses and may have been intimidated by Anderson's reputation. These "guerrilla shirts" were pullovers with a deep v-neckline and four large pockets. 6 guns of ouTlaWs Residue of WaRThe RaideRs 7 Its frame and grip initially matched the Navy in size, but Colt later lengthened the grip to absorb. It could be interpreted that the bugler picked up a total of 6 pistols that belonged, possibly to the other men that fell with Anderson. Copyright20062023,Somerightsreserved. Two hesitated coming down the steps. They also burnt Baker's home and stole two of his horses before returning to Missouri on the Santa Fe Trail. [38], Although Quantrill had considered the idea of a raid on the pro-Union stronghold that was the town of Lawrence, Kansas before the building collapsed in Kansas City, the deaths convinced the guerrillas to make a bold strike. I have also read it was several Cavalry troopers, but that is another story. Gen. John McNeil, the "Butcher of Palmyra." Residents. Bushwhacker activities in Missouri increased as a response to Federal occupation and increasingly brutal attacks and raids by Kansas soldiers, or jayhawkers. 1. Anderson, William William T. "Bloody Bill" Anderson was born in Kentucky in 1839; he migrated with his family from Missouri to the Council Grove, Kansas area before the war. [94], On September 26, Anderson and his men reached Monroe County, Missouri,[95] and traveled towards Paris, but learned of other nearby guerrillas and rendezvoused with them near Audrain County. Below is one of the articles written by Brownwood Banner - Bulletin staff writer Henry C. Fuller after Interviewing William C. "Bloody Bill" Anderson of Quantrill's Guerrillas of the Civil War at his home at Salt Creek, Brown County, Texas in 1924. Born in Randolph County, Missouri in 1839, William T. Anderson would, by his death on October 26, 1864, be known and feared throughout the Unionas "Bloody Bill" Anderson, a barbaric, pro-Confederateguerilla leader in the American Civil War. [105] Anderson gave the civilian hostages permission to leave but warned them not to put out fires or move bodies. [113] One Union officer reached Centralia and gave word of the ambush, allowing a few Union soldiers who had remained there to escape. In response, Union militias developed hand signals to verify that approaching men in Union uniforms were not guerrillas. [108] Anderson's band then rode back to their camp, taking a large amount of looted goods. [58], A short time later, one of Anderson's men was accused of stealing from one of Quantrill's men. Fucking legend. The Bushwhacker in Missouri. [153], Archie Clement led the guerrillas after Anderson's death, but the group splintered by mid-November. There is a new generation of Westerns, typified by the work of writer/actor/producer Taylor Sheridan in the prequel to his hit show Yellowstone (2018), titled 1883 (2022). Although Union supporters viewed him as incorrigibly evil, Confederate supporters in Missouri saw his actions as justifiable. [31] By late July, Anderson led groups of guerrillas on raids and was often pursued by Union volunteer cavalry. "An unusual event made a guerrilla out of William Anderson. [143] The victory made a hero of Cox and led to his promotion. He protested the execution of guerrillas and their sympathizers, and threatened to attack Lexington, Missouri. [26] In early 1863, William and Jim Anderson traveled to Jackson County, Missouri, to join him. By the time he turned 21 he was accompanying wagon trains on the Santa Fe Trail, selling stolen horses. An unusual event made a guerrilla out of William Anderson. Born in Kentucky in 1839 before moving to Missouri and eventually living in Kansas when the Civil War started, Bill Anderson soon earned the non de plume "Bloody Bill.". Anderson led a band of volunteer partisan raiders who targeted Union loyalists and federal soldiers in the states of Missouri and Kansas. If they were caught, Federals considered them criminals not prisoners of war. They also targeted strategically important infrastructure like bridges, telegraph lines and railroads. and M.A. [Map inset] Nearby Civil War attractions include Pioneer Cemetery and Ray County Museum in Richmond, Mo. Missouri's southern sympathizers hated Union Brig. On March 12, 1864, in the midst of a bloody war which had long overflowed its thimble, Margaret Brooks was returning from her home near Memphis, Tennessee when her wagon broke down in Nonconnah Creek. Todd rested his men in July to allow them to prepare for a Confederate invasion of Missouri. II. He was, however, impressed by the effectiveness of Anderson's attacks. Soon after Anderson left Glasgow, a local woman saw him and told Cox of his presence. Date Posted: 8/12/2009 1:51:23 PM. [75] As Anderson's profile increased, he was able to recruit more guerrillas. On July 17, 1862, Confederate Gen. Thomas Hindman issued the Missouri Partisan Ranger Act. Actor: Rio Bravo. As armies march across America from 1861 to 1865, other combatants shot soldiers from ambush and terrorized civilians of opposing loyalties in a fierce guerrilla war. Anderson himself was killed a month later in battle. The Myth that Bloody Bill Anderson had survived the war and was living in Brownwood Texas originated in 1924, after a young Brownwood reporter named Henry Clay Fuller spent several hours talking . He was buried in a nearby fieldafter a soldier cut off one of his fingers to steal a ring. The guerrillas blocked the railroad, forcing the train to stop. several of Anderson's men were cut down immediately & Anderson & 2 more continued but just a short distance when they were cut down. Gen. Henry Halleck's General Orders No. The guerrillas heard that the cavalry was approaching,[110] and Anderson sent a party to set an ambush. In 1976, the book was adapted into a film, The Outlaw Josey Wales, which portrays a man who joins Anderson's gang after his wife is killed by Union-backed raiders. Anderson remained in Agnes City until he learned that Baker would not be charged, as the judge's claim of self-defense had been accepted by legal authorities. Gen. Henry Halleck's General Orders No. For the American Revolutionary War loyalist, see, Anderson's middle name is unknown. At least 40 members of the 17th Illinois Cavalry and the Missouri State Militia were in town and took shelter in a fort. [112] Although five guerrillas were killed by the first volley of Union fire, the Union soldiers were quickly overwhelmed by the well-armed guerrillas, and those who fled were pursued. Also see . [19] Baker and his brother-in-law brought the man to a store, where they were ambushed by the Anderson brothers. Anderson planned to destroy railroad infrastructure in Centralia, Missouri. They opposed the Union army in Missouri for a variety of reasons. The next day, the 4th Missouri Volunteer Cavalry pursued them, but Anderson launched an ambush that killed seven Union soldiers. Born about 1839 in Kentucky, the family early moved to Missouri, where William grew up near the town of Huntsville in Randolph County. Local citizens demanded possession of the corpse. On July 15, 1864 "Bloody Bill" Anderson returned home. By the time the war started, Missouri's pro-rebel guerrillas were known as . [167], In a study of 19th-century warfare, historian James Reid posited that Anderson suffered from delusional paranoia, which exacerbated his aggressive, sadistic personality. Wood describes him as the "bloodiest man in America's deadliest war"[164] and characterizes him as the clearest example of the war's "dehumanizing influence". Anderson's bushwhacking marked him as a dangerous man and eventually led the Union to imprison his sisters. They used any weapon available to them. [Map inset] Nearby Civil War attractions include Pioneer Cemetery and Ray County Museum in Richmond, Mo. [129] Anderson presented him with a gift of fine Union pistols, likely captured at Centralia. As you said, they could have obtained pistols from the local population but remember, the average farmer probably wouldn't have shelled out the $15.00 to buy a sidearm as he was more dependent on a long arm & $15.00 was a fortune.