Many of Anderson's men also despised the Union, and he was adept at tapping into this emotion. After a building collapse in the makeshift jail in Kansas City, Missouri, left one of them dead in custody and the other permanently maimed, Anderson devoted himself to revenge. and M.A. Cox's bugler gathered up 6 pistols around the body. From Donald Hale's book " They call him Bloody Bill" it stated that Cox had sent a Lt. Baker to act as bait to lure Bill & his troops into an ambush. Browning James A. My 1888 Luscomb #b. 1. Location. This action angered his men, who saw themselves as the protectors of women, but Anderson dismissed their concerns, saying such things were inevitable. Marker is on the Ray County Courthouse grounds. PDF Who Was William T. Anderson's Friend, F. M. R.? - WordPress.com [110] By mid-afternoon, the 39th Missouri Volunteer Infantry had arrived in Centralia. A lack of Confederate military presence in Missouri led Southern sympathizers to form guerrilla groups to harass Union soldiers and pro-Union citizens. [133] The group then traveled west, disregarding the mission assigned by General Price[134] in favor of looting. Also see . . [145], Union soldiers identified Anderson by a letter found in his pocket and paraded his body through the streets of Richmond, Missouri. By Glynda July 23, 2006 at 03:01:32. Cox stated that he went out & took one of Anderson's pistols along with money & a gold watch. [13] Anderson had told a neighbor that he sought to fight for financial reasons rather than out of loyalty to the Confederacy. This Day In History: Bloody Bill Anderson Is Killed In Missouri (1864) On the western Missouri border, especially, much of the hardships experienced by these families could be traced to the violence of the 1850s Kansas Missouri Border War. So they couldn't have obtained many from the Infantry. Gen. Henry Halleck's General Orders No. They also targeted strategically important infrastructure like bridges, telegraph lines and railroads. Anderson led a band that targeted Union loyalists and Federal soldiers in Missouri and Kansas. On October 26, 1864, the notorious Confederate guerrilla leader William "Bloody Bill" Anderson is killed in Missouri in a Union ambush. He was the son of a hatter who an enthusiastic pro-slavery man would often abandon his family for long periods to go gold prospecting. [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. [35] In the aftermath, rumors that the building had been intentionally sabotaged by Union soldiers spread quickly;[36] Anderson was convinced it had been a deliberate act. He became a skilled bushwhacker, earning the trust of the group's leaders, William Quantrill and George M. Todd. Bloody Bill Anderson: The Short, Savage Life of a Civil War Guerrilla Anderson and his companion "took a negro girl of 12 or 13 years old into . Death Valley: The Revenge of Bloody Bill - Wikipedia The rest rushed to obey the orders. Henry Fuller's interview articles appeared in newspapers and magazines all across the United States. [88] On August 27, Union soldiers killed at least three of Anderson's men in an engagement near Rocheport. Only advantage would have been if you were behind a barrier, in a gun battle. "Born in Kentucky in 1839 before moving to Missouri and eventually living in Kansas when the Civil War started, Bill Anderson soon earned the nom de plume "Bloody Bill.". A Note on Sources . 11. The guerrillas then attacked Allen, Missouri. [72] Anderson's men robbed the town's depository, gaining about $40,000 (equivalent to $693,000 in 2021) in the robbery, although Anderson returned some money to the friend he had met at the hotel. Bill Anderson | Ray County Museum Not long after her driver left to find help, three rambunctious New Jersey cavalrymen, all white, approached Brooks, demanding her money. Explore The Updated Roblox Wild West Map in 2023 [28] Castel and Goodrich speculated that this raid may have given Quantrill the idea of launching an attack deep in Kansas, as it demonstrated that the state's border was poorly defended and that guerrillas could travel deep into the state's interior before Union forces were alerted. Then I noticed Bloody Bill Anderson and he has a very small existence in Josey Wales. Anderson's bushwhacking marked him as a dangerous man and eventually led the Union to imprison his sisters. The Dalton boys grew up outside of Coffeyville and . He concluded the letters by describing himself as the commander of "Kansas First Guerrillas" and requesting that local newspapers publish his replies. All such organizations will be reported to their headquarters as soon as practicable. Raised by a family of Southerners in Kansas, Anderson began to support himself by stealing and selling horses in 1862. Bloody Bill Anderson - movieneon.com Union troops set his body up for public viewing and photos at the Richmond, Missouri courthouse. In 1908, the ex-guerrillas and former outlaws Jim Cummins and Cole Younger arranged for a funeral service at Anderson's gravesite. William "Bloody Bill" Anderson A sociopath who lived for spilling blood, William Anderson was one of the most fearsome leaders of Confederate guerrillas in Civil War Missouri. This is his story. Gen. Thomas C. Hindman was the head of the Confederate Army's Trans Mississippi Department in Little Rock, Ark. Raised by a family of Southerners in Kansas, Anderson began to support himself by stealing and selling horses in 1862. 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. After Frank and Jesse James joined the Anderson band, they robbed a train of $3,000 and executed 25 Union soldiers on board. [76] Anderson was selective, turning away all but the fiercest applicants, as he sought fighters similar to himself. The Missouri act was an offshoot of the Confederate Partisan Ranger Act instituted by Confederate President Jefferson Davis in April 1862. Death 27 Oct 1864 (aged 24-25) Albany, Ray County, Missouri, USA. "The war brought on hate and strife and killing around here. [139][140] Anderson killed several other Union loyalists and some of his men returned to the wealthy resident's house to rape more of his female servants. The Man Who Killed Quantrill Missouri Life Magazine [152] In 1967, a memorial stone was placed at the grave. [42] The Provost Marshal of Kansas, a Union captain who commanded military police, surrendered to the guerrillas and Anderson took his uniform[43] (guerrillas often wore uniforms stolen from Union soldiers). Details on John (b. They often used unorthodox tactics to fight Union troops, such as using a small party of horsemen to lure them into an ambush. Anderson was fatally shot twice in the back of the head. [70] On July 15, Anderson and his men entered Huntsville, Missouri and occupied the town's business district. As a general rule, bushwhackers would attack quickly and withdraw if they began receiving serious casualties. [74] By August, the St. Joseph Herald, a Missouri newspaper, was describing him as "the Devil". [86], On August 13, Anderson and his men traveled through Ray County, Missouri, to the Missouri River, where they engaged Union militia. After Bill Anderson's death in Richmond, Missouri on October 27, 1864 his brother Jim Anderson gathered together their surviving sisters, Mollie and Mattie and took them to Sherman, Texas. They buried him in an unmarked grave in Richmond's Pioneer Cemetery. The Union militias sometimes rode slower horses and may have been intimidated by Anderson's reputation. [14] However, the group was attacked by the Union's 6th Regiment Kansas Volunteer Cavalry in Vernon County, Missouri;[e] the cavalry likely assumed they were Confederate guerrillas. The Union troops took his body to Richmond, Mo. Bloody Bill Anderson & the Missouri Bushwhackers - YouTube Marshal, but spoke amicably with an acquaintance he found there. William "Bloody Bill" Anderson | American Experience | PBS [109], Anderson arrived at the guerrilla camp and described the day's events, the brutality of which unsettled Todd. from Wichita State University and his Ph.D. in History and Political Science from the University of Chicago. Born in Kentucky in 1839 before moving to Missouri and eventually living in Kansas when the Civil War started, Bill Anderson soon earned the nom de plume "Bloody Bill." An unusual event made a guerrilla out of William Anderson. They soon arrived at the small town of Centralia and proceeded to loot it, robbing people and searching the town for valuables. "Bloody Bill" Anderson killed - HISTORY William T. Anderson | Military Wiki | Fandom Again, as I posted earlier, only those that carried the Model 1861 Remington could possibly have availed themselves to this convenience as all the other sidearms took some time to change out the cylinder. Bloody Bill Anderson Also included in the list was Cole Younger, whose father was killed by the Kansans, and his mother made homeless after watching their house burn to the ground. [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. Anderson himself was killed a month later in battle. At least 40 members of the 17th Illinois Cavalry and the Missouri State Militia were in town and took shelter in a fort. Pioneer Cemetery Richmond, Missouri - Waymarking [45] The guerrillas under Anderson's command, notably including Archie Clement and Frank James, killed more than any of the other group. Anderson was fatally shot twice in the back of the head. ; Battle of Lexington State Historic Site in Lexington, Mo. The Union troops took his body to Richmond, Mo. Their familiarity with the landscape enabled them to appear and disappear into the woods like ghosts. Usually a wife, sister, mother or sweetheart used ribbons, shells and needlework to create the ellaborately [sic] decorated shirts. Maupin, pictured above. [147] Union soldiers claimed that Anderson was found with a string that had 53 knots, symbolizing each person he had killed. Bloody Bill was born in either 1838 or 1839 and moved to Kansas in the late 1850s. A lot of the federal troops in Missouri were Infantry & only the officer's would have pistols. Violence dropped in the area affected by Order No. [63], Anderson and his men rested in Texas for several months before returning to Missouri. [117][118] Sutherland saw the massacre as the last battle in the worst phase of the war in Missouri,[119] and Castel and Goodrich described the slaughter as the Civil War's "epitome of savagery". Bloody Bill - True West Magazine Stories about Anderson's brutality during the War were legion. [1] By 1860, the young William T. Anderson was a joint owner of a 320-acre (1.3km2) property that was worth $500;[c] his family had a total net worth of around $1,000. The partisans would have had to encounter only the Cavalry to obtain anywhere near that amount. The Missouri in the Civil War Message Board - Archive is maintained by Webmaster Anderson subsequently returned to Missouri as the leader of his own group of raiders and became the most feared guerrilla in the state, robbing and killing a large number of Union soldiers and civilian sympathizers. Bloody Bill Anderson - Lies and Sensationalism - QUANTRILLSGUERRILLAS.COM The Guns Of "Bloody" Bill Longley - American Handgunner 11, an evacuation order that evicted almost 20,000 people from four counties in rural western Missouri and burned many of their homes. [6] Kansas was at the time embroiled in an ideological conflict regarding its admission to the Union as slave or free, and both pro-slavery activists and abolitionists had moved there in attempts to influence its ultimate status. [Photo captions, clockwise from top left, read] William T. Anderson was born around 1840 in Hopkins County, Kentucky, to William C. and Martha Anderson. For instance, you could play Jesse James-an American outlaw who was also a confederate soldier under Bloody Bill Anderson's leadership. [9][d] On June 28, 1860, William's mother, Martha Anderson, died after being struck by lightning. General Orders No. The act sanctioned guerrilla activities against the Union army while attempting to gain some measure of control over the guerrillas. Bloody Bill Anderson Missouri Civil War Frank Jesse James Home - William C. "Bloody Bill" Anderson [48] After a dead raider was scalped by a Union-allied Lenape Indian during the pursuit, one guerrilla leader pledged to adopt the practice of scalping. [81], On July 23, 1864, Anderson led 65 men to Renick, Missouri, robbing stores and tearing down telegraph wires on the way. [85], In early August, Anderson and his men traveled to Clay County. This would effectively put Bloody Bill on the list of about 450 confederate guerrillas who rode into Lawrence on that fateful day. ; and Confederate Memorial State Historic Site in Higginsville, Mo. A short time later, another six of Anderson's men were ambushed and killed by Union troops;[90] after learning of these events, Anderson was outraged and left the area to seek revenge. The residents of Lawrence, Kansas, would never forget what happened on August 21, 1863, if indeed they were lucky enough to survive. He worked with his brother Jim, their friend Lee Griffith and several accomplices strung along the Santa Fe Trail. Unexpectedly, his men were able to capture a passenger train, the first time Confederate guerrillas had done so. The tension between the two groups markedly increasedsome feared open warfare would resultbut by the time of the wedding, relations had improved. 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. [59] It is likely that this incident angered Anderson, who then took 20 men to visit the town of Sherman. [41], Arriving in Lawrence on August 21, the guerrillas immediately killed a number of Union Army recruits and one of Anderson's men took their flag. At the end of P.R. Anderson and his men were in the rear of the charge, but gathered a large amount of plunder from the dead soldiers, irritating some guerrillas from the front line of the charge. "Bloody Bill" redirects here. [39] Anderson was placed in charge of 40 men, of which he was perhaps the angriest and most motivatedhis fellow guerrillas considered him one of the deadliest fighters there. [51] The guerrillas charged the Union forces, killing about 100. Marker is at or near this postal address: 100 West Main Street, Richmond MO 64085, United States of America. [16] In May 1862, Judge Baker issued an arrest warrant for Griffith, whom Anderson helped hide. Maupin, pictured above. Partisan Warfare in the American Civil War. John Nichols, a bushwacker who operated in Johnson and Pettis Counties in 1862-1863, prior to his execution in Jefferson City, Missouri, October 30, 1863 They also burnt Baker's home and stole two of his horses before returning to Missouri on the Santa Fe Trail. On July 15, 1864 "Bloody Bill" Anderson returned home. [21] Anderson and his gang subsequently traveled east of Jackson County, Missouri, avoiding territory where Quantrill operated and continuing to support themselves by robbery. Anderson retreated into the lobby of the town hotel to drink and rest. Historic Huntsville Missouri - "Bloody Bill" Anderson - Google Stockburn gets a good look at the Preacher and says "YOU". declared martial law in August 1861, giving Union forces broad powers to suppress those who resisted Union control. Residents resented seizure of supplies and the increasingly harsh measures to control them. Gen. Thomas C. Hindman was the head of the Confederate Army's Trans Mississippi Department in Little Rock, Ark. After he returned to Council Grove he began horse trading, taking horses from towns in Kansas, transporting them to Missouri and returning with more horses. For the American Revolutionary War loyalist, see, Anderson's middle name is unknown. [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. 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. [135] After Confederate forces under General Joseph O. Shelby conquered Glasgow, Anderson traveled to the city to loot. Bushwhacker - Wikipedia [84] The guerrillas quickly forced the attackers to flee, and Anderson shot and injured one woman as she fled the house. Guerrilla Tactics (. Violence Was No Stranger (1993). One dating device is the guns; they are all germane to the late 1860s and early 1870s at the . The Wild West Extravaganza on Stitcher [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. 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. 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. Often bushwhackers wore stolen Union uniforms as a disguise. PDF Guns of outlaws - edelweiss-assets.abovethetreeline.com Many bushwhackers wore a distinctive shirt, such as this one on T.F. Similarly, Jesse James' brother Frank became . They later fought under "Bloody Bill" Anderson . [Map inset] Nearby Civil War attractions include Pioneer Cemetery and Ray County Museum in Richmond, Mo. There were those that came & went and the largest number had to have been the raid on Lawrence. [44] They proceeded to pillage and burn many buildings, killing almost every man they found, but taking care not to shoot women. Missouri - A State Divided: The Civil War in Missouri, Partisan Warfare in the American Civil War, Forces of Change and the Enduring Ozark Frontier: The Civil War. Bloody Bill Anderson - Etsy Check out our bloody bill anderson selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our shops. [162] He also appears as a character in several films about Jesse James. [40] On August 19, the group, which proved to be the most guerrillas under one commander in the war, began the trip to Lawrence. John Russell. I will have to go through my library to see what I can find. However, his gun of choice was said to be the Dance .44 caliber cap and ball revolver. Brown had devoted significant attention to the border area, Anderson led raids in Cooper County and Johnson County, Missouri, robbing local residents. Missouri's southern sympathizers hated Union Brig. En route, some guerrillas robbed a Union supporter, but Anderson knew the man and reimbursed him. [102] This was the first capture of a Union passenger train in the war. [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. While on public display, a local photographer documented his death. William T. Anderson (1840 - Oct. 26, 1864) known as "Bloody Bill" Anderson was one of the deadliest and most brutal pro-Confederate guerrilla leaders in the American Civil War. When as many as 10 men come together for this purpose they may organize by electing a captain, 1 sergeant, 1 corporal, and will at once commence operation against the enemy without waiting for special instructions. Bloody Bill Anderson & the Missouri Bushwhackers - YouTube 0:00 / 1:05:58 Bloody Bill Anderson & the Missouri Bushwhackers Wild West Extravaganza 14.8K subscribers 132K views 1 year ago. [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. Bloody Bill Anderson. [117] However, Frank James, who participated in the attack, later defended the guerrillas' actions, arguing that the federal troops were marching under a black flag, indicating that they intended to show no mercy. Jesse James. Its frame and grip initially matched the Navy in size, but Colt later lengthened the grip to absorb. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Settlements & Settlers War, US Civil. [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. 3. The Missouri Partisan Ranger Act , On July 17, 1862, Confederate Gen. Thomas Hindman issued the Missouri Partisan Ranger Act. [55] Anderson ignored Quantrill's request to wait until after the war and a dispute erupted, which resulted in Anderson separating his men from Quantrill's band. Anderson was told to recapture him and gave chase, but he was unable to locate his former commander and stopped at a creek. [148] Union soldiers buried Anderson's body in a field near Richmond in a fairly well-built coffin. In December, 1861, he organized his infamous guerrilla band, which included William "Bloody Bill" Anderson, George Todd, Fletcher Taylor, Cole Younger, and Frank James, to name a few. From July 1861 until the end of the war, the state suffered up to 25,000 deaths from guerrilla warfare, more than any other state. [7][b] Animosity and violence between the two sides quickly developed in what was called Bleeding Kansas, but there was little unrest in the Council Grove area. [25] Quantrill was at the time the most prominent guerrilla leader in the KansasMissouri area. Anderson's horse, saddle & 2 pistols were presented later to a general. I do not claim to be an expert on guerrilla warfare in Missouri but am a student of the war in general. The guerrillas, however, quickly learned the signals, and local citizens became wary of Union troops, fearing that they were disguised guerrillas. [155] As the Confederacy collapsed, most of Anderson's men joined Quantrill's forces or traveled to Texas. Pioneer Cemetery. He commanded 3040 men, one of whom was Archie Clement, an 18-year-old with a predilection for torture and mutilation who was loyal only to Anderson. After a brief gunfight, Baker and his brother-in-law fled into the store's basement. The defeat resulted in the deaths of five guerrillas but only two Union soldiers, further maddening Anderson. [26] In early 1863, William and Jim Anderson traveled to Jackson County, Missouri, to join him. [153], Archie Clement led the guerrillas after Anderson's death, but the group splintered by mid-November. On July 17, 1862, Confederate Gen. Thomas Hindman issued the Missouri Partisan Ranger Act. 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. USA. In what became known as the Centralia Massacre, Anderson's bushwhackers killed 24 unarmed Union soldiers on the train and set an ambush later that day which killed over a hundred Union militiamen. Bloody Bill Anderson "Bill Anderson!" William Clarke Quantrill commands. [75] Many militia members had been conscripted and lacked the guerrillas' boldness and resolve. Bloody Bill Anderson: The Short, Savage Life of a Civil Marker is on Thornton Street north of Main Street (State Highway 10), on the left when traveling north. The Guerrilla Lifestyle , The life of a guerrilla was difficult and violent. One one hand, they were useful, serving to tie down Union forces. [65], On July 6, a Confederate sympathizer brought Anderson newspapers containing articles about him. 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. [142] Anderson and his men charged the Union forces, killing five or six of them, but turned back under heavy fire. Jesse James and his brother Frank were among the Missourians who joined Anderson; both of them later became notorious outlaws. One way he sought to prove that loyalty was by severing his ties with Anderson's sister Mary, his former lover. Even then, reloading the powder & ball would have been almost as fast as changing out the cylinder. William C. Anderson (1820 - 1862) - Genealogy - geni family tree Often group sizes fluctuated as they came together for larger raids and then broke apart after the raid. Usually a wife, sister, mother or sweetheart used ribbons, shells and needlework to create the ellaborately [sic] decorated shirts. [68] The letters were given to Union generals and were not published for 20 years. The guerrillas heard that the cavalry was approaching,[110] and Anderson sent a party to set an ambush. Fucking legend. The notorious Bloody Bill was killed in a Union ambush in Missouri. William T. Anderson[a] (c. 1840 October 26, 1864), known by the nickname "Bloody Bill" Anderson, was a soldier who was one of the deadliest and most notorious Confederate guerrilla leaders in the American Civil War.