If they were caught, Federals considered them criminals not prisoners of war. [115], By the end of the day, Anderson's men had killed 22 soldiers from the train and 125 soldiers in the ensuing battle in one of the most decisive guerrilla victories of the entire war. Quantrill disliked the idea because the town was fortified, but Anderson and Todd prevailed. Bloody Bill Anderson - Lies and Sensationalism. 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. He addressed the prisoners, castigating them for the treatment of guerrillas by Union troops. [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. Etsy Search for items or shops Close search Skip to Content Sign in 0 Cart Gifts for Every Valentine Jewelry & Accessories Born in the late 1830s, In September 1864, Anderson led a raid on the town of Centralia, Missouri. View character biography, pictures and memorable quotes. William T. Anderson (c.1838 - 1864) - Genealogy - geni family tree William T. Anderson (1840 - October 26, 1864), better known as Bloody Bill, was one of the deadliest and most brutal pro- Confederate guerrilla leaders in the American Civil War. . Relatives of William T. Anderson , known as "Bloody Bill". James Jay Carafano. On October 26, 1864, the notorious Confederate guerrilla leader William "Bloody Bill" Anderson is killed in Missouri in a Union ambush. This Day In History: Bloody Bill Anderson Is Killed In Missouri (1864) [130] Price was disgusted that Anderson used scalps to decorate his horse, and would not speak with him until he removed them. The Missouri in the Civil War Message Board - Archive is maintained by Webmaster After camping near New Hope Church in Fort Henry about. This is his story. This action angered his men, who saw themselves as the protectors of women, but Anderson dismissed their concerns, saying such things were inevitable. Jesse James and his brother Frank were among the Missourians who joined Anderson; both of them later became notorious outlaws. At the end of P.R. These "guerrilla shirts" were pullovers with a deep v-neckline and four large pockets. Touch for map. The Death of William Anderson , On Oct. 27, 1864, about 300 men of the Enrolled Missouri Militia, led by Union Lt. Col. Samuel P. Cox, ambushed Anderson and his guerrilla force in Ray County's Albany, Mo. [82] In late July, the Union military sent a force of 100 well-equipped soldiers and 650 other men after Anderson. Bloody Bill Anderson & the Missouri Bushwhackers - YouTube Eventually, the six-shot revolver became the weapon of choice for the bushwhacker because it was considered better for firing from horseback. III. [86], On August 13, Anderson and his men traveled through Ray County, Missouri, to the Missouri River, where they engaged Union militia. Doing some quick math on the number of men who rode with Quantrill, numbers around 700 ( those who can be named), maybe more. Anderson was described as "nearly six feet tall, of rather swarthy complexion and had long, black hair, inclined to curl. The Union troops took his body to Richmond, Mo. Bushwhacker activities in Missouri increased as a response to Federal occupation and increasingly brutal attacks and raids by Kansas soldiers, or jayhawkers. [140][139] He left the area with 150 men. William "Bloody Bill" Anderson | American Experience | PBS In 1857, the family moved to Kansas and William worked for a time . 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. Burial. The act sanctioned guerrilla activities against the Union army while attempting to gain some measure of control over the guerrillas. I will have to go through my library to see what I can find. Captains will be held responsible for the good conduct and efficiency of their men and will report to these headquarters from time to time. [115] The attack led to a near-complete halt in rail traffic in the area and a dramatic increase in Union rail security. [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. [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. [81], On July 23, 1864, Anderson led 65 men to Renick, Missouri, robbing stores and tearing down telegraph wires on the way. 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. [57] Quantrill appointed him a first lieutenant, subordinate only to himself and to Todd. This would effectively put Bloody Bill on the list of about 450 confederate guerrillas who rode into Lawrence on that fateful day. [103], Anderson ordered his men not to harass the women on the train, but the guerrillas robbed all of the men, finding over $9,000 (equivalent to $156,000 in 2021) and taking the soldiers' uniforms. Bloody Bill Anderson - HistoryNet [126] The Union soldier held captive at Centralia was impressed with the control Anderson exercised over his men. [158] He was later discussed in biographies of Quantrill, which typically cast Anderson as an inveterate murderer. They murdered my family when I was a schoolboy and I was launched into a life of shooting, reprisals and rough-riding." His family had been living in Council Grove, Territory of Kansas at the . [85], In early August, Anderson and his men traveled to Clay County. 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. One of the leading authorities on the Civil War in the western theater, Albert Edward Castel earned his B.A. Longley's Bloody Bill Anderson Mystery Group on July 13, 2009: " Francis M Richardson was a carpenter as shown in the 1860 Grayson County Texas Census. The rapid rate of fire made the revolver perfect for the quick attacks executed by these men. (, Although Wood states that Baker's group sought to join the Confederate army, Castel and Goodrich write that the group planned to conduct ", In his 2003 history of Civil War Missouri, Bruce Nichols stated that Reed led the gang until mid-July 1863. [146] The corpse was photographed and displayed at a local courthouse for public viewing, along with Anderson's possessions. Anyway, this has been a very interesting thread & we can agree that we each have an opinion on this matter. So they couldn't have obtained many from the Infantry. [62][g] Quantrill was taken into custody but soon escaped. [91], Anderson met Todd and Quantrill on September 24, 1864; although they had clashed in the past, they agreed to work together again. The True Story of Bush Smith, The Sweetheart of Bloody Bill Anderson. The residents of Lawrence, Kansas, would never forget what happened on August 21, 1863, if indeed they were lucky enough to survive. 11, an evacuation order that evicted almost 20,000 people from four counties in rural western Missouri and burned many of their homes. [114] Anderson's men mutilated the bodies of the dead soldiers and tortured some survivors. On June 12, 1864, Anderson and 50 of his men engaged 15 members of the Missouri State Militia, killing and robbing 12. This historical marker was erected by Missouri State Parks. [40] On August 19, the group, which proved to be the most guerrillas under one commander in the war, began the trip to Lawrence. The order was intended to undermine the guerrillas' support network in Missouri. , Cole Younger, 1913. Violence dropped in the area affected by Order No. Actor: Rio Bravo. After Frank and Jesse James joined the Anderson band, they robbed a train of $3,000 and executed 25 Union soldiers on board. Life of a Guerrilla in Missouri | The Civil War in Missouri These "guerrilla shirts" were pullovers with a deep v-neckline and four large pockets. [113] One Union officer reached Centralia and gave word of the ambush, allowing a few Union soldiers who had remained there to escape. Gen. Thomas Ewing issued General Orders No. Anderson suggested that they attack Fayette, Missouri, targeting the 9th Missouri Cavalry, which was based at the town. Colt's 'Old Model Navy' Revolvers Found a Ready Market in the West Forces of Change and the Enduring Ozark Frontier: The Civil War. [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. 27 Strange And Interesting Facts About William Quantrill KANSAS CITY Ten women and girls, including three sisters born in Randolph County, were killed or seriously injured when a building owned by state Treasurer George Caleb Bingham . Biographer Larry Wood wrote that Anderson's motivation shifted after the death of his sister, arguing that killing then became his focus, and an enjoyable act. Note: Click on photos to get larger view. 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. He was killed in a Union ambush near Richmond, MO. Union troops set his body up for public viewing and photos at the Richmond, Missouri courthouse. [20], William and Jim Anderson soon formed a gang with a man named Bill Reed; in February 1863, the Lexington Weekly Union recorded that Reed was the leader of the gang. William Anderson was initially given a chilly reception from other raiders, who perceived him to be brash and overconfident. My 1888 Luscomb #b. En route, they entered Baxter Springs, Kansas, the site of Fort Blair. [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. [104] Anderson forced the captured Union soldiers to form a line and announced that he would keep one for a prisoner exchange but would execute the rest. [5] The Anderson family supported slavery, though they did not own slaves. He was buried in a nearby fieldafter a soldier cut off one of his fingers to steal a ring. Anderson was told to recapture him and gave chase, but he was unable to locate his former commander and stopped at a creek. ; Battle of Lexington State Historic Site in Lexington, Mo. CPT William T. "Bloody Bill" Anderson Famous memorial Birth 1839. A lot of the federal troops in Missouri were Infantry & only the officer's would have pistols. William Thomas Anderson was born in Randolph County, Missouri in 1837, the exact date and location of his birth, remain uncertain. He favored swift execution of captured guerrillas. Often group sizes fluctuated as they came together for larger raids and then broke apart after the raid. [150][h] Flowers were placed at his grave, to the chagrin of Union soldiers. Rains, son of rebel Gen. The Andersons barricaded the door to the basement and set the store on fire, killing Baker and his brother-in-law. "Bloody" Bill Anderson (1840-1864), the most prolific mass murderer on the American frontier. [139], Union military leaders assigned Lieutenant Colonel Samuel P. Cox to kill Anderson, providing him with a group of experienced soldiers. Born about 1839 in Kentucky, the family early moved to Missouri, where William grew up near the town of Huntsville in Randolph County. For the American Revolutionary War loyalist, see, Anderson's middle name is unknown. . They tortured him until he was near death and sent word to the man's son in an unsuccessful attempt to lure him into an ambush, before releasing the father with instructions to spread word of his mistreatment. His gun changed a few times, semi, handgun, revolver . Smaller bands avoided fights with larger detachments of Union soldiers, preferring to ambush stragglers or loot Union supporters and their property. Outlaw or Hero? You Decide Quiz | U.S. History | 10 Questions 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. Anderson planned to destroy railroad infrastructure in Centralia, Missouri. A wide-brimmed slouch hat was the headgear of choice. [31] By late July, Anderson led groups of guerrillas on raids and was often pursued by Union volunteer cavalry. He became a skilled bushwhacker, earning the trust of the group's leaders, William Quantrill and George M. Todd. 11, but guerrilla activity continued throughout the war in other regions of the state. [136][137] Anderson indicated that he was particularly angry that the man had freed his slaves, then trampled him with a specially trained horse. While on public display, a local photographer documented his death. As Quantrill and Todd became less active, "Bloody Bill" Anderson emerged as the best-known, and most feared, Confederate guerrilla in Missouri. On Oct. 27, 1864, about 300 men of the Enrolled Missouri Militia, led by Union Lt. Col. Samuel P. Cox, ambushed Anderson and his guerrilla force in Ray County's Albany, Mo. By 1860 the .44- caliber New Model Army revolver soon rivaled the Navy on which it was based. William T. Anderson was one of the most notorious Confederate guerrillas of the Civil War. Rains, charged fearlessly through our lines and were both unhorsed close in our rear. [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. 2, in March 1862, allowed Union troops in Missouri to hang guerillas as robbers and murder[er]s. Future orders followed the same tone. The defeat resulted in the deaths of five guerrillas but only two Union soldiers, further maddening Anderson. He worked with his brother Jim, their friend Lee Griffith and several accomplices strung along the Santa Fe Trail. 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. Concluding that eliminating the bushw[h]acker's support network would help end guerilla fighting, Brig. Anderson was fatally shot twice in the back of the head. Outlaw Jesse James Attributed Smith & Wesson Schofield & Holster General Orders No. In 1908, the ex-guerrillas and former outlaws Jim Cummins and Cole Younger arranged for a funeral service at Anderson's gravesite. [8] After settling there, the Anderson family became friends with A.I. Willaim "Bloody Bill" Anderson's Grave - Richmond, MO - Roadside On July 17, 1862, Confederate Gen. Thomas Hindman issued the Missouri Partisan Ranger Act. Bloody Bill Anderson - Etsy Check out our bloody bill anderson selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our shops. He was, however, impressed by the effectiveness of Anderson's attacks. They drew the Union troops to the top of a hill; a group of guerrillas led by Anderson had been stationed at the bottom and other guerrillas hid nearby. 1844) after his marriage in Ohio in 1864 are unclear aside from the fact that he appears to have died prior to Milton. Local citizens demanded possession of the corpse. but before they can they are all attacked by a horde of flesh eating zombies lead by evil Confederate soldier William Anderson AKA Bloody Bill (Jeremy Bouvet) who has placed a curse on the town & it's residents for his & his sister's executions centuries ago. Copyright20062023,Somerightsreserved. 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. Banjo Heritage https://patreon.com/CliftonHicksI learned the words to "Bloody Bill Anderson" from a recording of Alvin Youngblood Hart. Fucking legend. Bloody Bill - True West Magazine Bloody Bill Anderson - Lies and Sensationalism - QUANTRILLSGUERRILLAS.COM Anderson ordered them outside the car and lined up in two files. Most Savage Killer in the Old West - by James Jay Carafano [11] He joined the freight shipping operation for which his father worked and was given a position known as "second boss" for a wagon trip to New Mexico. "Bloody Bill" redirects here. [155] As the Confederacy collapsed, most of Anderson's men joined Quantrill's forces or traveled to Texas. Most fought to protect or revenge their families from what they saw as injustices heaped upon them by the Union army and Union sympathizers. [63], Anderson and his men rested in Texas for several months before returning to Missouri. On August 30, Anderson and his men attacked a steamboat on the Missouri River, killing the captain and gaining control of the boat. [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. William T. Anderson was one of the most notorious Confederate guerrillas of the Civil War. Again, everyone can have an opinion about that statement. They relied on knowledge of the local terrain for survival. Bill and Jim Anderson soon after this drifted off to the Sni Hills, in Missouri, where they had relatives. A low-level conflict had already been raging in the Missouri-Kansas borderlands in the years preceding the outbreak of the Civil War. [127] Although many of them wished to execute this Union hostage, Anderson refused to allow it. His family had been living in Council Grove, Territory of Kansas, at the start of the war. Bloody Bill Anderson "Bill Anderson!" William Clarke Quantrill commands. Bloody Bill Anderson Name bad men in history, Caligula - Hitler - Charles Manson, more? The Guerrilla Lifestyle John Russell. [23] They also attacked Union soldiers, killing seven by early 1863. [119], Anderson left the Centralia area on September 27, pursued for the first time by Union forces equipped with artillery. [12] In late 1861, Anderson traveled south with Jim and Judge Baker in an apparent attempt to join the Confederate Army. After selecting a sergeant for a potential prisoner swap, Anderson's men shot the rest. Among his troops was a well-established group of guerrilla fighters led by William Anderson, who was known by the nickname " Bloody Bill ." Among his guerrillas was a pair of southern Missouri brothers named Frank and Jesse James. Anderson was fatally shot twice in the back of the head. The Dalton gang, cousins of the Younger brothers and imitators of the James gang, met their end at a bloody dual bank robbery in this Kansas town. [132], Anderson traveled 70 miles (110km) east with 80 men to New Florence, Missouri. Quantrill's Guerillas and William Anderson "Bloody Bill" Only advantage would have been if you were behind a barrier, in a gun battle. Topics and series. He angered Anderson by ordering his forces to withdraw. [108] Anderson's band then rode back to their camp, taking a large amount of looted goods. From famous outlaws like Billy the Kid and Jesse James to lawmen like Wyatt Earp and Wild Bill Hickok to trailblazing pioneers and frontiersmen, this podcast tells the true stories of the real-life characters who shaped this iconic period in American history. Confederate States Army. They later fought under "Bloody Bill" Anderson . [10], After the Civil War began in 1861, the demand for horses increased and Anderson transitioned from trading horses to stealing them, reselling them as far away as New Mexico. You certainly wouldn't do that aboard a horse. The Terrible Tale of Bloody Bill Anderson: Rebellion and Revenge on the Then I noticed Bloody Bill Anderson and he has a very small existence in Josey Wales. 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. The Missouri Partisan Ranger Act Pioneer Cemetery. Although some men begged him to spare them, he persisted, only relenting when a woman pleaded with him not to torch her house. Anderson led a band that targeted Union loyalists and Federal soldiers in Missouri and Kansas. The guerrillas were only able to shoot the Union horses before reinforcements arrived; three of Anderson's men were killed in the confrontation. Cole Younger, 1913, The Federal command in St. Louis, Mo. Depending on which side you asked, these bushwhackers were either heroes or criminals. The guerrillas, however, quickly learned the signals, and local citizens became wary of Union troops, fearing that they were disguised guerrillas. While on public display, a local photographer documented his death. They had hoped to attack a train, but its conductor learned of their presence and turned back before reaching the town. ; Battle of Albany Civil War Marker near Orrick, Mo. Gen. Thomas C. Hindman was the head of the Confederate Army's Trans Mississippi Department in Little Rock, Ark. The cashier pulled a gun on him and James killed him in self-defence. Burying Bloody Bill - True West Magazine and M.A. Desperate to put a stop to Anderson's bloodshed, the Union Army eventually raised a small militia to hunt him down. So . Bloody Bill Anderson - movieneon.com On the other hand, the use of tactics like arson, robbery and murder seemed beyond the bounds of honorable combat. The guerrillas blocked the railroad, forcing the train to stop. [54] During the winter, Anderson married Bush Smith, a woman from Sherman, Texas. [143] The victory made a hero of Cox and led to his promotion. Their families and other local Confederate sympathizers supplied them with shelter, food, medical care and tactical information about Union activities. [110] By mid-afternoon, the 39th Missouri Volunteer Infantry had arrived in Centralia. Two Confederate soldiers carrying double-barreled shotguns, a favorite weapon early in the Civil War. [66][67] In the letters, Anderson took an arrogant and threatening yet playful tone, boasting of his attacks. [77][78] His fearsome reputation gave a fillip to his recruiting efforts. Anderson reached a Confederate Army camp; although he hoped to kill some injured Union prisoners there, he was prevented from doing so by camp doctors. (. [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. 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. They chased the men who had attacked them, killing one and mutilating his body. Guerrilla Tactics 100, in April 1863, set a national policy, outlining guerrillas and their treatment. [80] In 1863, most Union troops left Missouri and only four regiments remained there. Quantrill expelled him and warned him not to come back, and the man was fatally shot by some of Quantrill's men when he attempted to return. Residents. Bloody Bill Anderson: The Brownwood Bloody Bill Myth - Blogger He was quite fast with a pair of Colt Dragoons, but he killed Wilson Anderson with a shotgun loaded with birdshot. One way he sought to prove that loyalty was by severing his ties with Anderson's sister Mary, his former lover. He visited the house of a well-known Union sympathizer, the wealthiest resident of the town, brutally beat him, and raped his 12- or 13-year-old black servant. Location: Missouri, United States. They claimed to be fighting for the Confederacy, but in fact, their murdering and looting benefited only their pocketbooks. The Missouri act was an offshoot of the Confederate Partisan Ranger Act instituted by Confederate President Jefferson Davis in April 1862. Usually a wife, sister, mother or sweetheart used ribbons, shells and needlework to create the ellaborately [sic] decorated shirts. While they rested at the house, a group of local men attacked. 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 Although he learned that Union General Egbert B. Bloody Bill's Death Anderson's violent pillages, attacks, and murders came to an end at Albany, Missouri, on October 26th, 1864one month after he carried out a systemic massacre at Centralia, Missouri, on September 27 of 22 unarmed Union troops who had been on their way home on furlough. [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".

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