These acts were interpreted as tyranny and compelled many Missouri men to become bushwhackers. Bloody Bill was played by John Russell who played Marshall Stockburn in Pale Rider. [96] Although a large group of guerrillas was assembled, their leaders felt there were no promising targets to attack because all of the large towns nearby were heavily guarded. [81], On July 23, 1864, Anderson led 65 men to Renick, Missouri, robbing stores and tearing down telegraph wires on the way. II. [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. Union troops used horses to drag Anderson's body through the streets around the Ray County Courthouse. 100, in April 1863, set a national policy, outlining guerrillas and their treatment. After hearing of the engagement, General Fisk commanded a colonel to lead a party with the sole aim of killing Anderson. [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. Quantrill and other guerrillas nonetheless sought and sometimes received formal Confederate commissions as partisan rangers. Bushwhacker activities in Missouri increased as a response to Federal occupation and increasingly brutal attacks and raids by Kansas soldiers, or jayhawkers. In October of 1864, Anderson's unit was trapped and outnumbered in Missouri, and 'Bloody Bill' was killed when he charged the Union troops. The Gun manufacturers did not provide extra cylinders for each firearm sold. Smaller bands avoided fights with larger detachments of Union soldiers, preferring to ambush stragglers or loot Union supporters and their property. Details on John (b. 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. 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. Quick Description: An historic cemetery that lies a little northwest from the town square in Richmond, Missouri has new life and a monument to Mormon pioneers; but, it also contains the gravestone of the notorious civil war guerrilla leader "Bloody Bill" Anderson. [12] In late 1861, Anderson traveled south with Jim and Judge Baker in an apparent attempt to join the Confederate Army. Topics and series. Operating against Unionists in the midst of the guerrilla war in Missouri and Kansas, he was a leading figure in the infamous Lawrence Massacre and the Centralia Massacre, gaining the nickname "Bloody Bill" for the perceived savagery of his exploits. 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. Handsome, rugged American leading man John Russell (whose credits are often confused with those of child actor Johnny Russell) attended the University of California, where he was a student athlete. [126] The Union soldier held captive at Centralia was impressed with the control Anderson exercised over his men. Anderson led a band of volunteer partisan raiders who targeted Union loyalists and federal soldiers in the states of Missouri and Kansas. Gen. Henry Halleck. His dark good looks brought him to the attention . 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. A State Divided: The Civil War in Missouri. [116] Anderson achieved the same notoriety Quantrill had previously enjoyed, and he began to refer to himself as "Colonel Anderson", partly in an effort to supplant Quantrill. and also on the Agnes City Census of Kansas in 1850. 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. It is possible that Jim Anderson might have married Bloody Bill's widow IF the 22 August 1866 marriage of J. M. Anderson and Malinda Anderson was the marriage of James Madison Anderson and Malinda Bush Smith. [44] They proceeded to pillage and burn many buildings, killing almost every man they found, but taking care not to shoot women. William Quantrill and William "Bloody Bill" Anderson are well-known bushwhacker leaders in Missouri. Concluding that eliminating the bushw[h]acker's support network would. His family had been living in Council Grove, Territory of Kansas, at the start of the war. By 1860 the .44- caliber New Model Army revolver soon rivaled the Navy on which it was based. Cartridge belts standard with up to 18 bullet loops in your [] If they were Bill's, he would have had 7 pistols on his person which to me is a little hard to believe. The argument is not that some of the members carried multiple sidearms but certainly not every member did. The reason for the bloody raid that left nearly two hundred men dead and caused between $1 million and $1.5 million in damage (in 1863 dollars) is still the subject of speculation. Relatives of William T. Anderson , known as "Bloody Bill". [68] The letters were given to Union generals and were not published for 20 years. "Bloody" Bill Anderson (1840-1864), the most prolific mass murderer on the American frontier. 1844) after his marriage in Ohio in 1864 are unclear aside from the fact that he appears to have died prior to Milton. The guerrillas then attacked Allen, Missouri. In response, Union militias developed hand signals to verify that approaching men in Union uniforms were not guerrillas. A wide-brimmed slouch hat was the headgear of choice. Anderson is loosely portrayed by Jim Caviezel as Black John Ambrose in the 1999 Ang Lee film Ride With The Devil. . 2, in March 1862, allowed Union troops in Missouri to hang guerillas as robbers and murder[er]s. Future orders followed the same tone. [18], On July 2, 1862, William and Jim Anderson returned to Council Grove and sent an accomplice to Baker's house claiming to be a traveler seeking supplies. Anderson's horse, saddle & 2 pistols were presented later to a general. [71] Anderson killed one hotel guest whom he suspected was a U.S. [13], Upon his return to Kansas, Anderson continued horse trafficking, but ranchers in the area soon became aware of his operations. [5] The Anderson family supported slavery, though they did not own slaves. Again, everyone can have an opinion about that statement. [98] They found a large supply of whiskey and all began drinking. [143] Only Anderson and one other man, the son of a Confederate general, continued to charge after the others had retreated. 11, an evacuation order that evicted almost 20,000 people from four counties in rural western Missouri and burned many of their homes. (, 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. Notorious Confederate bushwhacker Bloody Bill Anderson Three bushwackers; Arch Clements, Dave Pool, and Bill Hendricks. They often used unorthodox tactics to fight Union troops, such as using a small party of horsemen to lure them into an ambush. [16] In May 1862, Judge Baker issued an arrest warrant for Griffith, whom Anderson helped hide. [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. [60] Sutherland described Anderson's betrayal of Quantrill as a "Judas" turn. However, most were hunted down and killed. The guerrillas heard that the cavalry was approaching,[110] and Anderson sent a party to set an ambush. [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. [151] In 1908, Cole Younger, a former guerrilla who served under Quantrill, reburied Anderson's body in the Old Pioneer Cemetery in Richmond, Missouri. 2. Bloody Bill Anderson. Although some men begged him to spare them, he persisted, only relenting when a woman pleaded with him not to torch her house. [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. Marker is on Thornton Street north of Main Street (State Highway 10), on the left when traveling north. While they were confined, the building collapsed, killing one of Anderson's sisters. [76] Anderson was selective, turning away all but the fiercest applicants, as he sought fighters similar to himself. They had hoped to attack a train, but its conductor learned of their presence and turned back before reaching the town. 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. Anderson was known for his brutality towards Union soldiers, and pro Union partisans, who were called Jayhawkers. Upon returning to the Confederate leadership, Anderson was commissioned as a captain by General Price. [99][100] As the guerrillas robbed the stagecoach passengers, a train arrived. He sees Anderson as obsessed with, and greatly enjoying, the ability to inflict fear and suffering in his victims, and suggests he suffered from the most severe type of sadistic personality disorder. [46] They left town at 9:00am after a company of Union soldiers approached the town. [129] Anderson presented him with a gift of fine Union pistols, likely captured at Centralia. , Cole Younger, 1913. "An unusual event made a guerrilla out of William Anderson. I have also read it was several Cavalry troopers, but that is another story. Local citizens demanded possession of the corpse. On this day during the Civil War in 1864, the notorious Confederate guerrilla leader William "Bloody Bill" Anderson was shot and killed. He concluded the letters by describing himself as the commander of "Kansas First Guerrillas" and requesting that local newspapers publish his replies. [30] The first reference to Anderson in Official Records of the American Civil War concerns his activities at this time, describing him as the captain of a band of guerrillas. [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. The guerrillas gathered at the Blackwater River in Johnson County, Missouri. They later fought under "Bloody Bill" Anderson . 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. [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. Cox's bugler gathered up 6 pistols around the body. [123] They burned Rocheport to the ground on October 2; the town was under close scrutiny by Union forces, owing to the number of Confederate sympathizers there, but General Fisk maintained that the fire was accidental. Even before Union forces finally shot him down in his final gunfight, the man called Bloody Bill had become equal parts legend and infamous nightmare. 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. [Map inset] Nearby Civil War attractions include Pioneer Cemetery and Ray County Museum in Richmond, Mo. [115] The attack led to a near-complete halt in rail traffic in the area and a dramatic increase in Union rail security. [158] He was later discussed in biographies of Quantrill, which typically cast Anderson as an inveterate murderer. The defeat resulted in the deaths of five guerrillas but only two Union soldiers, further maddening Anderson. Todd rested his men in July to allow them to prepare for a Confederate invasion of Missouri. A significant historical year for this entry is 1913. Eventually, the six-shot revolver became the weapon of choice for the bushwhacker because it was considered better for firing from horseback. The trip was not successful and he returned to Missouri without the shipment, saying his horses had disappeared with the cargo. For the American Revolutionary War loyalist, see, Anderson's middle name is unknown. They relied on knowledge of the local terrain for survival. [114] Anderson's men mutilated the bodies of the dead soldiers and tortured some survivors. By Glynda July 23, 2006 at 03:01:32. 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. And a lot of the Cavalry didn't have sidearms early in the war. Anthony Edwards as "Goose" in Top Gun (1986) : They buried him in an unmarked grave in Richmond's Pioneer Cemetery. 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. [29] In the resulting skirmish, several raiders were captured or killed and the rest of the guerrillas, including Anderson, split into small groups to return to Missouri. A lot of the federal troops in Missouri were Infantry & only the officer's would have pistols. Anderson was told to recapture him and gave chase, but he was unable to locate his former commander and stopped at a creek. Marker is at or near this postal address: 100 West Main Street, Richmond MO 64085, United States of America. Rains, son of rebel Gen. A Note on Sources [101] Anderson's men quickly took control of the train, which included 23 off-duty, unarmed Union soldiers as passengers. 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. [136][137] Anderson indicated that he was particularly angry that the man had freed his slaves, then trampled him with a specially trained horse. The younger Anderson buried his father[17] and was subsequently arrested for assisting Griffith. Its frame and grip initially matched the Navy in size, but Colt later lengthened the grip to absorb. [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. [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. [167] He maintains that Anderson's acts were seen as particularly shocking in part because his cruelty was directed towards white Americans of equivalent social standing, rather than targets deemed acceptable by American society, such as Native Americans or foreigners. Born about 1839 in Kentucky, the family early moved to Missouri, where William grew up near the town of Huntsville in Randolph County. ; Battle of Albany Civil War Marker near Orrick, Mo. Operating against Unionists in the midst of the guerrilla war in Missouri and Kansas, he was a leading figure in the infamous Lawrence Massacre and the Centralia Massacre, gaining the nickname "Bloody Bill" for the perceived savagery of his exploits. [159] Three biographies of Anderson were written after 1975. It is in Richmond in Ray County Missouri, "The war brought on hate and strife and killing around here. 3916.725N, 9358.603W. Marker is in Richmond, Missouri, in Ray County. [19] Baker and his brother-in-law brought the man to a store, where they were ambushed by the Anderson brothers. On June 12, 1864, Anderson and 50 of his men engaged 15 members of the Missouri State Militia, killing and robbing 12. 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. [106] Although he was alerted to the congressman's presence in the town, he opted not to search for him. He took a leading role in the Lawrence Massacre and later took part in the Battle of Baxter Springs, both in 1863. Gen. Henry Halleck's General Orders No. [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. [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. I do not claim to be an expert on guerrilla warfare in Missouri but am a student of the war in general. [130] Price was disgusted that Anderson used scalps to decorate his horse, and would not speak with him until he removed them. The Missouri act was an offshoot of the Confederate Partisan Ranger Act instituted by Confederate President Jefferson Davis in April 1862. While on public display, a local photographer documented his death. [113] One Union officer reached Centralia and gave word of the ambush, allowing a few Union soldiers who had remained there to escape. The most infamous order came in response to a brutal guerilla attack on Lawrence, Kan. so there couldn't have been that many to obtain from citizens. [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. [73], In June 1864, George M. Todd usurped Quantrill's leadership of their group and forced him to leave the area. His gun changed a few times, semi, handgun, revolver . The Federal command in St. Louis, Mo. After the attack, one of Anderson's guerrillas scalped a dead militiaman. Anderson's bushwhacking marked him as a dangerous man and eventually led the Union to imprison his sisters. [122] In the aftermath of the massacre, Union soldiers committed several revenge killings of Confederate-sympathizing civilians. William Thomas Anderson was born in Randolph County, Missouri in 1837, the exact date and location of his birth, remain uncertain. And that is the terrible truth of the story of Bloody Bill Anderson. On October 2, a group of 450 guerrillas under Quantrill's leadership met at Blackwater River in Jackson County and left for Texas. 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). [52] Not satisfied with the number killed, Anderson and Todd wished to attack the fort again, but Quantrill considered another attack too risky. [108] Anderson's band then rode back to their camp, taking a large amount of looted goods. More lies and sensationalized stories have been told of William T. Anderson than any other Civil War Border War guerrilla except those of William Clarke Quantrill himself. 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. There were those that came & went and the largest number had to have been the raid on Lawrence. [127] Although many of them wished to execute this Union hostage, Anderson refused to allow it. USA. Not long after her driver left to find help, three rambunctious New Jersey cavalrymen, all white, approached Brooks, demanding her money. In July of 1864 Anderson moved his operations to Carroll and Randolph Counties. 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. [25] Quantrill was at the time the most prominent guerrilla leader in the KansasMissouri area. The partisans would have had to encounter only the Cavalry to obtain anywhere near that amount. Actor: Rio Bravo. William T. "Bloody Bill" Anderson (circa 1838 - October 26, 1864) was a pro-Confederate guerrilla leader in the American Civil War. The Fate of the Bushwhackers , Confederate leaders were unsure about guerrillas. This historical marker was erected by Missouri State Parks. The U.S. Government provided a veteran's tombstone for Anderson's grave in 1967. In early 1863 he joined Quantrill's Raiders, a group of Confederate guerrillas which operated along the KansasMissouri border. The tortures included jumping on him, shooting at his legs and firing guns from his knee to burn his legs with powder. William T. Anderson was born around 1840 in Hopkins County, Kentucky, to William C. and Martha Anderson. Henry Fuller's interview articles appeared in newspapers and magazines all across the United States. 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. [45] The guerrillas under Anderson's command, notably including Archie Clement and Frank James, killed more than any of the other group. One one hand, they were useful, serving to tie down Union forces. Nov 26, 2015 - PLEASE READ THE HOME PAGE PRIOR TO ORDERING TO UNDERSTAND PROCEDURES, HOW TO MEASURE, WAYS OF PAYMENT, BACK ORDERS, ETC. . After selecting a sergeant for a potential prisoner swap, Anderson's men shot the rest. 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. ; Battle of Lexington State Historic Site in Lexington, Mo. 0:02. [53], On October 12, Quantrill and his men met General Samuel Cooper at the Canadian River and proceeded to Mineral Springs, Texas, to rest for the winter. The act sanctioned guerrilla activities against the Union army while attempting to gain some measure of control over the guerrillas. 3. Erected by Missouri State Parks. . . Fueling this conflict was a dispute over whether Kansas should be a slave-holding state or not. [147] Union soldiers claimed that Anderson was found with a string that had 53 knots, symbolizing each person he had killed. They attacked the fort on October 6, but the 90 Union troops there quickly took refuge inside, suffering minimal losses. The Texas Gun Collector article suggested the family had indicated John Shanton owned a farm in Missouri where Frank and Jesse James would hide out. 100% heavyweight Gildan brand cotton t-shirt. They had sworn to be revenged for the death of their father, and made their troubles an excuse for the career of bushwhacking in which they engaged with the Quantrill gang. The Union troops took his body to Richmond, Mo. [23] They also attacked Union soldiers, killing seven by early 1863. Maupin, pictured above. On August 10, while traveling through Clay County, Anderson and his men engaged 25 militia members, killing five of them and forcing the rest to flee. Answer: He mistook the cashier for Samuel P Cox, the killer of 'Bloody Bill' Anderson. The Andersons barricaded the door to the basement and set the store on fire, killing Baker and his brother-in-law. There are other examples as well, such as . Anderson's men mutilated the bodies, earning the guerrillas the description of "incarnate fiends" from the Columbia Missouri Statesman. [65], On July 6, a Confederate sympathizer brought Anderson newspapers containing articles about him. 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. [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. The cashier pulled a gun on him and James killed him in self-defence. Confederate States Army. 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. 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. He thought the cashier was an informant. So they couldn't have obtained many from the Infantry. Union leaders branded bushwhackers as outlaws, issuing multiple orders to suppress guerilla activities. Jesse James and his brother Frank were among the Missourians who joined Anderson; both of them later became notorious outlaws. The Missouri in the Civil War Message Board - Archive is maintained by Webmaster [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. He angered Anderson by ordering his forces to withdraw. One of the leading authorities on the Civil War in the western theater, Albert Edward Castel earned his B.A. Touch for a list and map of all markers in Richmond. [31] By late July, Anderson led groups of guerrillas on raids and was often pursued by Union volunteer cavalry. Bloody Bill was born in either 1838 or 1839 and moved to Kansas in the late 1850s. They often used unorthodox tactics to fight Union troops, such as using a small party of horsemen to lure them into an ambush. [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. Carrying multiple loaded guns gave them an edge against soldiers equipped with a single-shot, muzzle-loading musket. [69], In early July, Anderson's group robbed and killed several Union sympathizers in Carroll and Randolph counties. Usually a wife, sister, mother or sweetheart used ribbons, shells and needlework to create the ellaborately [sic] decorated shirts. At the end of P.R. Quantrill disliked the idea because the town was fortified, but Anderson and Todd prevailed. Posted on 19th March 2021. View character biography, pictures and memorable quotes. 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. Bushwhackers and Jayhawkers. A stagecoach soon arrived, and Anderson's men robbed the passengers, including Congressman James S. Rollins and a plainclothes sheriff. Some local citizens suspected the Anderson family was assisting Griffith and traveled to their house to confront the elder William Anderson. I. . Even then, reloading the powder & ball would have been almost as fast as changing out the cylinder. William T. Anderson was one of the most notorious Confederate guerrillas of the Civil War. 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. [97], On the morning of September 27, 1864, Anderson left his camp with about 75 men to scout for Union forces. [Photo captions, clockwise from top left, read]