On this day in 1863, an infamous massacre occurred in Kansas during the Civil War. Kansas had been known as “Bleeding Kansas” before the war as pro- and anti-slavery forces battled for control of the state. This degenerated into a vicious guerrilla war between the Jayhawkers (antis) and Bushwhackers (pros). Violence escalated into atrocities. In September, 1861 a band of Jayhawkers led by Sen. James Lane raided Osceola. The town was looted and burned. Slaves were freed and some citizens were executed. Lane’s unit was matched by a band of Bushwhackers led by William Quantrill. Members included the Younger Brothers and Frank and Jesse James. Quantrill’s Raiders were given unofficial status by the Confederate government. It conducted ambushes of Union supplies and raided towns in Kansas and Missouri. It was such a thorn that a Union army general arrested several women associated with the Raiders and held them in a make-shift jail in Kansas City, Missouri. When the building collapsed, five women were killed. It was payback time for Osceola and Kansas City. The target was the home base for Lane’s Jayhawkers. On August 21, 1863 Quantrill and his boys rode into Lawrence, Kansas. The 400 men were unopposed. They began to set fires and plunder. Any man or boy who “could hold a gun” were targeted. It was a massacre. Between 160-190 men and boys were killed. Some were scalped. 85 widows were created. Lane escaped by hiding in a cornfield. Most of the buildings were burned to the ground. This was the last big fling for Quantrill’s Raiders. The Confederate government disowned it and it eventually broke up. Quantrill was killed by Union soldiers.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/guerillas-massacre-residents-of-lawrence-kansas
https://civilwaronthewesternborder.org/encyclopedia/quantrills-raid-lawrence
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_massacre
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