[145], Union soldiers identified Anderson by a letter found in his pocket and paraded his body through the streets of Richmond, Missouri. [12] In late 1861, Anderson traveled south with Jim and Judge Baker in an apparent attempt to join the Confederate Army. [122] In the aftermath of the massacre, Union soldiers committed several revenge killings of Confederate-sympathizing civilians. His family had been living in Council Grove, Territory of Kansas at the . These "guerrilla shirts" were pullovers with a deep v-neckline and four large pockets. Henry Fuller's interview articles appeared in newspapers and magazines all across the United States. The residents of Lawrence, Kansas, would never forget what happened on August 21, 1863, if indeed they were lucky enough to survive. Fueling this conflict was a dispute over whether Kansas should be a slave-holding state or not. William T. "Bloody Bill" Anderson was a southern sympathizing bushwhacker born in Missouri and raised in Kansas. Desperate to put a stop to Anderson's bloodshed, the Union Army eventually raised a small militia to hunt him down. 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. Clifton Hicks - Ballad of Bloody Bill Anderson by Alvin - YouTube Quantrill and other guerrillas nonetheless sought and sometimes received formal Confederate commissions as partisan rangers. . After camping near New Hope Church in Fort Henry about. [26] In early 1863, William and Jim Anderson traveled to Jackson County, Missouri, to join him. [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". By August 1864, they were regularly scalping the men they killed. 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. A significant historical year for this entry is 1913. 100, in April 1863, set a national policy, outlining guerrillas and their treatment. Maupin, pictured above. [113] One Union officer reached Centralia and gave word of the ambush, allowing a few Union soldiers who had remained there to escape. The Missouri Partisan Ranger Act , On July 17, 1862, Confederate Gen. Thomas Hindman issued the Missouri Partisan Ranger Act. There were those that came & went and the largest number had to have been the raid on Lawrence. [165] Castel and Goodrich view Anderson as one of the war's most savage and bitter combatants, but they also argue that the war made savages of many others. Raised by a family of Southerners in Kansas, Anderson began to support himself by stealing and selling horses in 1862. They may be found on the 1850 Census of Randolph County,MO. [146] The corpse was photographed and displayed at a local courthouse for public viewing, along with Anderson's possessions. Posted on 19th March 2021. PDF Who Was William T. Anderson's Friend, F. M. R.? - WordPress.com He protested the execution of guerrillas and their sympathizers, and threatened to attack Lexington, Missouri. Erected by Missouri State Parks. The notorious Bloody Bill was killed in a Union ambush in Missouri. Touch for map. Gen. Thomas Ewing issued General Orders No. Violence Was No Stranger (1993). Dec 28, 2022. Others, like William Anderson, had already entered a dark abyss from which there was no return and no escape except death. 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. The life of a guerrilla was difficult and violent. [68] The letters were given to Union generals and were not published for 20 years. They attacked the fort on October 6, but the 90 Union troops there quickly took refuge inside, suffering minimal losses. [80] In 1863, most Union troops left Missouri and only four regiments remained there. Pioneer Cemetery. This may help as far as relatives of Bloody Bill Anderson,who was William T.Anderson born 1839,son of William Anderson and Martha Thomasson. [111] Anderson then led a charge up the hill. 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). declared martial law in August 1861, giving Union forces broad powers to suppress those who resisted Union control. William C. Anderson (1820 - 1862) - Genealogy - geni family tree By 1860 the .44- caliber New Model Army revolver soon rivaled the Navy on which it was based. [21] Anderson and his gang subsequently traveled east of Jackson County, Missouri, avoiding territory where Quantrill operated and continuing to support themselves by robbery. Bloody Bill Anderson: The Short, Savage Life of a Civil "Bloody Bill" Anderson killed - HISTORY [167], In a study of 19th-century warfare, historian James Reid posited that Anderson suffered from delusional paranoia, which exacerbated his aggressive, sadistic personality. [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. The guerrillas then attacked Allen, Missouri. William Anderson was initially given a chilly reception from other raiders, who perceived him to be brash and overconfident. [15] The Anderson brothers escaped, but Baker was captured and spent four months in prison before returning to Kansas, professing loyalty to the Union. William T. Anderson was one of the most notorious Confederate guerrillas of the Civil War. Biographer Larry Wood claimed that Anderson's sisters aided the guerrillas by gathering information inside Union-controlled territory. Bloody Bill Impostor William C. Anderson 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 with an 84 year old William C. Anderson in his home on Salt Creek. They used any weapon available to them. William T. "Bloody Bill" Anderson (circa 1838 - October 26, 1864) was a pro-Confederate guerrilla leader in the American Civil War. He retained 84 men and reunited with Anderson. Union leaders branded bushwhackers as outlaws, issuing multiple orders to suppress guerilla activities. Bloody Bill Anderson - Prisoners Of Eternity 27 Strange And Interesting Facts About William Quantrill [147] Union soldiers claimed that Anderson was found with a string that had 53 knots, symbolizing each person he had killed. They found the guerrillas' horses decorated with the scalps of Union soldiers. He was killed in a Union ambush near Richmond, MO. [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. Doing some quick math on the number of men who rode with Quantrill, numbers around 700 ( those who can be named), maybe more. The True Story of Bush Smith, The Sweetheart of Bloody Bill Anderson. [108] Anderson's band then rode back to their camp, taking a large amount of looted goods. 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 Glynda July 23, 2006 at 03:01:32. A wide-brimmed slouch hat was the headgear of choice. [109], Anderson arrived at the guerrilla camp and described the day's events, the brutality of which unsettled Todd. 11, but guerrilla activity continued throughout the war in other regions of the state. CPT William T. "Bloody Bill" Anderson - Find a Grave Two Confederate soldiers carrying double-barreled shotguns, a favorite weapon early in the Civil War. There is no evidence to support that assumption. On August 30, Anderson and his men attacked a steamboat on the Missouri River, killing the captain and gaining control of the boat. The act sanctioned guerrilla activities against the Union army while attempting to gain some measure of control over the guerrillas. USA. William T. Anderson - Wikipedia [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. 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. In July of 1864 Anderson moved his operations to Carroll and Randolph Counties. 2, in March 1862, allowed Union troops in Missouri to hang guerillas as robbers and murder[er]s. Future orders followed the same tone. 10 of the Most Heinous Forgotten War Crimes of the American Civil War [106] Although he was alerted to the congressman's presence in the town, he opted not to search for him. [154] Most Confederate guerrillas had lost heart by then, owing to a cold winter and the simultaneous failure of General Price's 1864 invasion of Missouri, which ensured the state would remain securely under Union control for the rest of the war. The next day, the elder Anderson traveled to the Council Grove courthouse with a gun, intending to force Baker to withdraw the warrant. 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. 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. Barbed Wire Press. The Bushwhacker in Missouri Historical Marker Concluding that eliminating the bushw[h]acker's support network would help end guerilla fighting, Brig. On October 26, 1864, the notorious Confederate guerrilla leader William "Bloody Bill" Anderson is killed in Missouri in a Union ambush. 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. 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. Anderson was outraged and went to Missouri with his siblings. There are other examples as well, such as . Your choice of white or . Bloody Bill Anderson - Google Books [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. Around that time, he received further media coverage: the St. Joseph Morning Herald deemed him a "heartless scoundrel", publishing an account of his torture of a captured Union soldier. . In one of the passenger cars they found 23 unarmed Union soldiers on furlough and headed home on leave. The Union troops took his body to Richmond, Mo. The Fate of the Bushwhackers [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. For the more effectual annoyance of the enemy upon our rivers and in our mountains and woods all citizens of this district who are not conscripted are called upon to organize themselves into independent companies of mounted men or infantry, as they prefer, arming themselves and to serve in that part of the district to which they belong. [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. (, 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. General Orders No. A wide-brimmed slouch hat was the headgear of choice. [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. [102] This was the first capture of a Union passenger train in the war. He then ordered and conducted the massacre soldiers. Anderson, William "Bloody Bill" | Civil War on the Western Border: The Wood speculates that it was "Thomas", his grandfather's name. Nov 26, 2015 - PLEASE READ THE HOME PAGE PRIOR TO ORDERING TO UNDERSTAND PROCEDURES, HOW TO MEASURE, WAYS OF PAYMENT, BACK ORDERS, ETC. The argument is not that some of the members carried multiple sidearms but certainly not every member did. . Bushwhacker - Wikipedia [135] After Confederate forces under General Joseph O. Shelby conquered Glasgow, Anderson traveled to the city to loot. Quantrill's Guerillas and William Anderson "Bloody Bill" Home - William C. "Bloody Bill" Anderson The Missouri in the Civil War Message Board - Archive is maintained by Webmaster [3] His schoolmates recalled him as a well-behaved, reserved child. Anderson retreated into the lobby of the town hotel to drink and rest. There, his men briefly engaged a group of guerrillas loyal to Quantrill, but no one was injured in the confrontation. These acts were interpreted as tyranny and compelled many Missouri men to become bushwhackers. Marshal, but spoke amicably with an acquaintance he found there. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The Tactical Genius of Bloody Bill Anderson - HistoryNet Union troops used horses to drag Anderson's body through the streets around the Ray County Courthouse. In early 1863 he joined Quantrill's Raiders, a group of Confederate guerrillas which operated along the KansasMissouri border. An unusual event made a guerrilla out of William Anderson. [59] It is likely that this incident angered Anderson, who then took 20 men to visit the town of Sherman. While they were confined, the building collapsed, killing one of Anderson's sisters. 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. Re: Bloody Bill Anderson's revolvers The Missouri act was an offshoot of the Confederate Partisan Ranger Act instituted by Confederate President Jefferson Davis in April 1862. [158] He was later discussed in biographies of Quantrill, which typically cast Anderson as an inveterate murderer. The guerrillas gathered at the Blackwater River in Johnson County, Missouri. Many of Anderson's men also despised the Union, and he was adept at tapping into this emotion. "Bloody Bill" redirects here. John Russell. Date Posted: 8/12/2009 1:51:23 PM. Union leaders branded bushwhackers as outlaws, issuing multiple orders to suppress guerilla activities. [139], Union military leaders assigned Lieutenant Colonel Samuel P. Cox to kill Anderson, providing him with a group of experienced soldiers. The guerrillas were only able to shoot the Union horses before reinforcements arrived; three of Anderson's men were killed in the confrontation. The most infamous order came in response to a brutal guerilla attack on Lawrence, Kan. Kansas/Missouri Border War - Lawrence Massacre and 'Burnt District' In October of 1864, Anderson's unit was trapped and outnumbered in Missouri, and 'Bloody Bill' was killed when he charged the Union troops. [114] Anderson's men mutilated the bodies of the dead soldiers and tortured some survivors. By the time he turned 21 he was accompanying wagon trains on the Santa Fe Trail, selling stolen horses. [66][67] In the letters, Anderson took an arrogant and threatening yet playful tone, boasting of his attacks. "The war brought on hate and strife and killing around here. Anderson, William | Community and Conflict Photo Archive - Ozarks Civil War Relatives of William T. Anderson , known as "Bloody Bill". Browning James A. [156] Jim Anderson moved to Sherman, Texas, with his two sisters. Marker is on Thornton Street north of Main Street (State Highway 10), on the left when traveling north. Rains, son of rebel Gen. Bloody Bill Anderson: Missouri's bushwhacking devil - HubPages The tension between the two groups markedly increasedsome feared open warfare would resultbut by the time of the wedding, relations had improved. [107] The guerrillas set the passenger train on fire and derailed an approaching freight train. They later fought under "Bloody Bill" Anderson .