William Clarke Quantrill

The name of William Clarke Quantrill was burned into the pages of the history of Kansas during the Civil War, as this leader of a murderous band of guerillas terrorized the settlements of eastern Kansas from 1861-1864.

Born in Dover Canal, Ohio in 1837, Quantrill moved often during his early adulthood in search of adventure and, more importantly, money. By 1859 his travels had brought him to Stanton, Kansas. Quantrill had spent some time in this little town in Douglas County two years earlier and he returned to get a job teaching school and to settle down. He soon changed professions from being a schoolteacher to the more lucrative and exciting career of horse-thief and slave trader.

Quantrill's new career began with a scheme of stealing slaves and horses from Missouri and reselling them to the highest bidder, preferably not their previous owner. In December 1861 he organized his infamous guerilla band, which included William "Bloody Bill" Anderson, George Todd, Fletcher Taylor, Cole Younger, and Frank James, to name a few. They claimed to be fighting for the Confederacy, but in fact their murdering and looting benefited only their pocketbooks.

Quantrill's tactics were ruthless and unmerciful; the best example being the well-known raid on Lawrence in 1863. It was on August 21 when his band attacked this free-state stronghold and after a four-hour siege they had destroyed the town. Businesses and homes were looted and the town was burned, but the most heinous part of the raid was that the marauders rounded up the men and boys into the middle of the town. As their wives and daughters watched, they were executed by the guerillas. This massacre has the distinction of being the worst perpetrated during the Civil War.

Toward the end of the war Quantrill led his men first to Texas to prey on unprotected wagon trains headed West. From Texas they moved through Missouri to Kentucky. The plan was to surrender to Union forces in Kentucky disguised as a regular Confederate unit, and receive a pardon from the North. In May of 1865 Quantrill's plan was foiled when a Union unit, led by Captain Edward Terrill, intercepted his band. Quantrill was shot to death. Many of his men escaped capture and continued their outlaw ways, the most notorious being the Younger brothers and the James brothers, who spent much time in Kansas robbing banks, stagecoach lines, and railroads. Even in death, Quantrill's influence continued to plague Kansas.