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. Their families and other local Confederate sympathizers supplied them with shelter, food, medical care and tactical information about Union activities. In 1908, the ex-guerrillas and former outlaws Jim Cummins and Cole Younger arranged for a funeral service at Anderson's gravesite. It was Anderson's greatest victory, surpassing Lawrence and Baxter Springs in brutality and the number of casualties. After selecting a sergeant for a potential prisoner swap, Anderson's men shot the rest. A wide-brimmed slouch hat was the headgear of choice. from Wichita State University and his Ph.D. in History and Political Science from the University of Chicago. Wood describes him as the "bloodiest man in America's deadliest war"[164] and characterizes him as the clearest example of the war's "dehumanizing influence". By the time of his death in 1864 Anderson had become one of the most sought after men in Missouri and had left a trail of blood and hatred across the west and central portions of the state. Others, like William Anderson, had already entered a dark abyss from which there was no return and no escape except death. 11. [68] The letters were given to Union generals and were not published for 20 years. On August 30, Anderson and his men attacked a steamboat on the Missouri River, killing the captain and gaining control of the boat. 1840-1864. Bloody Bill Anderson & the Missouri Bushwhackers - YouTube 0:00 / 1:05:58 Bloody Bill Anderson & the Missouri Bushwhackers Wild West Extravaganza 14.8K subscribers 132K views 1 year ago. Gen. Thomas C. Hindman was the head of the Confederate Army's Trans Mississippi Department in Little Rock, Ark. The tension between the two groups markedly increasedsome feared open warfare would resultbut by the time of the wedding, relations had improved. Cole Younger, 1913, The Federal command in St. Louis, Mo. 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. Plot [ edit] Cocaine dealer, Darrell, leads a cop on a chase through the desert. The argument is not that some of the members carried multiple sidearms but certainly not every member did. 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 act sanctioned guerrilla activities against the Union army while attempting to gain some measure of control over the guerrillas. [23] They also attacked Union soldiers, killing seven by early 1863. [97], On the morning of September 27, 1864, Anderson left his camp with about 75 men to scout for Union forces. 1:27. [81], On July 23, 1864, Anderson led 65 men to Renick, Missouri, robbing stores and tearing down telegraph wires on the way. . The guerrillas heard that the cavalry was approaching,[110] and Anderson sent a party to set an ambush. [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. William T. Anderson was born around 1840 in Hopkins County, Kentucky, to William C. and Martha Anderson. General Orders No. . However, most were hunted down and killed. They relied on knowledge of the local terrain for survival. [117] However, Frank James, who participated in the attack, later defended the guerrillas' actions, arguing that the federal troops were marching under a black flag, indicating that they intended to show no mercy. Marker is at or near this postal address: 100 West Main Street, Richmond MO 64085, United States of America. 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. The Man Who Killed Quantrill. 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. They may be found on the 1850 Census of Randolph County,MO. Bushwhacker activities in Missouri increased as a response to Federal occupation and increasingly brutal attacks and raids by Kansas soldiers, or jayhawkers. In one of the passenger cars they found 23 unarmed Union soldiers on furlough and headed home on leave. [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. [163], Historians have been mixed in their appraisal of Anderson. One dating device is the guns; they are all germane to the late 1860s and early 1870s at the . [110] By mid-afternoon, the 39th Missouri Volunteer Infantry had arrived in Centralia. declared martial law in August 1861, giving Union forces broad powers to suppress those who resisted Union control. [128] On October 6, Anderson and his men began travelling to meet General Price in Boonville, Missouri;[124][129] they arrived and met the general on October 11. They found the guerrillas' horses decorated with the scalps of Union soldiers. If they were Bill's, he would have had 7 pistols on his person which to me is a little hard to believe. USA. [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. [159] Three biographies of Anderson were written after 1975. In July of 1864 Anderson moved his operations to Carroll and Randolph Counties. [24] Confederate General Sterling Price failed to gain control of Missouri in his 1861 offensive and retreated into Arkansas, leaving only partisan rangers and local guerrillas known as "bushwhackers" to challenge Union dominance. 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. 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. ; Battle of Albany Civil War Marker near Orrick, Mo. Violence dropped in the area affected by Order No. Born in Kentucky in 1839 before moving to Missouri and eventually living in Kansas when the Civil War started, Bill Anderson soon earned the non de plume "Bloody Bill.". Wood speculates that it was "Thomas", his grandfather's name. [65], On July 6, a Confederate sympathizer brought Anderson newspapers containing articles about him. Serving in the US Marine Corps in WW II, he earned a battlefield commission and decorations for valor at Guadalcanal. Anyway, as Baker had achieved his mission & as Anderson & his troops entered the ambush. [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. They acquired arms where they could, including taking what was left behind on the battlefield. Gen. Henry Halleck's General Orders No. [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. 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. [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. William T. Anderson[a] (c. 1840 October 26, 1864), known by the nickname "Bloody Bill" Anderson, was a soldier who was one of the deadliest and most notorious Confederate guerrilla leaders in the American Civil War. 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. Assuming, of course, that you're brave enough to get within handgun range of those animals. Cartridge belts standard with up to 18 bullet loops in your [] William T. Anderson was one of the most notorious Confederate guerrillas of the Civil War. Concluding that eliminating the bushw[h]acker's support network would. Anderson and his men dressed as Union soldiers, wearing uniforms taken from those they killed. [86], On August 13, Anderson and his men traveled through Ray County, Missouri, to the Missouri River, where they engaged Union militia. Note: Click on photos to get larger view. Community & Conflict website entry (Submitted on October 1, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.) I. [138] Local residents gathered $5,000, which they gave to Anderson; he then released the man, who died of his injuries in 1866. Richeson, Richerson, Richardson originally from Taylor County, Kentucky. [167], In a study of 19th-century warfare, historian James Reid posited that Anderson suffered from delusional paranoia, which exacerbated his aggressive, sadistic personality. (, 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. There are other examples as well, such as . These "guerrilla shirts" were pullovers with a deep v-neckline and four large pockets. Only advantage would have been if you were behind a barrier, in a gun battle. Erected by Missouri State Parks. Burial. Born in the late 1830s, Details on John (b. Anderson and his men camped with at least 300 men, including Todd. Topics and series. [148] Union soldiers buried Anderson's body in a field near Richmond in a fairly well-built coffin. Baker, a local judge who was a Confederate sympathizer. A significant historical year for this entry is 1913. His family had been living in Council Grove, Territory of Kansas, at the start of the war. 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. They murdered my family when I was a schoolboy and I was launched into a life of shooting, reprisals and rough-riding." [125], Anderson visited Confederate sympathizers as he traveled, some of whom viewed him as a hero for fighting the Union, whom they deeply hated. [139], Union military leaders assigned Lieutenant Colonel Samuel P. Cox to kill Anderson, providing him with a group of experienced soldiers. These regiments were composed of troops from out of state, who sometimes mistreated local residents, further motivating the guerrillas and their supporters. He took a leading role in the Lawrence Massacre and later took part in the Battle of Baxter Springs, both in 1863. You may have your own list of heartless maniacal killers. On October 26, 1864, the notorious Confederate guerrilla leader William "Bloody Bill" Anderson is killed in Missouri in a Union ambush. Nov 26, 2015 - PLEASE READ THE HOME PAGE PRIOR TO ORDERING TO UNDERSTAND PROCEDURES, HOW TO MEASURE, WAYS OF PAYMENT, BACK ORDERS, ETC. In 1857, the family moved to Kansas and William worked for a time . Anderson was under Quantrill's command, but independently organized some attacks. A lot of the federal troops in Missouri were Infantry & only the officer's would have pistols. 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. 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. A lack of Confederate military presence in Missouri led Southern sympathizers to form guerrilla groups to harass Union soldiers and pro-Union citizens. Anderson remained in Agnes City until he learned that Baker would not be charged, as the judge's claim of self-defense had been accepted by legal authorities. [150][h] Flowers were placed at his grave, to the chagrin of Union soldiers. Some, like the veterans attending the bushwacker reunions under Quantrill's vacant gaze, managed to adjust to post-war life. The muzzle-loaders required no special ammunition or training and were effective out to about seventy-five or one hundred yards. Location. 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. 6 guns of ouTlaWs Residue of WaRThe RaideRs 7 Some local citizens suspected the Anderson family was assisting Griffith and traveled to their house to confront the elder William Anderson. I do not claim to be an expert on guerrilla warfare in Missouri but am a student of the war in general. [43] Anderson personally killed 14 people. 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. Cox's bugler gathered up 6 pistols around the body. Many of Anderson's men also despised the Union, and he was adept at tapping into this emotion. The Wild West Extravaganza is a history podcast that delves into the fascinating and often tumultuous world of the American Old West. [21][f] William Quantrill, a Confederate guerrilla leader, later claimed to have encountered Reed's company in July and rebuked them for robbing Confederate sympathizers;[22] in their biography of Anderson, Albert Castel and Tom Goodrich speculate that this rebuke may have resulted in a deep resentment of Quantrill by Anderson. 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. Anderson's men mutilated the bodies, earning the guerrillas the description of "incarnate fiends" from the Columbia Missouri Statesman. . Bushwhackers and Jayhawkers. The trip was not successful and he returned to Missouri without the shipment, saying his horses had disappeared with the cargo. The most infamous order came in response to a brutal guerilla attack on Lawrence, Kan. [120][121] Anderson evaded the pursuit, leading his men into ravines the Union troops would not enter for fear of ambush. Anderson was known for his brutality towards Union soldiers, and pro Union partisans, who were called Jayhawkers. The Union militias sometimes rode slower horses and may have been intimidated by Anderson's reputation. The guerrillas then attacked Allen, Missouri. [21] Anderson and his gang subsequently traveled east of Jackson County, Missouri, avoiding territory where Quantrill operated and continuing to support themselves by robbery. Some bands of guerrillas, like William Quantrill's, had 400 or more members, but most were much smaller. For instance, you could play Jesse James-an American outlaw who was also a confederate soldier under Bloody Bill Anderson's leadership. Anderson's horse, saddle & 2 pistols were presented later to a general. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Settlements & Settlers War, US Civil. As soon as the company attains the strength required by law it will proceed to elect the other officers to which it is entitled. As far as the partisans carrying extra cylinders, that is possibly a misnomer unless, they cannibalize other pistols just for the cylinders & that wouldn't make sense. [46] They left town at 9:00am after a company of Union soldiers approached the town. One way he sought to prove that loyalty was by severing his ties with Anderson's sister Mary, his former lover. Smaller bands avoided fights with larger detachments of Union soldiers, preferring to ambush stragglers or loot Union supporters and their property. The guerrillas gathered at the Blackwater River in Johnson County, Missouri. [79] General Clinton B. Fisk ordered his men to find and kill Anderson, but they were thwarted by Anderson's support network and his forces' superior training and arms. In late 1863, while Quantrill's Raiders spent the winter in Sherman, Texas, animosity developed between Anderson and Quantrill. 2, in March 1862, allowed Union troops in Missouri to hang guerillas as robbers and murder[er]s. Future orders followed the same tone. [12] In late 1861, Anderson traveled south with Jim and Judge Baker in an apparent attempt to join the Confederate Army. [135] After Confederate forces under General Joseph O. Shelby conquered Glasgow, Anderson traveled to the city to loot. 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. Anderson ordered them outside the car and lined up in two files. . Anderson was fatally shot twice in the back of the head. [153], Archie Clement led the guerrillas after Anderson's death, but the group splintered by mid-November. Please note that we are about 6-7 months in backorder and the wait is worth it. [28] Castel and Goodrich speculated that this raid may have given Quantrill the idea of launching an attack deep in Kansas, as it demonstrated that the state's border was poorly defended and that guerrillas could travel deep into the state's interior before Union forces were alerted. [147] Union soldiers claimed that Anderson was found with a string that had 53 knots, symbolizing each person he had killed. (, At the time, some U.S. states allowed slavery, primarily those in the south, and some explicitly forbade it, primarily those in the north; whether newly created states would be "slave states" was a contentious and hotly debated issue. declared martial law in August 1861, giving Union forces broad powers to suppress those who resisted Union control. [119], Anderson left the Centralia area on September 27, pursued for the first time by Union forces equipped with artillery. [130] Price was disgusted that Anderson used scalps to decorate his horse, and would not speak with him until he removed them. Todd rested his men in July to allow them to prepare for a Confederate invasion of Missouri. Jesse James. 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. [77][78] His fearsome reputation gave a fillip to his recruiting efforts. Death 27 Oct 1864 (aged 24-25) Albany, Ray County, Missouri, USA. NPS Ozark Historic Research Study (Submitted on October 1, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. Union leaders branded bushwhackers as outlaws, issuing multiple orders to suppress guerilla activities. 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. On July 17, 1862, Confederate Gen. Thomas Hindman issued the Missouri Partisan Ranger Act. [74] By August, the St. Joseph Herald, a Missouri newspaper, was describing him as "the Devil". For the American Revolutionary War loyalist, see, Anderson's middle name is unknown. A Note on Sources Many bushwhackers wore a distinctive shirt, such as this one on T.F. [3] His schoolmates recalled him as a well-behaved, reserved child. 2. 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 U.S. Government provided a veteran's tombstone for Anderson's grave in 1967. . He thought the cashier was an informant. Marshal, but spoke amicably with an acquaintance he found there. The Andersons barricaded the door to the basement and set the store on fire, killing Baker and his brother-in-law. While they rested at the house, a group of local men attacked. . [13] Anderson had told a neighbor that he sought to fight for financial reasons rather than out of loyalty to the Confederacy. [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. They relied on knowledge of the local terrain for survival. 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. 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. Residents. arms army asked attack August Baker band began better Bill Anderson Bloody Bill body brother bushwhackers called camp Castel Centralia City Clark close commander Company Confederate. Quantrill and other guerrillas nonetheless sought and sometimes received formal Confederate commissions as partisan rangers. [140][139] He left the area with 150 men. [105] Anderson gave the civilian hostages permission to leave but warned them not to put out fires or move bodies. [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. [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. "An unusual event made a guerrilla out of William Anderson. Posted on 19th March 2021. [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. [124] Anderson watched the fire from nearby bluffs. Anderson was fatally shot twice in the back of the head. ; Battle of Lexington State Historic Site in Lexington, Mo. The Union troops took his body to Richmond, Mo. [52] Not satisfied with the number killed, Anderson and Todd wished to attack the fort again, but Quantrill considered another attack too risky. 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. Desperate to put a stop to Anderson's bloodshed, the Union Army eventually raised a small militia to hunt him down. so there couldn't have been that many to obtain from citizens. Bloody Bill was played by John Russell who played Marshall Stockburn in Pale Rider. 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. Actor: Rio Bravo. Dec 28, 2022. En route, they entered Baxter Springs, Kansas, the site of Fort Blair. . [25] Quantrill was at the time the most prominent guerrilla leader in the KansasMissouri area. Anderson was upset by the critical tone of the coverage and sent letters to the publications. Unexpectedly, his men were able to capture a passenger train, the first time Confederate guerrillas had done so. [102] This was the first capture of a Union passenger train in the war. However, his gun of choice was said to be the Dance .44 caliber cap and ball revolver. 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. [93] However, a guerrilla fired his weapon before they reached the town, and the cavalry garrisoned in the town quickly withdrew into their fort while civilians hid. Anderson was fatally shot twice in the back of the head. Now that statement is a little murky. Gen. Thomas C. Hindman was the head of the Confederate Army's Trans Mississippi Department in Little Rock, Ark. Bloody Bill's Guns Bill Langley had used a number of different guns during his career as a killer. Pioneer Cemetery. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. [99][100] As the guerrillas robbed the stagecoach passengers, a train arrived. 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. Reid draws a parallel between the bashi-bazouks of the Ottoman Army and Anderson's guerrillas, arguing that they behaved similarly.[168]. Partisan Warfare in the American Civil War. [85], In early August, Anderson and his men traveled to Clay County. At the end of P.R. Touch for a list and map of all markers in Richmond. [45] The guerrillas under Anderson's command, notably including Archie Clement and Frank James, killed more than any of the other group. So they couldn't have obtained many from the Infantry. [145], Union soldiers identified Anderson by a letter found in his pocket and paraded his body through the streets of Richmond, Missouri. [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. After hearing of the engagement, General Fisk commanded a colonel to lead a party with the sole aim of killing Anderson. 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. Anderson, perhaps falsely, implicated Quantrill in a murder, leading to the latter's arrest by Confederate authorities.