Richard Cordley

Account of William C. Quantrill's 1863 Raid on Lawrence, Kansas
First published separately in 1863, 1895, and 1903

A survivor details a bloody massacre of civilians

"[The guerrillas'] horses scarcely seemed to touch the ground, and the riders sat upon them with bodies erect and arms perfectly free with revolvers on full cock, shooting at every house and man they passed, and yelling like demons at every bound."

During the American Civil War, organized bands of Confederate fighters known as guerrillas were an important factor in the struggle for control of Missouri, Kansas, western Virginia, and other regions in question. These guerrillas—also known in the North as bushwhackers and in the South as rangers—launched repeated raids against Union supply lines, outposts, and patrols on behalf of the Confederacy. Bands of pro-Union guerrillas known as "jayhawkers" also...

[The entire page is 4595 words long]

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