[167], In a study of 19th-century warfare, historian James Reid posited that Anderson suffered from delusional paranoia, which exacerbated his aggressive, sadistic personality. Anyway, as Baker had achieved his mission & as Anderson & his troops entered the ambush. While they were confined, the building collapsed, killing one of Anderson's sisters. Nate's Nonsense: William T. "Bloody Bill" Anderson As a general rule, bushwhackers would attack quickly and withdraw if. Bloody Bill Anderson - movieneon.com Anthony Edwards as "Goose" in Top Gun (1986) : On July 15, 1864 "Bloody Bill" Anderson returned home. Similarly, Jesse James' brother Frank became . Cartridge belts standard with up to 18 bullet loops in your [] On October 2, a group of 450 guerrillas under Quantrill's leadership met at Blackwater River in Jackson County and left for Texas. Again, were those 2 pistols found on the horse or were there more as Cox's statement was in the plural. I do not claim to be an expert on guerrilla warfare in Missouri but am a student of the war in general. "An unusual event made a guerrilla out of William Anderson. The muzzle-loaders required no special ammunition or training and were effective out to about seventy-five or one hundred yards. They also targeted strategically important infrastructure like bridges, telegraph lines and railroads. Violence dropped in the area affected by Order No. However, his gun of choice was said to be the Dance .44 caliber cap and ball revolver. The U.S. Government provided a veteran's tombstone for Anderson's grave in 1967. . View character biography, pictures and memorable quotes. As soon as the company attains the strength required by law it will proceed to elect the other officers to which it is entitled. In early 1863 he joined Quantrill's Raiders, a group of Confederate guerrillas which operated along the KansasMissouri border. [144] Four other guerrillas were killed in the attack. Anderson led a band that targeted Union loyalists and Federal soldiers in Missouri and Kansas. Bill and Jim Anderson soon after this drifted off to the Sni Hills, in Missouri, where they had relatives. Anderson and his companion "took a negro girl of 12 or 13 years old into . 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). Quantrill's Guerillas and William Anderson "Bloody Bill" They buried him in an unmarked grave in Richmond's Pioneer Cemetery. They also burnt Baker's home and stole two of his horses before returning to Missouri on the Santa Fe Trail. Anderson was under Quantrill's command, but independently organized some attacks. They used any weapon available to them. ; Battle of Lexington State Historic Site in Lexington, Mo. Pioneer Cemetery. [133] The group then traveled west, disregarding the mission assigned by General Price[134] in favor of looting. They relied on knowledge of the local terrain for survival. [Map inset] Nearby Civil War attractions include Pioneer Cemetery and Ray County Museum in Richmond, Mo. [54] During the winter, Anderson married Bush Smith, a woman from Sherman, Texas. [14] However, the group was attacked by the Union's 6th Regiment Kansas Volunteer Cavalry in Vernon County, Missouri;[e] the cavalry likely assumed they were Confederate guerrillas. 1:27. Anderson, perhaps falsely, implicated Quantrill in a murder, leading to the latter's arrest by Confederate authorities. Below is one of the articles written by Brownwood Banner - Bulletin staff writer Henry C. Fuller after Interviewing William C. "Bloody Bill" Anderson of Quantrill's Guerrillas of the Civil War at his home at Salt Creek, Brown County, Texas in 1924. These "guerrilla shirts" were pullovers with a deep v-neckline and four large pockets. ; and Confederate Memorial State Historic Site in Higginsville, Mo. Stories about Anderson's brutality during the War were legion. [58], A short time later, one of Anderson's men was accused of stealing from one of Quantrill's men. After Frank and Jesse James joined the Anderson band, they robbed a train of $3,000 and executed 25 Union soldiers on board. Born about 1839 in Kentucky, the family early moved to Missouri, where William grew up near the town of Huntsville in Randolph County. Residents. In 1908, the ex-guerrillas and former outlaws Jim Cummins and Cole Younger arranged for a funeral service at Anderson's gravesite. He protested the execution of guerrillas and their sympathizers, and threatened to attack Lexington, Missouri. William T. Anderson - Wikipedia Pin on Leather museum - Pinterest The Tactical Genius of Bloody Bill Anderson by Sean McLachlan 2/13/2018 His ruthless nature earned his moniker and obscured a flair for strategy. 100, in April 1863, set a national policy, outlining guerrillas and their treatment. from Wichita State University and his Ph.D. in History and Political Science from the University of Chicago. William Thomas Anderson was born in Randolph County, Missouri in 1837, the exact date and location of his birth, remain uncertain. [83] On August 1, while searching for militia members, Anderson and some of his men stopped at a house full of women and requested food. I will have to go through my library to see what I can find. [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. 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. [42] The Provost Marshal of Kansas, a Union captain who commanded military police, surrendered to the guerrillas and Anderson took his uniform[43] (guerrillas often wore uniforms stolen from Union soldiers). [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. Bloody Bill Anderson. [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. The Man Who Killed Quantrill. [127] Although many of them wished to execute this Union hostage, Anderson refused to allow it. Confederate States Army. Some, like the veterans attending the bushwacker reunions under Quantrill's vacant gaze, managed to adjust to post-war life. I. [50] Shortly after the initial assault, a larger group of Union troops approached Fort Blair, unaware the fort had been attacked and that the men they saw outside the fort dressed in Union uniforms were actually disguised guerrillas. [98] They found a large supply of whiskey and all began drinking. As armies march across America from 1861 to 1865, other combatants shot soldiers from ambush and terrorized civilians of opposing loyalties in a fierce guerrilla war. The guerrillas blocked the railroad, forcing the train to stop. [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. [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. Gen. Henry Halleck. They were still suffering from the wounds inflicted by Jayhawkers in their attempt to murder them while being held as prisoners during the summer of 1863. In addition, it is included in the Missouri - A State Divided: The Civil War in Missouri series list. Marker is on Thornton Street north of Main Street (State Highway 10), on the left when traveling north. The Missouri act was an offshoot of the Confederate Partisan Ranger Act instituted by Confederate President Jefferson Davis in April 1862. Answer: Coffeyville. He retained 84 men and reunited with Anderson. Bloody Bill Anderson was a character played by John Russell in the 1976 film 'The Outlaw Josey Wales' directed by Clint Eastwood. [29], In early summer 1863, Anderson was made a lieutenant, serving in a unit led by George M. Todd. The reason for the bloody raid that left nearly two hundred men dead and caused between $1 million and $1.5 million in damage (in 1863 dollars) is still the subject of speculation. . They claimed to be fighting for the Confederacy, but in fact, their murdering and looting benefited only their pocketbooks. [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. [13], Upon his return to Kansas, Anderson continued horse trafficking, but ranchers in the area soon became aware of his operations. They had hoped to attack a train, but its conductor learned of their presence and turned back before reaching the town. Add to your list and mine, Bloody Bill Anderson for he was a ruthless, vicious killer. After camping near New Hope Church in Fort Henry about. Depending on which side you asked, these bushwhackers were either heroes or criminals. They used it to attack other boats, bringing river traffic to a virtual halt. Many bushwhackers wore a distinctive shirt, such as this one on T.F. Local citizens demanded possession of the corpse. Also see . This would effectively put Bloody Bill on the list of about 450 confederate guerrillas who rode into Lawrence on that fateful day. Raised by a family of Southerners in Kansas, Anderson began to support himself by stealing and selling horses in 1862. [139], Union military leaders assigned Lieutenant Colonel Samuel P. Cox to kill Anderson, providing him with a group of experienced soldiers. The Union troops took his body to Richmond, Mo. The Guerrilla Lifestyle , The life of a guerrilla was difficult and violent. [119], Anderson left the Centralia area on September 27, pursued for the first time by Union forces equipped with artillery. Smaller bands avoided fights with larger detachments of Union soldiers, preferring to ambush stragglers or loot Union supporters and their property. They often used unorthodox tactics to fight Union troops, such as using a small party of horsemen to lure them into an ambush. [25] Quantrill was at the time the most prominent guerrilla leader in the KansasMissouri area. [111] Anderson then led a charge up the hill. One of the leading authorities on the Civil War in the western theater, Albert Edward Castel earned his B.A. Bloody Bill's Guns Bill Langley had used a number of different guns during his career as a killer. You may have your own list of heartless maniacal killers. Anderson, William William T. "Bloody Bill" Anderson was born in Kentucky in 1839; he migrated with his family from Missouri to the Council Grove, Kansas area before the war. Answer: He mistook the cashier for Samuel P Cox, the killer of 'Bloody Bill' Anderson. Relatives of William T. Ander - Genealogy.com Other nearby markers. One way he sought to prove that loyalty was by severing his ties with Anderson's sister Mary, his former lover. [65], On July 6, a Confederate sympathizer brought Anderson newspapers containing articles about him. [145], Union soldiers identified Anderson by a letter found in his pocket and paraded his body through the streets of Richmond, Missouri. [64] The next day, in southeast Jackson County, Anderson's group ambushed a wagon train carrying members of the Union 1st Northeast Missouri Cavalry, killing nine. several of Anderson's men were cut down immediately & Anderson & 2 more continued but just a short distance when they were cut down. [75] As Anderson's profile increased, he was able to recruit more guerrillas. [153], Archie Clement led the guerrillas after Anderson's death, but the group splintered by mid-November. 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. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The Bushwhacker in Missouri. Bloody Bill Anderson: The Short, Savage Life of a Civil He favored swift execution of captured guerrillas. For the American Revolutionary War loyalist, see, Anderson's middle name is unknown. Anderson led a band of volunteer partisan raiders who targeted Union loyalists and federal soldiers in the states of Missouri and Kansas. There is a new generation of Westerns, typified by the work of writer/actor/producer Taylor Sheridan in the prequel to his hit show Yellowstone (2018), titled 1883 (2022). The partisans would have had to encounter only the Cavalry to obtain anywhere near that amount. William "Bloody Bill" Anderson | American Experience | PBS 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. Confederate leaders were unsure about guerrillas. Anderson and his men camped with at least 300 men, including Todd. 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. [70] On July 15, Anderson and his men entered Huntsville, Missouri and occupied the town's business district. They relied on knowledge of the local terrain for survival. 2. They later fought under "Bloody Bill" Anderson . [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. Bushwhackers were involved in Price's 1864 Raid, the last official Confederate campaign in Missouri. He worked with his brother Jim, their friend Lee Griffith and several accomplices strung along the Santa Fe Trail. The cashier pulled a gun on him and James killed him in self-defence. [126] The Union soldier held captive at Centralia was impressed with the control Anderson exercised over his men. And that is the terrible truth of the story of Bloody Bill Anderson. [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. He became a skilled bushwhacker, earning the trust of the group's leaders, William Quantrill and George M. Todd. The decree exiled about 10,000 people in Jackson, Cass, Bates and northern Vernon counties in Missouri. In 1976, the book was adapted into a film, The Outlaw Josey Wales, which portrays a man who joins Anderson's gang after his wife is killed by Union-backed raiders. One one hand, they were useful, serving to tie down Union forces. After he returned to Council Grove he began horse trading, taking horses from towns in Kansas, transporting them to Missouri and returning with more horses. They attacked the fort on October 6, but the 90 Union troops there quickly took refuge inside, suffering minimal losses. A wide-brimmed slouch hat was the headgear of choice. The two were prominent Unionists and hid their identities from the guerrillas. After hearing of the engagement, General Fisk commanded a colonel to lead a party with the sole aim of killing Anderson. Even before Union forces finally shot him down in his final gunfight, the man called Bloody Bill had become equal parts legend and infamous nightmare. [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. Bloody Bill Anderson t-shirt | Tightrope Records Touch for directions. As a general rule, bushwhackers would attack quickly and withdraw if they began receiving serious casualties. Anderson, William "Bloody Bill" | Civil War on the Western Border: The [33] In August 1863, however, Union General Thomas Ewing, Jr. attempted to thwart the guerrillas by arresting their female relatives,[34] and Anderson's sisters were confined in a three-story building on Grand Avenue in Kansas City with a number of other girls. This is his story. Location. 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. A low-level conflict had already been raging in the Missouri-Kansas borderlands in the years preceding the outbreak of the Civil War. Jesse James and his brother Frank were among the Missourians who joined Anderson; both of them later became notorious outlaws. Dec 28, 2022. . [21] Anderson and his gang subsequently traveled east of Jackson County, Missouri, avoiding territory where Quantrill operated and continuing to support themselves by robbery. Marker is on the Ray County Courthouse grounds. In 1908, the ex-guerrillas and former outlaws Jim Cummins and Cole Younger arranged for a funeral service at Anderson's gravesite. They murdered my family when I was a schoolboy and I was launched into a life of shooting, reprisals and rough-riding." Historians have made disparate appraisals of Anderson; some see him as a sadistic, psychopathic killer, while others put his actions into the perspective of the general desperation and lawlessness of the time and the brutalization effect of war. [102] This was the first capture of a Union passenger train in the war. William T. Anderson (1839 - 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.Anderson led a band of Missouri Partisan rangers* that targeted Union loyalists and Federal soldiers in Missouri and Kansas. My 1888 Luscomb #b. [156] Jim Anderson moved to Sherman, Texas, with his two sisters. However, he was quickly released owing to a problem with the warrant, and fled to Agnes City, fearing he would be lynched. Although Union supporters viewed him as incorrigibly evil, Confederate supporters in Missouri saw his actions as justifiable. Anderson led a band of volunteer partisan raiders who targeted Union loyalists and federal soldiers in the states of Missouri and Kansas. Missouri's southern sympathizers hated Union Brig. [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. General Orders No. Death Valley: The Revenge of Bloody Bill - Wikipedia In October of 1864, Anderson's unit was trapped and outnumbered in Missouri, and 'Bloody Bill' was killed when he charged the Union troops. The Texas Gun Collector article suggested the family had indicated John Shanton owned a farm in Missouri where Frank and Jesse James would hide out. CPT William T. "Bloody Bill" Anderson - Find a Grave As he entered the building he was restrained by a constable and fatally shot by Baker. Doing some quick math on the number of men who rode with Quantrill, numbers around 700 ( those who can be named), maybe more. [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. [106] Although he was alerted to the congressman's presence in the town, he opted not to search for him. Location: Missouri, United States. At the end of P.R. They opposed the Union army in Missouri for a variety of reasons. It is said that "Bloody Bill" Anderson carried six to eight revolvers with him at any point. 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. 6 guns of ouTlaWs Residue of WaRThe RaideRs 7 [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. [76] Anderson was selective, turning away all but the fiercest applicants, as he sought fighters similar to himself. [88] On August 27, Union soldiers killed at least three of Anderson's men in an engagement near Rocheport. This action angered his men, who saw themselves as the protectors of women, but Anderson dismissed their concerns, saying such things were inevitable. Etsy Search for items or shops Close search Skip to Content Sign in 0 Cart Gifts for Every Valentine Jewelry & Accessories [155] As the Confederacy collapsed, most of Anderson's men joined Quantrill's forces or traveled to Texas. [135] After Confederate forces under General Joseph O. Shelby conquered Glasgow, Anderson traveled to the city to loot. [2] During his childhood, Anderson's family moved to Huntsville, Missouri, where his father found employment on a farm and the family became well-respected. [29] In the resulting skirmish, several raiders were captured or killed and the rest of the guerrillas, including Anderson, split into small groups to return to Missouri. 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. Erected by Missouri State Parks. [85], In early August, Anderson and his men traveled to Clay County. He favored swift execution of captured guerrillas. The attacks prompted the Kansas City Daily Journal of Commerce to declare that rebels had taken over the area. [86], On August 13, Anderson and his men traveled through Ray County, Missouri, to the Missouri River, where they engaged Union militia. Many bushwhackers wore a distinctive shirt, such as this one on T.F. The film follows a group of people trying to survive while stranded in Sunset Valley, a desert ghost town inhabited by the murderous spirit of Confederate war criminal, William T. Anderson and his horde of zombies. [32], Quantrill's Raiders had an extensive support network in Missouri that provided them with numerous hiding places. [159] Three biographies of Anderson were written after 1975. [110] By mid-afternoon, the 39th Missouri Volunteer Infantry had arrived in Centralia. The Tactical Genius of Bloody Bill Anderson - HistoryNet Fucking legend. 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. Bloody Bill was played by John Russell who played Marshall Stockburn in Pale Rider. 11. Anderson was fatally shot twice in the back of the head. [6] Kansas was at the time embroiled in an ideological conflict regarding its admission to the Union as slave or free, and both pro-slavery activists and abolitionists had moved there in attempts to influence its ultimate status. This historical marker was erected by Missouri State Parks. [31] By late July, Anderson led groups of guerrillas on raids and was often pursued by Union volunteer cavalry. 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. 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. [116] Anderson achieved the same notoriety Quantrill had previously enjoyed, and he began to refer to himself as "Colonel Anderson", partly in an effort to supplant Quantrill. On the other hand, the use of tactics like arson, robbery and murder seemed beyond the bounds of honorable combat. [57] Quantrill appointed him a first lieutenant, subordinate only to himself and to Todd. [60] Sutherland described Anderson's betrayal of Quantrill as a "Judas" turn. The life of a guerrilla was difficult and violent. The Union troops took his body to Richmond, Mo. [69], In early July, Anderson's group robbed and killed several Union sympathizers in Carroll and Randolph counties. They tortured him until he was near death and sent word to the man's son in an unsuccessful attempt to lure him into an ambush, before releasing the father with instructions to spread word of his mistreatment. Quantrill expelled him and warned him not to come back, and the man was fatally shot by some of Quantrill's men when he attempted to return. [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. Gen. Henry Halleck's General Orders No. [150][h] Flowers were placed at his grave, to the chagrin of Union soldiers. They acquired arms where they could, including taking what was left behind on the battlefield. Bill Anderson | Ray County Museum There he met Baker, who temporarily placated him by providing a lawyer. 3916.725N, 9358.603W. Marker is in Richmond, Missouri, in Ray County. Soon after Anderson left Glasgow, a local woman saw him and told Cox of his presence. [35] In the aftermath, rumors that the building had been intentionally sabotaged by Union soldiers spread quickly;[36] Anderson was convinced it had been a deliberate act. Life of a Guerrilla in Missouri | The Civil War in Missouri In one of the passenger cars they found 23 unarmed Union soldiers on furlough and headed home on leave. Concluding that eliminating the bushw[h]acker's support network would. Two hesitated coming down the steps. [143] The victory made a hero of Cox and led to his promotion. [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. [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. William T. Anderson was one of the most notorious Confederate guerrillas of the Civil War. [115] The attack led to a near-complete halt in rail traffic in the area and a dramatic increase in Union rail security. The next day, the elder Anderson traveled to the Council Grove courthouse with a gun, intending to force Baker to withdraw the warrant. On October 26, 1864, the notorious Confederate guerrilla leader William "Bloody Bill" Anderson is killed in Missouri in a Union ambush. [Map inset] Nearby Civil War attractions include Pioneer Cemetery and Ray County Museum in Richmond, Mo. "Bloody Bill" redirects here. The act sanctioned guerrilla activities against the Union army while attempting to gain some measure of control over the guerrillas. The Guerrilla Lifestyle 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. If they were Bill's, he would have had 7 pistols on his person which to me is a little hard to believe.