Residents. While on public display, a local photographer documented his death. [106] Although he was alerted to the congressman's presence in the town, he opted not to search for him. 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. After camping near New Hope Church in Fort Henry about. [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. [113] One Union officer reached Centralia and gave word of the ambush, allowing a few Union soldiers who had remained there to escape. These regiments were composed of troops from out of state, who sometimes mistreated local residents, further motivating the guerrillas and their supporters. [Map inset] Nearby Civil War attractions include Pioneer Cemetery and Ray County Museum in Richmond, Mo. The tension between the two groups markedly increasedsome feared open warfare would resultbut by the time of the wedding, relations had improved. [129] Anderson presented him with a gift of fine Union pistols, likely captured at Centralia. [153], Archie Clement led the guerrillas after Anderson's death, but the group splintered by mid-November. In 1857, the family moved to Kansas and William worked for a time . 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. The Gun manufacturers did not provide extra cylinders for each firearm sold. Handsome, rugged American leading man John Russell (whose credits are often confused with those of child actor Johnny Russell) attended the University of California, where he was a student athlete. 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. 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. Burial. Some bands of guerrillas, like William Quantrill's, had 400 or more members, but most were much smaller. As Quantrill and Todd became less active, "Bloody Bill" Anderson emerged as the best-known, and most feared, Confederate guerrilla in Missouri. [59] It is likely that this incident angered Anderson, who then took 20 men to visit the town of Sherman. Date Posted: 8/12/2009 1:51:23 PM. 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. 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 (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. [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. [43] Anderson personally killed 14 people. There were those that came & went and the largest number had to have been the raid on Lawrence. William T. Anderson was one of the most notorious Confederate guerrillas of the Civil War. William "Bloody Bill" Anderson . Quantrill disliked the idea because the town was fortified, but Anderson and Todd prevailed. [94], On September 26, Anderson and his men reached Monroe County, Missouri,[95] and traveled towards Paris, but learned of other nearby guerrillas and rendezvoused with them near Audrain County. From Donald Hale's book " They call him Bloody Bill" it stated that Cox had sent a Lt. Baker to act as bait to lure Bill & his troops into an ambush. Union troops set his body up for public viewing and photos at the Richmond, Missouri courthouse. [85], In early August, Anderson and his men traveled to Clay County. After hearing their accusations against his sons, he was incensedhe found Baker's involvement particularly infuriating. "Born in Kentucky in 1839 before moving to Missouri and eventually living in Kansas when the Civil War started, Bill Anderson soon earned the nom de plume "Bloody Bill.". At the end of P.R. Missouri's southern sympathizers hated Union Brig. . [16] In May 1862, Judge Baker issued an arrest warrant for Griffith, whom Anderson helped hide. 100% heavyweight Gildan brand cotton t-shirt. Born in Kentucky in 1839 before moving to Missouri and eventually living in Kansas when the Civil War started, Bill Anderson soon earned the nom de plume "Bloody Bill." An unusual event made a guerrilla out of William Anderson. 0:02. Marker is on Thornton Street north of Main Street (State Highway 10), on the left when traveling north. Anderson's horse, saddle & 2 pistols were presented later to a general. [58], A short time later, one of Anderson's men was accused of stealing from one of Quantrill's men. [75] As Anderson's profile increased, he was able to recruit more guerrillas. [44] They proceeded to pillage and burn many buildings, killing almost every man they found, but taking care not to shoot women. By the time the war started, Missouri's pro-rebel guerrillas were known as . [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. On July 17, 1862, Confederate Gen. Thomas Hindman issued the Missouri Partisan Ranger Act. The Wild West Extravaganza is a history podcast that delves into the fascinating and often tumultuous world of the American Old West. [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". ; Battle of Albany Civil War Marker near Orrick, Mo. (, 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. The Fate of the Bushwhackers , Confederate leaders were unsure about guerrillas. The order was intended to undermine the guerrillas' support network in Missouri. Anderson was told to recapture him and gave chase, but he was unable to locate his former commander and stopped at a creek. Unexpectedly, his men were able to capture a passenger train, the first time Confederate guerrillas had done so. 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. On July 15, 1864 "Bloody Bill" Anderson returned home. It was Anderson's greatest victory, surpassing Lawrence and Baxter Springs in brutality and the number of casualties. 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. [102] This was the first capture of a Union passenger train in the war. [19] Baker and his brother-in-law brought the man to a store, where they were ambushed by the Anderson brothers. [80] In 1863, most Union troops left Missouri and only four regiments remained there. One one hand, they were useful, serving to tie down Union forces. 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. Depending on which side you asked, these bushwhackers were either heroes or criminals. He then ordered and conducted the massacre soldiers. Union leaders branded bushwhackers as outlaws, issuing multiple orders to suppress guerilla activities. Their families and other local Confederate sympathizers supplied them with shelter, food, medical care and tactical information about Union activities. [127] Although many of them wished to execute this Union hostage, Anderson refused to allow it. He took a leading role in the Lawrence Massacre and later took part in the Battle of Baxter Springs, both in 1863. [53], On October 12, Quantrill and his men met General Samuel Cooper at the Canadian River and proceeded to Mineral Springs, Texas, to rest for the winter. I have also read it was several Cavalry troopers, but that is another story. Barbed Wire Press. Local citizens demanded possession of the corpse. 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. [70] On July 15, Anderson and his men entered Huntsville, Missouri and occupied the town's business district. Anderson subsequently returned to Missouri as the leader of his own group of raiders and became the most feared guerrilla in the state, robbing and killing a large number of Union soldiers and civilian sympathizers. The rapid rate of fire made the revolver perfect for the quick attacks executed by these men. 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. Doing some quick math on the number of men who rode with Quantrill, numbers around 700 ( those who can be named), maybe more. In early 1863 he joined Quantrill's Raiders, a group of Confederate guerrillas which operated along the KansasMissouri border. Again, everyone can have an opinion about that statement. [4] In 1857, they relocated to the Kansas Territory, traveling southwest on the Santa Fe Trail and settling 13 miles (21km) east of Council Grove. Although some men begged him to spare them, he persisted, only relenting when a woman pleaded with him not to torch her house. [135] After Confederate forces under General Joseph O. Shelby conquered Glasgow, Anderson traveled to the city to loot. 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. Smaller bands avoided fights with larger detachments of Union soldiers, preferring to ambush stragglers or loot Union supporters and their property. You certainly wouldn't do that aboard a horse. [86], On August 13, Anderson and his men traveled through Ray County, Missouri, to the Missouri River, where they engaged Union militia. [143] The victory made a hero of Cox and led to his promotion. He was quite fast with a pair of Colt Dragoons, but he killed Wilson Anderson with a shotgun loaded with birdshot. 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. The guerrillas, however, quickly learned the signals, and local citizens became wary of Union troops, fearing that they were disguised guerrillas. After the attack, one of Anderson's guerrillas scalped a dead militiaman. 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. 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. 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. [119], Anderson left the Centralia area on September 27, pursued for the first time by Union forces equipped with artillery. The notorious Bloody Bill was killed in a Union ambush in Missouri. 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. Jesse James. Fucking legend. If they were Bill's, he would have had 7 pistols on his person which to me is a little hard to believe. The Union troops took his body to Richmond, Mo. [152] In 1967, a memorial stone was placed at the grave. [71] Anderson killed one hotel guest whom he suspected was a U.S. declared martial law in August 1861, giving Union forces broad powers to suppress those who resisted Union control. 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. As a general rule, bushwhackers would attack quickly and withdraw if. A lot of the federal troops in Missouri were Infantry & only the officer's would have pistols. Anderson was outraged and went to Missouri with his siblings. The Missouri act was an offshoot of the Confederate Partisan Ranger Act instituted by Confederate President Jefferson Davis in April 1862. 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. Anderson's men mutilated the bodies, earning the guerrillas the description of "incarnate fiends" from the Columbia Missouri Statesman. Bill and Jim Anderson soon after this drifted off to the Sni Hills, in Missouri, where they had relatives. Quantrill and other guerrillas nonetheless sought and sometimes received formal Confederate commissions as partisan rangers. In 1908, the ex-guerrillas and former outlaws Jim Cummins and Cole Younger arranged for a funeral service at Anderson's gravesite. [130] Price was disgusted that Anderson used scalps to decorate his horse, and would not speak with him until he removed them. The most infamous order came in response to a brutal guerilla attack on Lawrence, Kan. The trip was not successful and he returned to Missouri without the shipment, saying his horses had disappeared with the cargo. [122] In the aftermath of the massacre, Union soldiers committed several revenge killings of Confederate-sympathizing civilians. After hearing of the engagement, General Fisk commanded a colonel to lead a party with the sole aim of killing Anderson. This is his story. If they were Bill's, he would have had 7 pistols on his person which to me is a little hard to believe. World War Memorial (here, next to this marker); World War II and Korean War Memorial (a few steps from this marker); Vietnam War Memorial (a few steps from this marker); Richmond (within shouting distance of this marker); Pvt. The act sanctioned guerrilla activities against the Union army while attempting to gain some measure of control over the guerrillas. "Bloody" Bill Anderson (1840-1864), the most prolific mass murderer on the American frontier. Similarly, Jesse James' brother Frank became . 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. The Andersons barricaded the door to the basement and set the store on fire, killing Baker and his brother-in-law. The Union militias sometimes rode slower horses and may have been intimidated by Anderson's reputation. [98] They found a large supply of whiskey and all began drinking. On October 26, 1864, the notorious Confederate guerrilla leader William "Bloody Bill" Anderson is killed in Missouri in a Union ambush. Fueling this conflict was a dispute over whether Kansas should be a slave-holding state or not. [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. They had hoped to attack a train, but its conductor learned of their presence and turned back before reaching the town. They soon arrived at the small town of Centralia and proceeded to loot it, robbing people and searching the town for valuables. A Note on Sources Relatives of William T. Anderson , known as "Bloody Bill". He became a skilled bushwhacker, earning the trust of the group's leaders, William Quantrill and George M. Todd. He favored swift execution of captured guerrillas. My 1888 Luscomb #b. , Cole Younger, 1913. Bloody Bill Anderson - Lies and Sensationalism. They acquired arms where they could, including taking what was left behind on the battlefield. The Union troops took his body to Richmond, Mo. The Missouri act was an offshoot of the Confederate Partisan Ranger Act instituted by Confederate President Jefferson Davis in April 1862. "Bring Lieutenant Coleman to me." On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. On the other hand, the use of tactics like arson, robbery and murder seemed beyond the bounds of honorable combat. The guerrillas gathered at the Blackwater River in Johnson County, Missouri. Anderson himself was killed a month later in battle. [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. [123] They burned Rocheport to the ground on October 2; the town was under close scrutiny by Union forces, owing to the number of Confederate sympathizers there, but General Fisk maintained that the fire was accidental. Gen. Thomas Ewing issued General Orders No. William T. Anderson was born around 1840 in Hopkins County, Kentucky, to William C. and Martha Anderson. [158] He was later discussed in biographies of Quantrill, which typically cast Anderson as an inveterate murderer. [65], On July 6, a Confederate sympathizer brought Anderson newspapers containing articles about him. [109], Anderson arrived at the guerrilla camp and described the day's events, the brutality of which unsettled Todd. Bushwhacker activities in Missouri increased as a response to Federal occupation and increasingly brutal attacks and raids by Kansas soldiers, or jayhawkers. It could be interpreted that the bugler picked up a total of 6 pistols that belonged, possibly to the other men that fell with Anderson. Official Records of the American Civil War, "Sideshow no longer: A historiographical review of the guerrilla war", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=William_T._Anderson&oldid=1137633714, People of Missouri in the American Civil War, People with sadistic personality disorder, Confederate States of America military personnel killed in the American Civil War, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Use shortened footnotes from November 2022, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 5 February 2023, at 17:50. They often used unorthodox tactics to fight Union troops, such as using a small party of horsemen to lure them into an ambush. They also burnt Baker's home and stole two of his horses before returning to Missouri on the Santa Fe Trail. [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. Raised by a family of Southerners in Kansas, Anderson began to support himself by stealing and selling horses in 1862. His family had been living in Council Grove, Territory of Kansas at the . William Quantrill and William "Bloody Bill" Anderson are well-known bushwhacker leaders in Missouri. Brown had devoted significant attention to the border area, Anderson led raids in Cooper County and Johnson County, Missouri, robbing local residents. [124] Anderson watched the fire from nearby bluffs. Usually a wife, sister, mother or sweetheart used ribbons, shells and needlework to create the ellaborately [sic] decorated shirts. 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. Also see . 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. CPT William T. "Bloody Bill" Anderson Famous memorial Birth 1839. Community & Conflict website entry (Submitted on October 1, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.) It is possible that Jim Anderson might have married Bloody Bill's widow IF the 22 August 1866 marriage of J. M. Anderson and Malinda Anderson was the marriage of James Madison Anderson and Malinda Bush Smith. 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. Its frame and grip initially matched the Navy in size, but Colt later lengthened the grip to absorb. 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. [76] Anderson was selective, turning away all but the fiercest applicants, as he sought fighters similar to himself. Concluding that eliminating the bushw[h]acker's support network would. William Anderson was initially given a chilly reception from other raiders, who perceived him to be brash and overconfident. I will have to go through my library to see what I can find. [1] By 1860, the young William T. Anderson was a joint owner of a 320-acre (1.3km2) property that was worth $500;[c] his family had a total net worth of around $1,000. Although Union supporters viewed him as incorrigibly evil, Confederate supporters in Missouri saw his actions as justifiable. [13], Upon his return to Kansas, Anderson continued horse trafficking, but ranchers in the area soon became aware of his operations. They relied on knowledge of the local terrain for survival. Anderson ordered them outside the car and lined up in two files. Missouri's southern sympathizers hated Union Brig. Anderson was known for his brutality towards Union soldiers, and pro Union partisans, who were called Jayhawkers. Raised by a family of Southerners in Kansas, Anderson began to support himself by stealing and selling horses in 1862. [143] Only Anderson and one other man, the son of a Confederate general, continued to charge after the others had retreated. His family had been living in Council Grove, Territory of Kansas, at the start of the war. Gen. Henry Halleck's General Orders No. Born in the late 1830s, Anderson led a band of volunteer partisan raiders who targeted Union loyalists and federal soldiers in the states of Missouri and Kansas. [110] By mid-afternoon, the 39th Missouri Volunteer Infantry had arrived in Centralia. [108] Anderson's band then rode back to their camp, taking a large amount of looted goods. [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. Gen. Thomas C. Hindman was the head of the Confederate Army's Trans Mississippi Department in Little Rock, Ark. several of Anderson's men were cut down immediately & Anderson & 2 more continued but just a short distance when they were cut down. Erected by Missouri State Parks. [47] The raiding party was pursued by Union forces but eventually managed to break contact with the soldiers and scatter into the Missouri woods. [Photo captions, clockwise from top left, read] , . [97], On the morning of September 27, 1864, Anderson left his camp with about 75 men to scout for Union forces. 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. Casey, you have me at a slight disadvantage at the moment in that I have to rely on my memory from what I have read. After the robbery, the group was intercepted by a United States Marshal accompanied by a large posse,[28] about 150 miles (240km) from the KansasMissouri border. [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. Their families and other local Confederate sympathizers supplied them with shelter, food, medical care and tactical information about Union activities. He was, however, impressed by the effectiveness of Anderson's attacks. 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. [159] Three biographies of Anderson were written after 1975. Bushwhackers and Jayhawkers. Anyway, this has been a very interesting thread & we can agree that we each have an opinion on this matter. [144] Four other guerrillas were killed in the attack. Two hesitated coming down the steps. They also targeted strategically important infrastructure like bridges, telegraph lines and railroads. Union troops used horses to drag Anderson's body through the streets around the Ray County Courthouse. They used it to attack other boats, bringing river traffic to a virtual halt. 100, in April 1863, set a national policy, outlining guerrillas and their treatment. [148] Union soldiers buried Anderson's body in a field near Richmond in a fairly well-built coffin. Residents resented seizure of supplies and the increasingly harsh measures to control them. The Guerrilla Lifestyle Anderson led a band of volunteer partisan raiders who targeted Union loyalists and federal soldiers in the states of Missouri and Kansas. Rains, son of rebel Gen. [141] On October 26, 1864, he pursued Anderson's group with 150 men and engaged them in a battle called the Skirmish at Albany, Missouri. [125], Anderson visited Confederate sympathizers as he traveled, some of whom viewed him as a hero for fighting the Union, whom they deeply hated. A wide-brimmed slouch hat was the headgear of choice. In October of 1864, Anderson's unit was trapped and outnumbered in Missouri, and 'Bloody Bill' was killed when he charged the Union troops. Gen. Thomas C. Hindman was the head of the Confederate Army's Trans Mississippi Department in Little Rock, Ark. [163], Historians have been mixed in their appraisal of Anderson. "Bloody Bill" redirects here.