The Idaho world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1864-1918, 1871-09-14
QUANrRELL-FURTHER EVIDENCE OF HIS
~ DEATH IN KENTUCKY. t,.....,

| While at Boonville, Mo-. IN the fall of 1866,
we met an old Confrderate surgeon, who had
been chief medical officer in the Gulf Depart
lnent during the late years Of the rebellion.
| In talking over the events of the war, Guam
trell was spoken Of. The surgeon stated that
! he was in Richmond when that noted guerrilla
came there for the purpose of obtaining com
| mission as Colonel, which, onr Informant safd
was fatty refused BY the Confederate War DE.
partment. in Consequences of the character of
the warfare QuantrelI proposed to carry ON.
| He said he had several conversations with the
guerilla chief, and described to US his personal
appearance, which Tailed generally with many
other accounts we had heard The surgeon
theu went on to say that he afterwards saw
him lying wounded in q Louisville hospital,
where his true character was not known save
to few interested friends, until alter his
death. which occurred soon after, the result of
a collision with Union troops in Kentucky,
We have no reason to doubt the stateinelt of
the old gentleman, and have al ways believed it
to be true. ,.., ,s..... ,.tt.3 sss..u..
The Kansas City Times now asserts that
Quantrell died in Louisville, KY, in, 1854,
aud says that the men are now living III Jack
son county, No, who attended hun III the hos
pital. .,..t tf.t... -g..-.ta .l.d4
On the same subject, the st. Louis RepabH-
can says: ''3+'>' - -''-'@--
"A mystery has hung about the movements
of Quantrel after his retreat to Texas, imiDe-
diatrIy subsequent to his raid on the town of
Lawrence in Kansas in 1863 The Times says
merely that be became tired of the war in
Missouri and in 1864 went to bushwacking
east of the Mississippi, making his way far up
into Kentucky. But from the various ACCOUNTS
brought home by returning C"ntederates, it
would appear that he had very good reasons
for being tired of war in Missouri. = The
usual fate of guerilla chiefs with their own
bands pursued him. Qaarrels, originating, 1T
was believed, in the dissatisfaction OF SOME. of
his followers with the distribution of some of
the real or supposed spoils of Lawrence, led
his band to select some other leader Com
nianders of regular forces are almost always
hostile to partlzan warfare, as il reacts injuri-
ously on the discipline of their own troops,
duplicates questions of exchange of prison
rrs aud retaliation and often seriously in
tert-res with regular military operations, 1t
SD happened that Quantrell's massacre at Law
rence not only excited general disgust and
horror among retlrcting Confederates, but
completely th~arted a very daring project,ot
the Confederate authorities. te.g.tos
The incursion ut Gen. Shelby into Missouri
in the fall of 1863 was planned on the ihfor
nation correct at the time, that Missouri was
almost denuded OF available UnlOn troops;
aud he was expected to be able to maintain
himself for at least fortnight ON the Missouri
river and gather in large number of recruits
before being forced to return. The Lawrence
outrage occasioned sudden reuIiun of u for
midable force to pursue Quantrell, and Shelby,
Unexpectedly finding himself IN the very jaws
of it, was forced To retreat without accein.
plishng all he had aimed at. When Quantrell
got within the Confederate lMes, lie conse-
qurntly found himself not very welcome to the
authorities, and they consented to his remain
ing IN Texas with his band till first grass of
the next spring. only on condition that he and
his comrades should then leave, aud in their
future operations under the black flag should
not in any way claim to be Confederate troops,
or ask protection as such. @sa F-
THUS practically outlawed by both sides,
aud his influence with his own men impaired,
Quantrell had to seek some other field Of op-
rrations than Missouri. Unfamiliar with Krt-
tnky, he was at q difficulty in exercising his
skill In guerilla warfare, and soon fell into the
hands of the Union forces. ending his bloody
career BY death so obscure as to be now even
disputed altogether" I'd