Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1878-11-22
NO. Az.
QuantreII's C7ueriIIas.
THEIR AuDAcroUs PLOT TO CAPTURE GENERAL
guANT


hooters, tells the following incident, which, it
is said, has never before been published
In the fall Of 1868 Quantrcll left Missouri
with company Of 100 men, passed through
Arkansas and attempted to go into Louisiana.
They were notified by Kirby Smith, then
commanding the rebel army in that country,
that they could not join his army, nor would
they be allowed to remain in Louisiana. II
appears that he did not want them on account
of the bad name that had preceded them, and
rs lac believed they would do his army more
harm than good in the way Of destroying its
discipline. The headquarters of the Louisiana
State Government were then ut Shreveport,
and Henry W. Hen was the Chief Executive.
by some means be heard of Kirby Smiths re-
fusal to allow the men of Quantrelps COM
mand to become soldiers in the regular army
or remain in the State, and sent for them
himself, ard told them he would like them to
join the State scouting service and be under
his immediate control. Quantrell himself de-
clined the invitation but number Of his fol-
lowers among them the James and Younger
brothers, accepted the offer of Governor Al
len. These elected as their commander one
of their number named Joe Lee, who had
come from near Independence, Missouri.
Since that little town has grown up some
miles this side of Independence, known as
Lees Summit, given in honor of Joe Lees
AhhhIis A-D1 NAo u lOhh5 nun hhh ~ NthltA-
ate as any. He knew nothing of fear, and
had been in many a close encounter on the
Kansas border. He was six feet high, had a
wild, dashing air that always distinguished
him in any company, and had face that was
altogether more pleasing than disagreeable.
The place of rendezvous for this company of
State scouts was Carroll Parish now West
Carroll Parish, about twenty y-miles from the
Mississippi River, directly across from Vicks-
l. so ~
the State, being in the centre of the cotton
belt of the South. Joe Lee and his followers
had no trouble in finding friends and abettors,
and that, too, among the most respectable
people of the community There were two
little towns in the parish-Floyd and Delhi.
At these two hamlets, and in their vicinity,
the guerrillas made their homes. Joe Lee,
Frank and Jesse James, and John Jarrett
stopped with planter named Dickson, and
Dickson lives there at this time. They were
all active, well-built men, of that dashing,
reckless air that captures the hearts of wo-
men. They kept the community in a state
Of perpetual excitement and enthusiasm. 1t
was one round Of revelry from week in to
week out. Every night there was party or
ball at the house of some planter. The que
rillas were the lions on all these occasions.
They sported the most gaudy dress, flourish
ed the finest pistols and rode the best horses.
In fact they were supreme in the mastery Of
Carroll Parish Now and then they would go
away on forays and would return with vari-
Gus amounts and kinds of plunder. They
would waylay some small detachment Of the
Federal army, shoot the men, rob them of
their money and their horses. They kept on
hand large supply of Government mules
harnesses, wagons and various sorts of mill
tary appendages. They dressed in Federal
uniform whenever they were on one of the
raids. This was fashion with all the Missouri
guerillas. Thus disguised, they decoyed
many poor soldier into the jaws of death
There could be much said about the daring
exploits of Joe Lee and his band of freeboot-
ers, but one adventure deserves especial men,
ton, since it is not kno wn how near It came
to affecting the destiny of the nation. 1t ap-
pears that after Yicksburg had been invested
and the South threatened at other points,
Governor Allen of Louisiana conceived the
desperate idea of capturing the person of
General Grant He believed that Grant was
the evil genius of the Confederacy, and that
il he could be killed or taken prisoner, the
siege of Vicksburg could be raised and the
Federal army driven back. He sent for Joe
Lee and impaired TO him his thoughts, and
asked him if he could devise plan. 1t WAS
readily taken to by Lee, who Immediately
proposed to execute the daring enterprise.
At that time-that is in the spring of 1851
ntand hisarmy were encampedat Milliken's
Bend, near Young's Point, on the Mississippi,
some eighteen miles above Nicksburg. Gen
eral Grants headquarters were in the dwell
ing house that belonged to a magnificent
plantation much of which can be seen from
the deck of passing steamer. Joe Lee pro-
posed to go to that house and bring away the
body of General Grant, dead or alive. He
chose five of his most trusty men. They were
the two James brothers, two of the Younger
brothers and John Jarrett. These with him
self made six. There never were six better
men for such an expedition. They were
young, strong, and us brave as the bravest.
| They had already seen all there is in war.
| They had been tried in the most trying
| places did not care much whether they lived
or died were the quickest and best shots in
| the world, and rode the heetest horses in the
| land. 1t was Just before the Federal army
| set out on that surprising march down the
| west side of the river. The country was all
| full of marshes, bayous and morasseS, so that
the natural advantages for the execution of
| the plot were good. The plan was for Joe
Lee and his five trusty followers to dress up
| in the Federal uniform, ride on horseback to
AIilliken's Bend, go direct to the house where
| Grant was stopping, rush in and secure his
/ person, put him on spare horse, and then
| escape to the swamps which were near by.
| On one Saturday evening late the party set
out from Dickson's house, near Delhi, and
rode toward the Mississippi. There was not
n soul on earth besides themselves and Gov
ernor Allen that knew of their desperate mis-
sion. 1t was something over twenty-five
miles they had to go, and the night was a
dark one, but long before day they were at the
edge of the woods that bordered ON the plan
taton ON which Grant was quartered. There
was no enemy to attack from the west side,
and there was no particular precaution about
| guards. The pickets were passed before the
| sun was up, and, while the General was yet
asleep, the guerillas rode boldly up through
| the open field toward the house. There they
were-six men-seven horses the empty
saddle for the commander of the hundred
| thousand men who were cAmped about in
| every direction. They approached TO almost
a stones throw of the house, when they met
a negro. They were discovered. 1t was an
old man whom these very men had run away
from Delhi not ten days before. He knew
them all and Immediately gave the alarm. In
| a moment there was great tumult, and the
six guerillas had nothing to do but save their
| lives They broke through the field and in the
twinkling of an eye were back in the woods,
but not until a hundred shots had been fired
after them. Before the sun went down they
were safe at their favorite rendezvous. Thus
was frustrated one OF the most daring plots of
the war. 1t is not probable that General
Grant took any particular notice of the affair,
and it is not at all probable that he has re-
vealed the valuable service of the old colored
man. What Interpretation the officers of the
army put upon the presence of the strange
| and hostile men Mt such time and place is
not known, but if there were any doubts as to
their mission this bit of history may serve to
remove them.
Most of these guerillRs remained in Carroll
Parish till the close of the war, many of them
| lived there for some years after the war, and
some of them are there to-day.
Samson" remarks highly respectable
| paper, "was an eminent tragedian in his day
and in his last act brought down the house."
Here is an extract from genuine love let
ter which the London Christian Signal vouches
| LAn.n..nnI ln... hn..o. nlln.uoH La