River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1885-09-10
GUERRILLA QUANTRELL
AND HIS GANG.

sought to make the world believe that
the murderous depredations of the out
law Quantrell were authorized by the
Confederate military government and
that he was directly responsible to the
Confederate authorities. In answer to
this it may be said that there never has
been and never will be found among
the Confederate records one single
document proving that Quantrell even
SO much as made a military report.
1t cannot be sFown that he had any
authority for raising his band for any
of his raids, or that he was recognized
as in the regular service of the Confed-
eracy. Quantrell espoused the Southern
cause simply because he hoped to make
money by it and because all his outlaw
associates were Southerners. He went
TO war to fight when he was cornered,
and to steal, rob and plumber as
regular business. He kept as clear of
the regular Confederate troops as he
did of the Federals, and he termed his
command ''the First Regiment, First
Brigade and First Division of the Con-
federate Army" This of itself would
show that he was never regularly or
ganized or assigned If he had the
scholarship 20 make military report
his most intimate friends are mistaken,
and he certainly had no adiutant.
During his career for the first six
months young man named Hiram
Cook, dissipated printer, carried the
list of men in Kansas and Missouri,
Quantrell desired to put out of the
way, and Cook is authority for the as
sertion that no report was ever made
to anyone in military authority.
Again history and the press have as
serted that QUAINT ell entered Lawrence
because twas "an abolition town which
he was determined to wipe off the face
of the earth. As matter of truth he
entered Lawrence only because he was
shut out of Paola, Olathe, Aubrey,
Shawnee and Mound City. 1t was
known to the Federals that he was in
rendezvous near the Kansas line about
the middle of August, 1868. 1t was
known that he intended making a raid
into Kansas. Scouts were sent out to
watch him, but he moved on the 18th
and passed the Federals at Warrens-
burg without detection. Within fifteen
miles of Aubrey and the Kansas line he
was Joined by the last detachment of
outlaws, swelling the number to about
800. This detachment had been collect
ed from points far apart, and had
been living secreted for twenty-four
hours within five miles of a Federal force.
The charge of carelessness at least can
be made against the commanders OF
three or four Federal posts.
Quantrell did not approach Aubrey
nearer than five miles From this
point he had nearly fifty miles to 90 to
reach Lawrence and he was marching
in broad daylight The guerrilla en-
/ tered Kansas on the night OF the goth
| and by hard riding he was within eigh-
| teen miles of Lawrence at midnight.
By this time the pursuit had been taken
up, but alRost entirely by infantry, and
/ in the confusion much time was nee
| essarily wasted.
After QuantrelI entered Kansas there
was an abundance of time to notify
| every post which he could threaten,
but those he really did menace re-
ceived no warning. As he found his
! road clear, and as he learned from
citizens picked up here and there that
/ the country ahead of him had not re-
ceived a hint of the raid, the guerrilla
! was emboldened to push on. After
midnight he began to boast that he
would burn Lawrence, and he made
the boast to Union men who could have
got there an hour ahead of him, but
not the slightest effort was made to
warn the doomed city.
Six miles out of Lawrence con
/ sultation was held and, it is given on
| the authority of two members of the
/ band who participated that Quantrell
/ had become alarmed at meeting no
resistance and feared he was being
drawn into a trap. A volley from a
| dozen Federal musketS at that moment
would have stampeded his whole force.
1t was finally decided to go on, and
in the gray of morning on the 2lst the
guerrillas entered the town, having
! first sent in two scouts who reported
everything quiet. There was nothing
/ like a garrison in the place, but only
a few invalid white and black soldiers
and small provost guard. This fact
must have been well known to Guam
| trell before he entered the place, as he
captured the citizens who answered all
his inquiries.
Upon charging into the town the
force was so divided that all prominent
street corners were seized and all public
/ buildings surrounded before one of the
| sleeping citizens was out of bed. The
/ main object was plumber, and the fire
/ brand was used to intimidate and CO.
| cree. The first five or six citizens killed
were men who rushed out with rifles
in hand, probably believing it to be an
| attack which could be repulsed. They
! exhibited their bravery only to be shot
/ down like dogs After this feeble show
of resistance the passions of the outlaws
was let loose, and stimulated by drink
1 they fired right and left and murdered
people without the slightest proyoca-
| ton or excuse.
Details of men seized the stores and
banks. The first object was ready
money. ANY owner of a safe who did
not pass over the key when demanded
was shot down in his tracks, and in
most cases was murdered anyhow.
When the stores and banks would
Weld no more cash the hotels and pri-
/ vate houses claimed attention. Watches,
rings, lins and whatever else in jew
elry could be had by threat or murder
were seized, and it made no difference
whether the owner was man or woman,
/ child or invalid.
When the money and jewelry gave
ont the outlaws ransacked for other
plumber. While one detail was doing
this a second was stealing horses and
mules and loading the plumber on their
backs. Cloths. groceries, medicines,
stationery, hardware and almost every
thing portable and useful were taken,
and that nothing might be left for the
rightful owners the buildings were
fired as fast as plundered.
One of the first buildings captured
was the Eldridge house, IN which about
fifty guests were asleep. The hotel
was surrendered by federal captain
who was one of the inmates, and to
/ Quantrell himself. Every man and
woman was ordered to hand over
money and iewelry, and some Of the
ladies who hesitated about obeying the
order had the rings snatched off their
fingers and their earrings torn away.
| Quantrell kept declaring that his sole
object was plumber; and that no one