The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1888-04-26
FIGHTING THEM OVER
What Our Veterans Have to Say About
Their Old Campaigns
eouANTRELL,s RID"
The Murderous GuerriIIas Descent on LaWrenct
Kan.


has recently been called TO a history Of Guam
trelrs raid on Lawrence, Kan, in the month
Of August 1868. by Horace Greeley, in ''AmerI-
can Conflict" Vol. 2, page $50, which says:
"NO preparation for defense existed, for no
danger Of attack was ever dreamed Of"
While it is true that no preparation for de-
Tense had been made for some weeks before the
raid. il is not true that no danger Of an at
tack was ever dreamed Of" All through the
forepart of the Summer Of 1863 the people Of
Lawrence were very uneasy over reports OF
contemplated raids from the bushEhackers OF
Western Missouri. underQuantrell. itwss this
condition Of feverish excitement Of the citizens
Of Lawrence that caused the Mayor Of the city
to make repeated acquisitions on the military
authorities at Fort LeaYenwOrth for troops to
defend the place. At this time all the avail
able troops on the border were engaged IN act
i've service in Missouri, and / was mustered
into the service with detachment of Co. l.,
5th Kan. Cav, and within q very few days
thereafter / was sent TO Lawrence with p en-
listed men Of my company TO guard the city
and TO aid in restoring confidence TO Its inhabl-
tants Arriving at Lawrence the same day,
we went into camp on Mount Dread, where we
had an excellent view of the city and the sur
rounding country.
After reporting to Hon. George w. Cola
more. Mayor Of the city, and obtaining his
views Oh the situation, we settled down to the
hum-drum life of cavalry soldiers, such as
scouting IN the country TO east and west, camp
duty and buying chickens and eggs from neigh
boring farmers.
Nothing to cause any unusual excitement
occurred until about the middle Of July, when
received word from an officer on the stat of
Gen. Thomas Ewing, commanding the military
district wi il headquarters at Kansas City,
Mo- that the band had projected a raid on
Lawrence, 10 take place when the moon would
be light in the early morning; thus making
1-H-e HuaNs. HsaF+ hair TFaFrHr-
ney. / at once consulted Mayor COllamore as
20 the best means and plan Of defense, as the
detachment under my command was not large
enough 20 cope successfully with the entire
band Of Quantrells outlaws. Mayor Cola
more desired 10 consult Col q. w. DeItzier,
citizen 0f Lawrence at that time, who had been
Colonel OF the LIST Kan, and had distinguished
himself i'm command of his regiment at the bat
tie OF Wilson's Creek, in southwest Missouri,
where be was seriously wounded. readily
consented and that evening we three met at
Col. DeitZlers residence TO canvass the sItua-
fion and devise plan Of defense. My plan
was to secretly arm 200 citizens with muskets
In possession Of Mayor CollamOre, and to have
the men stationed at night in the second
stories Of business houses on Massachusetts
street the principal thorougbiare in town,
using the cavalry in scouting and as pick
cts, SO as 10 give timely notice OF the ap-
prOach Of an enemy. For some reason my plan OF
consulting with Col. Deiizer, told me he had
concluded TO publicly organize the militia, be-
lieVing q thorough organization Of the citizens
the only safe plan Of defense. ] was young
only about p years Of age-and did not wish
TO aEtaSOnize the Mayor, so / yielded TO his
views, though ] believed, as ] do TO this day,
that be WAS making q mistake. There were
many wagons loaded with apples daily coming
into the city from western Missouri, aud in
this way, If NO other, | was satisfied QuantTeL
would learn OF the organization Of the militia,
and defer bis intended raid.
But the next day after our conference the
Mayor called out aud armed the militia, and
they were publicly drilled on the streets Of the
city. In a fen days the militia commenced TO
tire OF the hardships Of camp life and COM
menced murmuring because no enemy came.
was imp0rtuned on every band TO know what
ground there was for the scare" and not being
willing 10 give the secret source of my infor-
nation 20 tAe public, was soon pronounced q
fraud. Some even went 50 far as 70 declare
that i" ali the excitement was engineered by the
uPst2rt Of young Lieutenant, who wanted 70
make a noise in the world"
One o. W. Hoyt ,afterRard Lieutenant Colo
mel Of the 18th Kan. Cav who had some kind
Of a rowing commission as Chief Of the Bed
Legs" a body Of irregular Union scouts at that
time very numerous on the border, with their
headquarters a. Lawrence, visited the city at
this time and made himself very conspicuous
In denOuBciBg the scare as being fictitious
and euaHatiHg IN the brain of an ambitious
young officer anxious TO attract attention"
] forgot 10 mention at the proper place that
within day two after getting notice Of the
intended rad, ] was ordered 10 return with my
detachment 10 Fort Leaveuworth TO reioin tie
company ] sought tie Mayor st once and
showed him NY order. He was anxious 10 keeT
NJ at Lawrence, aud at his suggestion messcn.
ger was sent 10 Kansas City to see Gen. Ewing
commander Of the district, with letter from
the Mayor asking that my detachment be kept
az Lawrence, in view Of the precarious situa
ton Of Affairs. To this an answer was returned
the next day. aud my detachment was ordered
70 remain al Lawrence until further orders.
The popular feeling WAS such BY this time
that the Mayor yielded 70 the influence and
disbaHded the militia in about one week aftel
calling them out, requiring the States arms Z
be returned, and in this way the first projected
raid Of the muroeTOus guerrillas under Guam
trcli was prevented.
Feeling somewhat disguised at the inglori
Gus termination OF the scare and the uucompli
meutary comments thereon, ] 81 once secursj
al order from the 3. A.-G. at Fort Leayen
worth 20 Fejcin my company al that post which
was done without delay, and Lawrence wa
again left without any military protection.
he citizens Of Lawrence were lulled into
sense Of false security by the failure Of the rait
30 take place as expected in July, and took ~
precautions IOr thelr protection during the mex
few weeks.
ln just aboutone month from the time 7 wa
informed through the agency Of the secre
service, that the raid was contemplated ],
July, and at the time that the moon wa
shining brightest Ia the latter part Of the night
Qn4nircll, with some 800 Of his blood thirst
followers from the brgsh Of western Missouri
EOge unheralded into the city Of Lawrence
surprising The people ia their beds and merci
less.y shooting down all as they came 10 thei
doors 70 sec hat the cOmm0tion was about
Resistance was useless where there was no OF
gaHizaiiou, and everyone attempted 70 saw
their lives as best they could. The bank
stores and other prominent buildings were 500
robbed u all yaiu4bies, and within a few hour
nearly 200 buildings including the finest bus
ness blocks on Massachusetts, street, were q ma
Of sm0ulCeTing ruins, and lao Of the citizens
Lawrence had been murdered. Ny frienJ
Mayor C0llamOre climbed down Ia a we'll
escape a sure death, and was suiiocated BY II
foul gases at the bottom. Gen. Jas H. Lam
Col. Heltz.cr and Others al the first alar
escaped into ueighboriug cornfeids and save
themselves Some 10 unarled recruits OF Il
l5th Kan. were muTdercd-fn camp.
About - o'clock g. m the murderous gar
had saiiatcd their appetites for rapiHe and mu
der, and, mounted on fresh stecds taken fro
stables Of the citizens left the city. going soci
some 10 or - miles, whore they turned cas-
escaping with comparative safety into Westei
Isslnri and 10 their fripui that gsfs1f fItora