Notorious Confederate bushwhacker Bloody Bill Anderson Three bushwackers; Arch Clements, Dave Pool, and Bill Hendricks. Bloody Bill and some five or six of his associates in crime came dashing considerably in the advance of their line and their chieftain Anderson, with one other supposed to be Lieut. And a lot of the Cavalry didn't have sidearms early in the war. The Missouri act was an offshoot of the Confederate Partisan Ranger Act instituted by Confederate President Jefferson Davis in April 1862. Bloody Bill was born in either 1838 or 1839 and moved to Kansas in the late 1850s. For the American Revolutionary War loyalist, see, Anderson's middle name is unknown. Missouri's southern sympathizers hated Union Brig. The Gun manufacturers did not provide extra cylinders for each firearm sold. [57] Quantrill appointed him a first lieutenant, subordinate only to himself and to Todd. [26] In early 1863, William and Jim Anderson traveled to Jackson County, Missouri, to join him. [76] Anderson was selective, turning away all but the fiercest applicants, as he sought fighters similar to himself. The guerrillas gathered at the Blackwater River in Johnson County, Missouri. Born in Kentucky in 1839 before moving to Missouri and eventually living in Kansas when the Civil War started, Bill Anderson soon earned the non de plume "Bloody Bill.". More lies and sensationalized stories have been told of William T. Anderson than any other Civil War Border War guerrilla except those of William Clarke Quantrill himself. The Union militias sometimes rode slower horses and may have been intimidated by Anderson's reputation. 11, but guerrilla activity continued throughout the war in other regions of the state. The guerrillas blocked the railroad, forcing the train to stop. 1. After a brief gunfight, Baker and his brother-in-law fled into the store's basement. [82] In late July, the Union military sent a force of 100 well-equipped soldiers and 650 other men after Anderson. Gen. Henry Halleck. [Map inset] Nearby Civil War attractions include Pioneer Cemetery and Ray County Museum in Richmond, Mo. Carrying multiple loaded guns gave them an edge against soldiers equipped with a single-shot, muzzle-loading musket. . The Tactical Genius of Bloody Bill Anderson - HistoryNet Anderson was fatally shot twice in the back of the head. On the other hand, the use of tactics like arson, robbery and murder seemed beyond the bounds of honorable combat. The Terrible Tale of Bloody Bill Anderson: Rebellion and Revenge on the Location. Bill and Jim Anderson soon after this drifted off to the Sni Hills, in Missouri, where they had relatives. Anyway, as Baker had achieved his mission & as Anderson & his troops entered the ambush. [109], Anderson arrived at the guerrilla camp and described the day's events, the brutality of which unsettled Todd. However, his gun of choice was said to be the Dance .44 caliber cap and ball revolver. ; Battle of Albany Civil War Marker near Orrick, Mo. Rains, son of rebel Gen. [146] The corpse was photographed and displayed at a local courthouse for public viewing, along with Anderson's possessions. Anderson himself was killed a month later in battle. [6] Kansas was at the time embroiled in an ideological conflict regarding its admission to the Union as slave or free, and both pro-slavery activists and abolitionists had moved there in attempts to influence its ultimate status. [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. The life of a guerrilla was difficult and violent. After Frank and Jesse James joined the Anderson band, they robbed a train of $3,000 and executed 25 Union soldiers on board. One one hand, they were useful, serving to tie down Union forces. [167], In a study of 19th-century warfare, historian James Reid posited that Anderson suffered from delusional paranoia, which exacerbated his aggressive, sadistic personality. 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. Anderson was told to recapture him and gave chase, but he was unable to locate his former commander and stopped at a creek. [111] Anderson then led a charge up the hill. [91], Anderson met Todd and Quantrill on September 24, 1864; although they had clashed in the past, they agreed to work together again. Fueling this conflict was a dispute over whether Kansas should be a slave-holding state or not. [74] By August, the St. Joseph Herald, a Missouri newspaper, was describing him as "the Devil". [155] As the Confederacy collapsed, most of Anderson's men joined Quantrill's forces or traveled to Texas. [106] Although he was alerted to the congressman's presence in the town, he opted not to search for him. He thought the cashier was an informant. Bloody Bill Anderson - Lies and Sensationalism. William T. Anderson was born around 1840 in Hopkins County, Kentucky, to William C. and Martha Anderson. Reid draws a parallel between the bashi-bazouks of the Ottoman Army and Anderson's guerrillas, arguing that they behaved similarly.[168]. William Quantrill and William "Bloody Bill" Anderson are well-known bushwhacker leaders in Missouri. Although he learned that Union General Egbert B. Residents. Others, like William Anderson, had already entered a dark abyss from which there was no return and no escape except death. 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. The cashier pulled a gun on him and James killed him in self-defence. In response, Union militias developed hand signals to verify that approaching men in Union uniforms were not guerrillas. Bloody Bill Anderson was a character played by John Russell in the 1976 film 'The Outlaw Josey Wales' directed by Clint Eastwood. The Guns Of "Bloody" Bill Longley - American Handgunner Bloody Bill Anderson "Bill Anderson!" William Clarke Quantrill commands. [135] After Confederate forces under General Joseph O. Shelby conquered Glasgow, Anderson traveled to the city to loot. Bloody Bill Anderson - Everything2.com Confederate leaders were unsure about guerrillas. [115], By the end of the day, Anderson's men had killed 22 soldiers from the train and 125 soldiers in the ensuing battle in one of the most decisive guerrilla victories of the entire war. They had sworn to be revenged for the death of their father, and made their troubles an excuse for the career of bushwhacking in which they engaged with the Quantrill gang. 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. Smaller bands avoided fights with larger detachments of Union soldiers, preferring to ambush stragglers or loot Union supporters and their property. Bloody Bill Anderson got little respect in death. [143] The victory made a hero of Cox and led to his promotion. General Orders No. . When as many as 10 men come together for this purpose they may organize by electing a captain, 1 sergeant, 1 corporal, and will at once commence operation against the enemy without waiting for special instructions. and M.A. Location: Missouri, United States. They chased the men who had attacked them, killing one and mutilating his body. [35] In the aftermath, rumors that the building had been intentionally sabotaged by Union soldiers spread quickly;[36] Anderson was convinced it had been a deliberate act. Soon after Anderson left Glasgow, a local woman saw him and told Cox of his presence. The Missouri in the Civil War Message Board - Archive is maintained by Webmaster [3] His schoolmates recalled him as a well-behaved, reserved child. [45] The guerrillas under Anderson's command, notably including Archie Clement and Frank James, killed more than any of the other group. [156] Jim Anderson moved to Sherman, Texas, with his two sisters. This would effectively put Bloody Bill on the list of about 450 confederate guerrillas who rode into Lawrence on that fateful day. They buried him in an unmarked grave in Richmond's Pioneer Cemetery. 1:27. Born in Randolph County, Missouri in 1839, William T. Anderson would, by his death on October 26, 1864, be known and feared throughout the Unionas "Bloody Bill" Anderson, a barbaric, pro-Confederateguerilla leader in the American Civil War. [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. [150][h] Flowers were placed at his grave, to the chagrin of Union soldiers. Other nearby markers. The muzzle-loaders required no special ammunition or training and were effective out to about seventy-five or one hundred yards. The argument is not that some of the members carried multiple sidearms but certainly not every member did. William T. Anderson was one of the most notorious Confederate guerrillas of the Civil War. However, he was quickly released owing to a problem with the warrant, and fled to Agnes City, fearing he would be lynched. [30] The first reference to Anderson in Official Records of the American Civil War concerns his activities at this time, describing him as the captain of a band of guerrillas. [12] In late 1861, Anderson traveled south with Jim and Judge Baker in an apparent attempt to join the Confederate Army. You may have your own list of heartless maniacal killers. The next day, the elder Anderson traveled to the Council Grove courthouse with a gun, intending to force Baker to withdraw the warrant. ; Battle of Lexington State Historic Site in Lexington, Mo. These regiments were composed of troops from out of state, who sometimes mistreated local residents, further motivating the guerrillas and their supporters. 3916.725N, 9358.603W. Marker is in Richmond, Missouri, in Ray County. Gen. Henry Halleck's General Orders No. They often used unorthodox tactics to fight Union troops, such as using a small party of horsemen to lure them into an ambush. Relatives of William T. Anderson , known as "Bloody Bill". Barbed Wire Press. [51] The guerrillas charged the Union forces, killing about 100. [2] During his childhood, Anderson's family moved to Huntsville, Missouri, where his father found employment on a farm and the family became well-respected. He sees Anderson as obsessed with, and greatly enjoying, the ability to inflict fear and suffering in his victims, and suggests he suffered from the most severe type of sadistic personality disorder. A low-level conflict had already been raging in the Missouri-Kansas borderlands in the years preceding the outbreak of the Civil War. In 1908, the ex-guerrillas and former outlaws Jim Cummins and Cole Younger arranged for a funeral service at Anderson's gravesite. Nate's Nonsense: William T. "Bloody Bill" Anderson [13] Anderson had told a neighbor that he sought to fight for financial reasons rather than out of loyalty to the Confederacy. [112] Although five guerrillas were killed by the first volley of Union fire, the Union soldiers were quickly overwhelmed by the well-armed guerrillas, and those who fled were pursued. [47] The raiding party was pursued by Union forces but eventually managed to break contact with the soldiers and scatter into the Missouri woods. [138] Local residents gathered $5,000, which they gave to Anderson; he then released the man, who died of his injuries in 1866. One one hand, they were useful, serving to tie down Union forces. After camping near New Hope Church in Fort Henry about. Pioneer Cemetery. He then ordered and conducted the massacre soldiers. They claimed to be fighting for the Confederacy, but in fact, their murdering and looting benefited only their pocketbooks. His dark good looks brought him to the attention . [29], In early summer 1863, Anderson was made a lieutenant, serving in a unit led by George M. Todd. Note: Click on photos to get larger view. [157], After the war, information about Anderson initially spread through memoirs of Civil War combatants and works by amateur historians. 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. As you said, they could have obtained pistols from the local population but remember, the average farmer probably wouldn't have shelled out the $15.00 to buy a sidearm as he was more dependent on a long arm & $15.00 was a fortune. Bloody Bill Anderson: Missouri's bushwhacking devil - HubPages Death Valley: The Revenge of Bloody Bill (2004) - IMDb Union troops used horses to drag Anderson's body through the streets around the Ray County Courthouse. Gen. Thomas C. Hindman was the head of the Confederate Army's Trans Mississippi Department in Little Rock, Ark. Usually a wife, sister, mother or sweetheart used ribbons, shells and needlework to create the ellaborately [sic] decorated shirts. [84] The guerrillas quickly forced the attackers to flee, and Anderson shot and injured one woman as she fled the house. 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. He favored swift execution of captured guerrillas. (, In his biography of Quantrill, historian Duane Schultz counters that General, Some accounts of Anderson's death relate that he was decapitated and his head impaled on a telegraph pole. As he entered the building he was restrained by a constable and fatally shot by Baker. Outlaw Jesse James Attributed Smith & Wesson Schofield & Holster If you're a fan of games like Rockstar's Red Dead Redemption or Gameloft's Six-Guns: Gang Showdown, The Wild West is definitely worth checking out. They murdered my family when I was a schoolboy and I was launched into a life of shooting, reprisals and rough-riding." Bloody Bill Impostor William C. Anderson The Myth that Bloody Bill Anderson had survived the war and was living in Brownwood Texas originated in 1924, after a young Brownwood reporter named Henry Clay Fuller spent several hours talking with an 84 year old William C. Anderson in his home on Salt Creek. I. Biographer Larry Wood claimed that Anderson's sisters aided the guerrillas by gathering information inside Union-controlled territory. They drew the Union troops to the top of a hill; a group of guerrillas led by Anderson had been stationed at the bottom and other guerrillas hid nearby. The Missouri Partisan Ranger Act Quantrill expelled him and warned him not to come back, and the man was fatally shot by some of Quantrill's men when he attempted to return. 11. In 1857, the family moved to Kansas and William worked for a time . Local citizens demanded possession of the corpse. Finally Speaking Up: Sexual Assault in the Civil War Era Marker is on Thornton Street north of Main Street (State Highway 10), on the left when traveling north. CPT William T. "Bloody Bill" Anderson Famous memorial Birth 1839. 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. From July 1861 until the end of the war, the state suffered up to 25,000 deaths from guerrilla warfare, more than any other state. As Quantrill and Todd became less active, "Bloody Bill" Anderson emerged as the best-known, and most feared, Confederate guerrilla in Missouri. A short time later, another six of Anderson's men were ambushed and killed by Union troops;[90] after learning of these events, Anderson was outraged and left the area to seek revenge. [70] On July 15, Anderson and his men entered Huntsville, Missouri and occupied the town's business district. USA. In September 1864, Anderson led a raid on the town of Centralia, Missouri. The Dalton boys grew up outside of Coffeyville and . After the attack, one of Anderson's guerrillas scalped a dead militiaman. All such organizations will be reported to their headquarters as soon as practicable. [139], Union military leaders assigned Lieutenant Colonel Samuel P. Cox to kill Anderson, providing him with a group of experienced soldiers. [19] Baker and his brother-in-law brought the man to a store, where they were ambushed by the Anderson brothers. declared martial law in August 1861, giving Union forces broad powers to suppress those who resisted Union control. 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. declared martial law in August 1861, giving Union forces broad powers to suppress those who resisted Union control. Bloody Bill's Guns Bill Langley had used a number of different guns during his career as a killer. [44] They proceeded to pillage and burn many buildings, killing almost every man they found, but taking care not to shoot women. At the end of P.R. ; Battle of Lexington State Historic Site in Lexington, Mo. [89] In mid-September, Union soldiers ambushed two of Anderson's parties traveling through Howard County, killing five men in one day. Anderson was described as "nearly six feet tall, of rather swarthy complexion and had long, black hair, inclined to curl. Cartridge belts standard with up to 18 bullet loops in your [] A wide-brimmed slouch hat was the headgear of choice. Legends of America: "Bloody Bill" Anderson - Dixie Outfitters Re: Bloody Bill Anderson's revolvers On March 12, 1864, in the midst of a bloody war which had long overflowed its thimble, Margaret Brooks was returning from her home near Memphis, Tennessee when her wagon broke down in Nonconnah Creek. "The war brought on hate and strife and killing around here. The .500 Bushwhacker is the biggest, baddest handgun cartridge in the world right now. En route, they entered Baxter Springs, Kansas, the site of Fort Blair. They relied on knowledge of the local terrain for survival. [161] James Carlos Blake's novel Wildwood Boys (2000) is a fictional biography of Anderson. [108] Anderson's band then rode back to their camp, taking a large amount of looted goods. This Day In History: Bloody Bill Anderson Is Killed In Missouri (1864) 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. KANSAS CITY Ten women and girls, including three sisters born in Randolph County, were killed or seriously injured when a building owned by state Treasurer George Caleb Bingham . In one of the passenger cars they found 23 unarmed Union soldiers on furlough and headed home on leave. Wood believes that these stories are inaccurate, citing a lack of documentary evidence. William and Jim Anderson then traveled southwest of Kansas City, robbing travelers to support themselves. 4. 1844) after his marriage in Ohio in 1864 are unclear aside from the fact that he appears to have died prior to Milton. Gen. Henry Halleck. However, most were hunted down and killed. There is a new generation of Westerns, typified by the work of writer/actor/producer Taylor Sheridan in the prequel to his hit show Yellowstone (2018), titled 1883 (2022). They had hoped to attack a train, but its conductor learned of their presence and turned back before reaching the town. Touch for directions. Most fought to protect or revenge their families from what they saw as injustices heaped upon them by the Union army and Union sympathizers. Gen. Thomas C. Hindman was the head of the Confederate Army's Trans Mississippi Department in Little Rock, Ark. [158] He was later discussed in biographies of Quantrill, which typically cast Anderson as an inveterate murderer. [143] Only Anderson and one other man, the son of a Confederate general, continued to charge after the others had retreated. The True Story of Bush Smith, The Sweetheart of Bloody Bill Anderson. Violence Was No Stranger (1993). Wood describes him as the "bloodiest man in America's deadliest war"[164] and characterizes him as the clearest example of the war's "dehumanizing influence". If they were caught, Federals considered them criminals not prisoners of war. [85], In early August, Anderson and his men traveled to Clay County. The order was intended to undermine the guerrillas' support network in Missouri. [59] It is likely that this incident angered Anderson, who then took 20 men to visit the town of Sherman. Anderson planned to destroy railroad infrastructure in Centralia, Missouri. Anderson, perhaps falsely, implicated Quantrill in a murder, leading to the latter's arrest by Confederate authorities. The Bushwhacker in Missouri Historical Marker [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. Details on John (b. John Russell - IMDb Concluding that eliminating the bushw[h]acker's support network would help end guerilla fighting, Brig. 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. Bloody Bill - True West Magazine That being said,if you multiply 700 troops times 6 revolvers each, that comes to 4200 pistols. So they couldn't have obtained many from the Infantry. He retained 84 men and reunited with Anderson. The guerrillas then attacked Allen, Missouri. The Missouri act was an offshoot of the Confederate Partisan Ranger Act instituted by Confederate President Jefferson Davis in April 1862. [72] Anderson's men robbed the town's depository, gaining about $40,000 (equivalent to $693,000 in 2021) in the robbery, although Anderson returned some money to the friend he had met at the hotel. It is said that "Bloody Bill" Anderson carried six to eight revolvers with him at any point. 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. Anderson and his men camped with at least 300 men, including Todd. His gun changed a few times, semi, handgun, revolver . As a general rule, bushwhackers would attack quickly and withdraw if they began receiving serious casualties. Serving in the US Marine Corps in WW II, he earned a battlefield commission and decorations for valor at Guadalcanal. [81], On July 23, 1864, Anderson led 65 men to Renick, Missouri, robbing stores and tearing down telegraph wires on the way. . In December, 1861, he organized his infamous guerrilla band, which included William "Bloody Bill" Anderson, George Todd, Fletcher Taylor, Cole Younger, and Frank James, to name a few. The Guerrilla Lifestyle While on public display, a local photographer documented his death. The Missouri Partisan Ranger Act , On July 17, 1862, Confederate Gen. Thomas Hindman issued the Missouri Partisan Ranger Act. William T. Anderson | Military Wiki | Fandom 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. [8] After settling there, the Anderson family became friends with A.I. NPS Ozark Historic Research Study (Submitted on October 1, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. The Myth that Bloody Bill Anderson had survived the war and was living in Brownwood Texas originated in 1924, after a young Brownwood reporter named Henry Clay Fuller spent several hours talking . 1. Dec 28, 2022. The Man Who Killed Quantrill. Quantrill and other guerrillas nonetheless sought and sometimes received formal Confederate commissions as partisan rangers. so there couldn't have been that many to obtain from citizens. John Nichols, a bushwacker who operated in Johnson and Pettis Counties in 1862-1863, prior to his execution in Jefferson City, Missouri, October 30, 1863 From the town, they saw a group of about 120 guerrillas and pursued them. [2] His siblings were Jim, Ellis, Mary Ellen, Josephine and Janie. [105] Anderson gave the civilian hostages permission to leave but warned them not to put out fires or move bodies. On October 2, a group of 450 guerrillas under Quantrill's leadership met at Blackwater River in Jackson County and left for Texas. 3. In June and July, Anderson took part in several raids that killed Union soldiers, in Westport, Kansas City and Lafayette County, Missouri. The rapid rate of fire made the revolver perfect for the quick attacks executed by these men. They opposed the Union army in Missouri for a variety of reasons. . Pioneer Cemetery Richmond, Missouri - Waymarking Union troops used horses to drag Anderson's body through the streets around the Ray County Courthouse. [75] As Anderson's profile increased, he was able to recruit more guerrillas. As a general rule, bushwhackers would attack quickly and withdraw if. 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. During the American Civil War, the James family sided with the Confederates, and Frank and Jesse James joined a group of guerrillas, or . [88] On August 27, Union soldiers killed at least three of Anderson's men in an engagement near Rocheport. I have also read it was several Cavalry troopers, but that is another story. [142] Anderson and his men charged the Union forces, killing five or six of them, but turned back under heavy fire. I will have to go through my library to see what I can find. Bloody Bill Anderson | Books by Gayle - Gayle Lunning Topics and series. As soon as the company attains the strength required by law it will proceed to elect the other officers to which it is entitled. Some bands of guerrillas, like William Quantrill's, had 400 or more members, but most were much smaller. Anderson and Todd launched an unsuccessful attack against the fort, leading charge after futile charge without injury. After hearing of the engagement, General Fisk commanded a colonel to lead a party with the sole aim of killing Anderson. He favored swift execution of captured guerrillas. In October of 1864, Anderson's unit was trapped and outnumbered in Missouri, and 'Bloody Bill' was killed when he charged the Union troops. Jesse James and his brother Frank were among the Missourians who joined Anderson; both of them later became notorious outlaws. At least 40 members of the 17th Illinois Cavalry and the Missouri State Militia were in town and took shelter in a fort. [21] Anderson and his gang subsequently traveled east of Jackson County, Missouri, avoiding territory where Quantrill operated and continuing to support themselves by robbery.