[19] Baker and his brother-in-law brought the man to a store, where they were ambushed by the Anderson brothers. The Man Who Killed Quantrill. [103], Anderson ordered his men not to harass the women on the train, but the guerrillas robbed all of the men, finding over $9,000 (equivalent to $156,000 in 2021) and taking the soldiers' uniforms. [25] Quantrill was at the time the most prominent guerrilla leader in the KansasMissouri area. 100, in April 1863, set a national policy, outlining guerrillas and their treatment. Anderson was upset by the critical tone of the coverage and sent letters to the publications. 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". Anderson himself was killed a month later in battle. Note: Click on photos to get larger view. He was buried in a nearby fieldafter a soldier cut off one of his fingers to steal a ring. He addressed the prisoners, castigating them for the treatment of guerrillas by Union troops. Anderson led a band that targeted Union loyalists and Federal soldiers in Missouri and Kansas. Born about 1839 in Kentucky, the family early moved to Missouri, where William grew up near the town of Huntsville in Randolph County. In late 1863, while Quantrill's Raiders spent the winter in Sherman, Texas, animosity developed between Anderson and Quantrill. By the time of his death in 1864 Anderson had become one of the most sought after men in Missouri and had left a trail of blood and hatred across the west and central portions of the state. The rapid rate of fire made the revolver perfect for the quick attacks executed by these men. 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. Gen. John McNeil, the "Butcher of Palmyra." [119], Anderson left the Centralia area on September 27, pursued for the first time by Union forces equipped with artillery. Bloody Bill Anderson - Lies and Sensationalism. He angered Anderson by ordering his forces to withdraw. Answer: He mistook the cashier for Samuel P Cox, the killer of 'Bloody Bill' Anderson. The reason for the bloody raid that left nearly two hundred men dead and caused between $1 million and $1.5 million in damage (in 1863 dollars) is still the subject of speculation. Bloody Bill Anderson Name bad men in history, Caligula - Hitler - Charles Manson, more? Usually a wife, sister, mother or sweetheart used ribbons, shells and needlework to create the ellaborately [sic] decorated shirts. 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 . Anderson remained in Agnes City until he learned that Baker would not be charged, as the judge's claim of self-defense had been accepted by legal authorities. 2, in March 1862, allowed Union troops in Missouri to hang guerillas as robbers and murder[er]s. Future orders followed the same tone. eHistory website entry (Submitted on October 1, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.) Some, like the veterans attending the bushwacker reunions under Quantrill's vacant gaze, managed to adjust to post-war life. In what became known as the Centralia Massacre, Anderson's bushwhackers killed 24 unarmed Union soldiers on the train and set an ambush later that day which killed over a hundred Union militiamen. William T. Anderson was one of the most notorious Confederate guerrillas of the Civil War. [15] The Anderson brothers escaped, but Baker was captured and spent four months in prison before returning to Kansas, professing loyalty to the Union. He was the son of a hatter who an enthusiastic pro-slavery man would often abandon his family for long periods to go gold prospecting. By the time he turned 21 he was accompanying wagon trains on the Santa Fe Trail, selling stolen horses. Anderson retreated into the lobby of the town hotel to drink and rest. In early 1863 he joined Quantrill's Raiders, a group of Confederate guerrillas which operated along the KansasMissouri border. [2] His siblings were Jim, Ellis, Mary Ellen, Josephine and Janie. [31] By late July, Anderson led groups of guerrillas on raids and was often pursued by Union volunteer cavalry. Bloody Bill pulled his revolver, shot and killed both. 4. Cole Younger, 1913, The Federal command in St. Louis, Mo. [86], On August 13, Anderson and his men traveled through Ray County, Missouri, to the Missouri River, where they engaged Union militia. [60][61][62] They told General Cooper that Quantrill was responsible for the death of a Confederate officer; the general had Quantrill arrested. [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. Historians have made disparate appraisals of Anderson; some see him as a sadistic, psychopathic killer, while others put his actions into the perspective of the general desperation and lawlessness of the time and the brutalization effect of war. [Map inset] Nearby Civil War attractions include Pioneer Cemetery and Ray County Museum in Richmond, Mo. [109], Anderson arrived at the guerrilla camp and described the day's events, the brutality of which unsettled Todd. [33] In August 1863, however, Union General Thomas Ewing, Jr. attempted to thwart the guerrillas by arresting their female relatives,[34] and Anderson's sisters were confined in a three-story building on Grand Avenue in Kansas City with a number of other girls. Anyway, as Baker had achieved his mission & as Anderson & his troops entered the ambush. [149] Some of them cut off one of his fingers to steal a ring. William "Bloody Bill" Anderson A sociopath who lived for spilling blood, William Anderson was one of the most fearsome leaders of Confederate guerrillas in Civil War Missouri. Anderson led a band of volunteer partisan raiders who targeted Union loyalists and federal soldiers in the states of Missouri and Kansas. Union leaders branded bushwhackers as outlaws, issuing multiple orders to suppress guerilla activities. Bloody Bill Anderson got little respect in death. Gen. Henry Halleck. 3. Biographer Larry Wood wrote that Anderson's motivation shifted after the death of his sister, arguing that killing then became his focus, and an enjoyable act. The Death of William Anderson , 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. [24] Confederate General Sterling Price failed to gain control of Missouri in his 1861 offensive and retreated into Arkansas, leaving only partisan rangers and local guerrillas known as "bushwhackers" to challenge Union dominance. [11] He joined the freight shipping operation for which his father worked and was given a position known as "second boss" for a wagon trip to New Mexico. His family had been living in Council Grove, Territory of Kansas at the start of the war. On August 10, while traveling through Clay County, Anderson and his men engaged 25 militia members, killing five of them and forcing the rest to flee. While on public display, a local photographer documented his death. William and Jim Anderson then traveled southwest of Kansas City, robbing travelers to support themselves. Among his troops was a well-established group of guerrilla fighters led by William Anderson, who was known by the nickname " Bloody Bill ." Among his guerrillas was a pair of southern Missouri brothers named Frank and Jesse James. Todd rested his men in July to allow them to prepare for a Confederate invasion of Missouri. Often group sizes fluctuated as they came together for larger raids and then broke apart after the raid. Anderson led a band of volunteer partisan raiders who targeted Union loyalists and federal soldiers in the states of Missouri and Kansas. Jesse James. Anderson was told to recapture him and gave chase, but he was unable to locate his former commander and stopped at a creek. If they were Bill's, he would have had 7 pistols on his person which to me is a little hard to believe. James Jay Carafano. (. Only advantage would have been if you were behind a barrier, in a gun battle. , Cole Younger, 1913. Anderson's prodigious talents for bloodshed were such that, by the end of his life in 1864, he'd left a trail of destruction across three states which took just two years to blaze. 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. A wide-brimmed slouch hat was the headgear of choice. . Add to your list and mine, Bloody Bill Anderson for he was a ruthless, vicious killer. [68] The letters were given to Union generals and were not published for 20 years. Again, as I posted earlier, only those that carried the Model 1861 Remington could possibly have availed themselves to this convenience as all the other sidearms took some time to change out the cylinder. [42] The Provost Marshal of Kansas, a Union captain who commanded military police, surrendered to the guerrillas and Anderson took his uniform[43] (guerrillas often wore uniforms stolen from Union soldiers). Bloody Bill's Guns Bill Langley had used a number of different guns during his career as a killer. [145], Union soldiers identified Anderson by a letter found in his pocket and paraded his body through the streets of Richmond, Missouri. [104] Anderson forced the captured Union soldiers to form a line and announced that he would keep one for a prisoner exchange but would execute the rest. [9][d] On June 28, 1860, William's mother, Martha Anderson, died after being struck by lightning. I. [84] The guerrillas quickly forced the attackers to flee, and Anderson shot and injured one woman as she fled the house. After a former friend and secessionist turned Union loyalist judge killed his father, Anderson killed the judge and fled to Missouri. This is his story. [144] Four other guerrillas were killed in the attack. Smaller bands avoided fights with larger detachments of Union soldiers, preferring to ambush stragglers or loot Union supporters and their property. While on public display, a local photographer documented his death. [12] In late 1861, Anderson traveled south with Jim and Judge Baker in an apparent attempt to join the Confederate Army. Gen. John McNeil, the "Butcher of Palmyra." He became a skilled bushwhacker, earning the trust of the group's leaders, William Quantrill and George M. Todd. (, 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. [148] Union soldiers buried Anderson's body in a field near Richmond in a fairly well-built coffin. [73], In June 1864, George M. Todd usurped Quantrill's leadership of their group and forced him to leave the area. [130] Price was disgusted that Anderson used scalps to decorate his horse, and would not speak with him until he removed them. While on public display, a local photographer documented his death. For the more effectual annoyance of the enemy upon our rivers and in our mountains and woods all citizens of this district who are not conscripted are called upon to organize themselves into independent companies of mounted men or infantry, as they prefer, arming themselves and to serve in that part of the district to which they belong.