Posted on 08/21/2013 5:21:08 PM PDT by Kid Shelleen
After 150 years, the emotions and opinions are still raw.
Generations of Kansans have been taught that thieving, bloodthirsty Missourians ripped Lawrence men from their families in the early morning hours of Aug. 21, 1863, and shot them in the dusty streets of Lawrence.
“It was utterly catastrophic,” said Pat Kehde, a retired Lawrence bookstore owner and great-granddaughter of Ralph and Jetta Dix.
On the morning of the raid, Jetta tried to protect Ralph by standing between William Quantrill’s men and her husband. When Jetta stumbled as one of Quantrill’s men rode his horse into her, Ralph was momentarily unguarded and in that instant was shot and killed.
(Excerpt) Read more at kansas.com ...
Great story.... I knew very little of it....
The annual game between Missouri and Kansas used to be called “The Border War”. They changed the name because that was not PC.
Now that Missouri is in the SEC, I don’t know if they even still play.
I was at the Dodge City National Guard Armory many years ago.
They had a sign on it which said “professional redlegs”.
Today, Quantrill might be best described as “not mentally all together”
Bloody Bill Anderson was at the Lawrence raid and I think he led the raid-not Quantrill.
The wife and I have stayed in Lawrence a number of times when driving back to Wisconsin from Texas. Very pretty country. We’ve never brought up the raid with any of the locals.
Abe acted foolishly.
That is an interesting scene. There is a third guy, unseen, that just kind of was forgotten about when the shooting started.
The Outlaw Josey Wales has my pick as not only one of the greatest westerns ever but also has my choice as having the greatest single scene in a western of all time. It’s the scene where Josie is accosted by two bounty hunters while his young partner is trying to recover from a gun shot. Len Lesser, Uncle Leo of Seinfeld, played one of the hapless bounty hunters. Used to repeat the scene at work with co-workers. Never ceased to create laughs. “Watch it Abe, I seen him do some things.” “Shut up Lije.”
Uncle Leo!
Also, the Jayhawker leaders and instigators of the Missouri raids cut and ran from Quantrill, leaving their fellow townspeople to face William Quantrill’s wrath.
They don't.
At the height of the Border War, and I don't think the fans called it anything but that, Missouri used to sell a picture of Lawrence after the massacre with the caption "Missouri 164, Kansas 0".
The same might be said for Sherman who marched to the sea, killing and leaving behind a burned path, Looting and stealing goods from Southerners, and sacking Atlanta.
Is Quantrill any worse than Sherman.
I guess it depends on your point of view.
Although the majority of townsmen were away fighting in the Civil War, those remaining drilled with guns, which were stored at the town’s armory.
As a result, on the day of the attack – which started while many residents were still at home in bed – they had little to defend themselves with ...
Mr. Mercat grew up in Lawrence. I went to KU and met and married Mr. Mercat and we lived there for another ten. Our son was an extra in Ride with the Devil. There’s a story of my mother’s grandfather who was only 12 at the time of the civil war. He was with his parents on the family farm in SW Missouri with his five older brothers off fighting for the confederates (four died). A young slave woman came to the door one night and warned them that the neighboring farm was being raided by irregulars from Kansas. They went and hid in the fields until it was over. Here’s a trivia question, what other state was admitted to the Union when Missouri was to keep the number of slave and free states even?
Maine.
Yup and I assume you didn’t look it up. LOL
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