Battle of Lawrence
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The Battle of Lawrence was an attack by Quantrill's raiders, led by William Clark Quantrill, on the anti-slavery town of Lawrence, Kansas, a raid also known as the Lawrence Massacre.
Background
By 1863, Kansas had long been the home of strife and warfare, from both sides of the slavery versus Free State issue. In the summer of 1856, the first sacking of Lawrence sparked a guerrilla war in Kansas that was conducted for months. John Brown might be the best known, but numerous groups fought for each side in Bleeding Kansas. Lawrence, Kansas had, by the beginning of the American Civil War, already become the target for pro-slavery ire, having been seen as the anti-slavery stronghold in the state.
Events leading up to the attack
In a bid to put down the Confederate raiders operating in Kansas, General Thomas Ewing, Jr. issued General Order № 10, ordering the arrest of anyone giving aid or comfort to Quantrill's raiders. This meant chiefly women and children. Ewing confined those arrested in a make-shift prison in Kansas City. This building collapsed, killing four women. There was debate as to the nature of this collapse, with some claiming it was a deliberate attack on women and children, and others claiming it was merely a tragic accident.Attack
Citing as well an attack on Osceola, Missouri, the raiders worked themselves into a fury. Leading between three and four hundred raiders into the town, Quantrill started a four-hour session of pillaging, murder, and bloodshed. By the time they rode out of town, one in four buildings in Lawrence had been burnt to the ground, including all but two businesses. As well, most of the banks and stores had been looted. Left behind were between 185 and 200 dead men and boys. By 9 a.m., they were on their way out of town, evading the few units that came in pursuit.Aftermath
While the Battle of Lawrence was one of the bloodiest attacks in the whole history of Bleeding Kansas, it was not alone. A day after the attack, the surviving citizens of Lawrence lynched a member of Quantrill's Raiders caught in the town. On August 25, General Ewing authorized General Order № 11 (not to be confused with Grant's more famous General Order of the same name) evicting thousands of Missourians from their homes near the Kansas border.See also
References
External links
- [Tour and photos of Lawrence Quantrill's Raid sites]
- [Other reports that mention Quantrill's Raid and the Battle of Lawrence]
- [Civil War history site article on Quantrill]
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