The Missouri and Kansas border war. Book suggestions

[WCF3030]

I've found two books on Amazon "The Devil knows how to ride" and "Bloody Bill Anderson: The Short, Savage Life of a Civil War Guerrilla"

Any suggestions on books that cover this period. A books on the Red legs.

[Bill in Oregon]

WCF: Try "Black Flag."

[JimT]

One of the better ones is "GREY GHOSTS OF THE CONFEDERACY" by Robert Brownlee

http://www.amazon.com/Gray-Ghosts-Confe ... 0807111627

I quote from it a lot in my article MISSOURI PISTOLMEN - http://www.leverguns.com/articles/taylo ... tolmen.htm

[Nate C.]

"Wildwood Boys: A Novel" by James Carlos Blake. Although fictionalized, it paints a vivid picture of the actual people and places involved in that era.

For the record, Blake is an incredible author.

http://www.harpercollins.com/Search/ind ... horid15763

[CaptainFinn]

I am trying to dig this book out, but I believe the title is Jesse James: Last Rebel of the Civil War. Excellent book, goes far and beyond the James story and covers the whole time period really well.

[WCF3030]

So far we have:

Black Flag,
GREY GHOSTS OF THE CONFEDERACY" by Robert Brownlee,
Wildwood Boys: A Novel" by James Carlos Blake
Jesse James: Last Rebel of the Civil War

JimT as always a great article. A daunting thing that would be having Confederate Cav bearing down on you with only a musket in your hands.

[JimT]

Oh .. GONE TO TEXAS is another good one -- by Forrest Carter ... it's actually a double book .. the second half carries on the story. The film Josey Wales was made from this book ...

http://www.amazon.com/Josey-Wales-Weste ... 0826311687

[KansasScout]

Black Flag and War to the Knife, by Tom Goodrich. Both are the starting points. Must reads. The next MUST HAVE is Jay Monahans classic, Civil War on the Western Border. Excellent.
Bloody Bill Anderson by Castel and Goodrich
The Devil Knows How To Ride, Leslie
Quantrill's War, Schultz.

All are excellent books on the subject. I have read them all and each author has interesting contributions to the subject. I live in the KC metro on the kansas side and am working on this subject for more in depth understanding and get to visit many of the locations of interest.

[765x53]

http://www.bushwhacker.org/Books.htm

Our local historian has a couple of small volumes on the subject.

[Big Bore 94]

This website has some information, lots of old photos and where John Waynes character lost an eye in True Grit. http://www.historiclonejack.org/. Contact them and get a very good list of books. The staff are and helpful and have several book on hand. Nice small museum. Read about General Order #11! Quantill and His Civil War Guerillas by Carl W. Breihan, Noted Guerillas or the Warfare on The Border by John N. Edwards. Related to the topic are two outstanding titles I would also recommend to anyone interested. In Deadly Ernest-The Missouri Iron Brigade by Phil Gottschalk, I Jesse James by James R. Ross. Try http://www.jessejames.org/ This next website is one of the better places to search around http://www.civilwarstlouis.com/bookstoreborderwar.htm

[WCF3030]

BB 94,
Thanks very nice site.

[Big Bore 94]

WCF3030, Check out quantrllsguerrillas.com The war started around here in 1850-4-ish and ended in 1882-ish when the dirty little coward shot Mr. Howard. The real Mr Howard was the man who always had fresh horses for the Younger's, James's and company on the other side of the Missouri river when traveling from Clay to Jackson county.

[piller]

That Mr. Howard who had the fresh horses was Ephraim Barnes. He was a blacksmith and a farrier. Kind of a short, slender man with big mustaches and a rather short temper. He still had the bark on, as Louis L'Amour would have said. One of his Sons moved to the Oklahoma Panhandle and still has some descendants around there. The James family leased some of their land in Independence, KS for many years.

[Big Bore 94]

I was told by family growing up that it was this Mr.William B. Howard. He was one of the allies and the founder of the town of Strother Missori in 1865. The name of the town was later changed to Lee's Summit as in Robert E. Lee. Cole Youngers home was at the corner of 3rd and Jefferson in Lee's Summit. It is on the south side of the Missouri river and in Jackson county. The old Younger family farm is on the south border of the town on present day Highway 291.

[WCF3030]

Ordered The Devil knows how to ride. Found one on Amazon for $1.62 plus shipping.

Will order the others here soon.

[piller]

I was told by family growing up that it was this Mr.William B. Howard. He was one of the allies and the founder of the town of Strother Missori in 1865. The name of the town was later changed to Lee's Summit as in Robert E. Lee. Cole Youngers home was at the corner of 3rd and Jefferson in Lee's Summit. It is on the south side of the Missouri river and in Jackson county. The old Younger family farm is on the south border of the town on present day Highway 291.

There might have been more than one person helping the James gang to get away. Considering the way that people in the area felt back then, it stands to reason. Calling more than one person by an alias would have worked well for them.