Reunion of Quantrill’s Raid survivors in Lawrence, Kansas, 1925, Kansas Historical Society.
Lawrence
The tragedy Quantrill left behind has never left the citizens thoughts.
"Places of rendezvous in case of any hostile demonstration", 1863, Lawrence (Kan.) Committee on Public Safety. Click to enlarge.
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Lawrence took steps to prevent another attack.
With this arrangement fully established and observed that we shall be secure from the hosile incursions of the bushwhackers, who now openly proclaim their intention of making another raid upon our town." |
The raid is what shaped Lawrence into the wonderful city it is today and allowed for it to prosper. The resilient citizens of Lawrence who faced Quantrill will never be forgotten.
Lawrence history historical marker, Kansas Historical Society and State Highway Commission, Constant Park, Lawrence, Kansas. Click to enlarge.
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"From the Ashes", Jim Brothers, Lawrence Visitor Center.
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DRAWBACK
African Americans still faced discrimination and violence long after the raid.
There were many white Lawrencians who were in favor of African American freedom before and after the Civil War, but it is a far cry to say that all of Lawrence embraced racial equality. There were not many African Americans living in Kansas immediately after the Civil War..."
Dr. Kim Warren, Personal interview, 1 April 2019
On the night of June 10, 1882, a mob of angry white men forced their way into the Douglas County Jail, dragged three black men out of their cells and marched them down to the Kansas River bridge. In a matter of minutes all three were dead, swinging from the ropes below the bridge." |
The lynching took place in Lawrence only 20 years after Quantrill's pro-slavery raiders had sacked the city during the Civil War, and 123 years before the U.S. Senate issued an apology for failing to pass lynching laws. The incident also represents a dark piece of Lawrence history that few people today know about and which has received little publicity since." |
Missouri
To Missourians, the raid is a great triumph.
Reunion of William Quantrill's band, early 1900's, Watkins Museum of History.
Picture of the “Remaining Pioneers of Quantrell's [sic] Band”, 1909, KU Libraries Exhibits.
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“Reunion Silk from the Sixth Annual Re-Union of the survivors of Quantrell's [sic] Guerrillas”, 22 Aug. 1903, KU Libraries Exhibits.
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...no better force could be employed than that of Quantrill’s Missourians...They are bold, fearless men, and, moreover, from all representations, are under very fair discipline. They are composed, I understand, in a measure of the very best class of Missourians.”
Lt. General E. Kirby Smith, letter to General Henry McCulloch, 2 Nov. 1863
Confederate veteran memorial, Brian Kratzer, 2018, Missourian.
One must always remember history is written by the winner. Missouri was truly a divided state. In this instance, many of Quantrill's followers, or their families, had suffered great injustices from overzealous Union men." |
William Quantrill gravestone, Brian Kratzer, 2018, Missourian.
He was a hero here to the people here in Jackson County. Were it not for Quantrill it might have been a lot worse…They had someone to stand up for them and that was Quantrill." |
Culture
"The Ballad of Quantrill's Raiders", Joe Coleman, 1992, Lawrence Journal World.
Lawrence, Kansas, has long had a claim on American memories and consciousness...it is a model local history of a unique place, yet it is a microcosm of American life. For anyone whose path has run through Lawrence, it is essential...to understand American life..."
David m. Katzman, professor of american studies and history at the university of kansas, "embattled lawrence conflict and community"
Quantrill’s raid not only impacted Lawrence and Missouri it left a great mark on American culture in all media forms.
Legacy in media section of "Quantrill's Crossing" historical marker, Burrough’s Creek Trail, Lawrence, Kansas. Click to enlarge.
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Original 1912 Jayhawk, Kubookstore.com.
Over time, "Jayhawk" lost its war-like connotations and Kansans came to embrace the title as a term of endearment….The Jayhawk became the mascot for the University (before that it was the Bulldog, among others), when Eureka, Kansas student Henry Maloy created the first cartoon in 1912." |
Red Dead Redemption 2 logo, Rockstar Games, xbox. Click to enlarge.
William Quantrill's attack on Lawrence makes a brief appearance in the extremely popular video game "Red Dead Redemption 2," a western-themed, open-world game set just before the turn of the 20th century. The game's story follows a gang of bandits through a fictionalized version of the American west….In the game, players can find a letter from a man named William Marcus Anderson, which mentions an attack on the ‘jayhawkers of Lawrence, Kansas.’” |
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Radio play about Quantrill's Raid, 1937, Allen Crafton, Lawrence Public Library. Click to enlarge.
The Border War also inspired women to fight for women’s rights nationally.
Many women in Kansas, like other women around the nation, moved the skills that they had learned in the abolitionist movement into the woman's suffrage movement." |
"Suffragettes, Topeka, Kansas", Kansas Historical Society.
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Rivalry today
[Quantrill was] a military genius, great leader and sociopath.” |
[quantrill] He’s definitely a terrorist. If you look at what terrorists do today, they destroy buildings, kill people and anger them or try to destroy the United States in one way or another. |
Tom Mendenhall cheering on Missouri, 2005, Lawrence Journal World.
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Border showdown logo, 27 Feb. 2012, KCUR.
"150th anniversary nearing of Quantrill’s Raid", 18 Aug. 2013, 41 Action News - Youtube.
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Quantrill's Raid gave birth to a great sports rivalry." 
KU student section during a game with Missouri, 2 March 2009, KU Sports. Click to enlarge.
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These are feelings that have been handed down from generation to generation. They define us, they tell us who we are." |
The war is still going on. We may not be killing each other – Kansans and Missourians – but the war is still going on.” |
Quantrill’s Raid is not well known outside of the midwest, but it has a great legacy in American history and culture.
