My Dear Connelly.
Yours of yesterday at hand. Glad to hear from you but am sorry to inform you that I will start on the campaign next Monday, but, if you will call at my house you can see all the papers I have relating to this matter. Mrs. Gregg will accompany me in the country.
Your friend as ever.
W.H. Gregg

1. A Little Dab of History Without Embellishment.

History after history has been written of Quantrill and his men, none of which can be characterized as true and that which is not true is not history. About the 25th day of December, 1861, James A. Hendricks, John W. Koger and myself, joined Quantrill's command then consisting, all told of eight men, we three swelling his force to eleven. We found Quantrill at Mrs. Samuel Crumps place on Independence and Blue Springs Road and this was the nucleus to the greatest guerrilla that the world ever produced. Quantrill was at that time about twenty-four years of age, Blue Gray eyes, red beard and hair so light that many of the boys denominated him "tow head" but as the years rolled on, his hair acquired a more sandy cast.
 Quantrill, (his story to the contrary notwithstanding) was born at Canal Dover, Ohio, at least a woman said to be his mother says he was born there. Quantrill told me this story. He said "I was born and raised in Hagerstown, Maryland, me and my older brother, with a wagon and team and a Negro boy, started for Pike's Peak, arriving at Lawrence, we stopped to make some purchases, leaving some time in the afternoon. Camped near the Kaw river where we were attacked by Montgomery's jJayhawkers, my brother killed, I wounded and left for dead, the Negro, wagon and the team appropriated and after keeping vigil for twenty-four hours amidst the hideous howlings of hundreds of coyotes becoming most famished for water, I managed to quench my thirst, after which, I espied a canoe at the opposite bank and soon after an Indian approached the canoe to whom I hallooed, asking him to come over which he did, and after hearing my story, buried my dead brother and took me to his cabin where he and his wife nursed me to health. After which, heed myself to Lawrence and joined Montgomery's band under the name of charley hart, I soon found I had the confidence of Montgomery, his officers and men, I next obtained the names of all the men who had taken part in the killing of my brother &c, I at once went to get revenge for the wrongs heaped upon me and my brother. I managed to get one at a time away from the command and never permitted one to get back alive until, when the war came, only two were left.
The above story however was somewhat shaken, when a woman purporting to be Quantrill's mother and a Mr. Scott, both from Canal Dover, Ohio, told me that Quantrill had no older brother. Scott asserted that he and William Clark Quartile were school boys together and bosom friends, and that he could not account for Quantrill's taking the stand he did in the War, for, said Scott, "he was raised an Abolitionist."
Whether Quantrill's was deception thus far or not, rests with the truth or falsity of the latter statement, One thing I do know however and that is, that he was a soldier and not afraid to die, that he was equitable and just to friend and foe up to a certain period in the war, a matter that I will treat of more fully, hereafter.
 Quantrill and his men have been unjustly slandered by the people who, even to this day, know nothing of them, except what they have read in irresponsible books and newspapers. The time has come when their minds should be disabused.
Quantrill's command was composed principally of men and boys from the very best families of Missouri and now at this writing, many of them are honored citizens of Missouri and other states many of whom have been honored with high political positions, not in Missouri alone, but, other states also, and none of them have ever defaulted, a record of which I am exceptionally proud.
You must not infer that I make this claim for all the men who chanced to be with Quantrill. It would be a miracle if such was the case.
 It was the Kansan who hated and berated Quantrill and his men, more jealously than any other people, but, admit that Quantrill and his men were the very greatest demons and sprang from the very depths of degradation, they could not have been any worse than the Kansan, so that, for the Kansan to berate them I would liken to the "Pot" calling the "Kettle" black.
Quantrill and his men had many ups and downs, they were often in the greatest of peril, footsore, hungry and shot at from every quarter, hunted day in and day out, staying in the enemies country where they were outnumbered two hundred to five hundred to one and yet, none of them were known to murmur at their hard lot.
Outside the Kansas City Star, the Kansan is our most bitter enemy, the great fault in the people who write of us is, that they only tell one side of the story just as though they had the right to murder, burn, rob and steal and those whom they murdered, robbed and plundered had no right resist. Gen. Sherman very truly said that was hell, and, meant to kill and that is what the Kansan did when he came to Missouri and their killing was principally of old men and boys, noncombatants. I will have more to say of the sainted Kansan in another chapter.
Quantrill and his men is little more than stand the enemy off after I joined the command until Springs, except the interception of marauders, during which time we captured many of the enemy whom we universally paroled. Quartile and his men vieghing with each other who should be the most magnanimous toward prisoners, up to the 20th march 1862 when we received Maj. En Hallack's order, telling his officers and men to shoot or hang Quantrill or his men whenever caught or found, at this date we had sixty men, twenty of whom had come to us only the day before and when the order was read and explained, these recent recruits left us. They were disgusted at the idea of being outlawed and the hoisting of the black flag by the enemy. They did not stay away long however as the federal troops began murdering by wholesale, old men and boys, and, were so insulting to the women that they too, often hid out on their approach. Heaven bless the women, they were friends in need and indeed. No braver than the southern ladies of Missouri, we often owed our lives o them. So, to say again, heaven bless them.
On the 22nd day of February 1862, it being Washington's Birthday, Quantrill with fifteen men went to Independence not knowing the enemy was there. On their arrival we were met by an Ohio cavalry regiment, and, of course there was a collision and while we lost two men and the enemy held the town we had the better of the fight, their losses being much greater than ours. Towards the close of the engagement a sturdy brave Ohio cavalryman rode up beside me with drawn saber, thinking that I was a comrade, he soon found his mistake however, and proceed to belabor me with his saber, the only harm he did was to blacken my arm from the elbow to the wrist.
Soon after this, or on the 22" of March, Quantrill with twenty-one men was surrounded at what was known as the "Tate" house fourteen miles south of Kansas City, when after fighting the enemy for an hour they fired the house. When Quantrill and his men made a dash, drove the enemy back and escaped with the loss of their horses and one man "Perry Hoy" captured, of whom, I will speak more fully hereafter.
While it is a notorious fact that we were, as a rule, greatly outnumbered by the enemy, they always gave way to our charge. From this date to about the middle of April, it was a series of surprises for Quantrill and his men, in each case losing our horses, which was a great drawback, however, we soon got on to the enemies tactics, and never afterwards did we loss horses in any considerable number, but, often beat the enemy out of theirs. After the first of may of this year, recruiting officers flocked to Jackson and adjoining counties among them was Col. Upton Hays, then whom was there no more brave or dauntless spirit, falling in with Quantrill while on the move to Henry county. Arriving on Walnut Creek in the N. W. corner of Henry, we camped at a vacant farmhouse, threw out pickets and rested for the night. Soon after breakfast next morning our pickets were driven in by a scout of ninety-six men, we having exactly the same number, we fought and drove them away. One of their wounded falling into our hands who (notwithstanding they had hoisted the black flag against us) we tenderly carried to the house of a citizen.
Hays, having come up from the south for the purpose of recruiting a regiment, was restless. July the 10' having come, he asked Quantrill for an escort to Jackson. Quantrill gave him Todd with thirty men, reducing our force to sixty-five men. Of course the fight in the morning had stirred up a hornets nest, about 3 o'clock p.m. the enemy came after us three or four hundred strong. When we very gracefully retired, leaving the field to the enemy, but, encountering a severe rain storm, which soaked us to the hide, we soon left the enemy in the distance, stopping to feed where Strausbury now stands, some 8 miles East of Pleasant Hill. But on approach of night resumed  our march, passing half mile South of Pleasant Hill, garrisoned with several hundred troops, we re-crossed Big Creek coming to a thickly wooded locality four or five miles West of the town, we lay down and slept 'till morning when we moved to the house of one Serraney, camping in the horse lot. the morning was bright and lovely, the many wild birds were caroling in the woods. Our boys were jubilant. Hicks George and Bob Houk was sent on our back rail as pickets, Blankets, overcoats &c hanged upon the lot fence to dry about two hours after our stop, firing at our pickets warned us of the approach of the enemy. Blankets and clothing were snatched from the fence and our horse saddled and hitched.
In a deep gulch in the rear, men ordered to the front where they lye low, concealed from the approaching enemy, with instruction not to fire until ordered. It was only seconds after the pickets got in until here come at a dead run six men commanded by a Sergeant, at this time, I was midway the lot, the only men the enemy could see, and of course drew their fire. The men lay in silence behind the lot fence, Quantrill standing behind the gate post with hand on the latch owing to the fact that I was the only man the enemy could see, it seemed to me an hour, for the bullets were whizzing thick and fast around me, finally when the enemy were in forty to sixty feet, the order was given. The men fired, the seven federals fell in a heap. The horses coming straight toward the gate I yelled to Quantrill to open the gate, which he did. The horses coming into the lot, on approaching the seven dead federals, we found seven six round colts carbines, seven colt navies and seven bottles or canteens of whiskey, all of which we appropriated. In a few moments, the main body of the enemy came up, two hundred strong, formed one hundred yards away, where we fought them for some moments, they being armed with guns of longer range than ours. This fire was telling on us, we having one man killed (John Hampton) and two wounded, Geo. Maddox and Wm. Tucker). Tucker being able to travel we sent him away in charge of his Bro. When this damaged had been done   we climbed the fence and charged then on foot, driving them away. They retired to a farmhouse on the prairie in plain view of us, where we could see the surgeons dressing wounds. Throwing a picket out to watch this force, we sat about the remove our dead and wounded. The farmer having no horse wagon, we found a yoke of cattle which we hitched to the wagon, placing rails on the wagon with two feather beds on the rails, we put the dead Hampton on the bed and the wounded man, Maddox who was shot through the lungs, beside him. All this time a cloud was gathering, the enemy already two hundred strong, had been reinforced, the reinforcements being concealed from us. When we were ready to move, the enemy in sight began to move on us and at this juncture a very ...ghable incident occurred. Dave Pool with another man were placed in a pasture to watch the enemy, in which there was a large jack, and, about the time the enemy moved on our picket also. And made a dash for them at a dead run, with his tail in the hoisted straight in the air, his immense ears laid back, braying at every jump. Pool said afterwards that he was in double fear, and did not know by which he would be run down, the federals or the jack.
We had not gone more than three -eights of a mile until the enemy were on us, forcing us to give up our dead and wounded and forcing us to dismount and here was enacted the greatest, most unequal battle scene that I were to witness, the enemy being 450 strong, our force 61 rank and file.
We were surrounded in less than a moment. We received a galling fire from all sides. The nature of the ground chosen by us was such that the enemy were forced to relinquish their hold on the east and west. We never divided our men, fought a side at a time making great havoc in the federal ranks, the troops we were fighting were well trained, brave soldiers, but unfortunately for them, they were loaded up with whiskey and continually rushed upon us, the very thing we wanted them to do, for our men were armed with pistols and shotguns and could do but little execution at long range.
After the fight had continued for two hours without the loss of a man killed, and only one wounded that being Quantrill, himself. Many of the men became short of ammunition and on enquiry it war found that Pool, in his flight from the Jack and the enemy, had lost our extra supply. Quantrill then ordered the men to mount and get out, but before they could retire, they had to bet the enemy back with rocks, which were plentiful about the ground over which we fought. After all the men that could get their horses were mounted, Erga Moore was shot from his horse and killed, the first man to fall in the fight. Jerre Doors, in trying to get his horse, was shot through the knee and died from the wound. Our wounded all fell into the hands of the enemy, the only time our wounded were treated with anything like courtesy by the Federal government. They also captured one man who was unhurt and exchanged him, the only one of our men ever exchanged by the Federal government. For a month after his wonderful fight, there was a lull. Quantrill hid away nursing his wound, which was only partially healed when we fought at Independence on the 11" day of august 1862, in which Quantrill with twenty five men, took an active part, and in my judgment, the fight would have been lost, for Quantrill and his men we guided the little army to the town, cut Buell off from his men and closed the battle by forcing the surrender of Buell and his body guard who were barricaded in the McCoy bank building. Quantrill lost one man killed in this battle, Kit Chiles. The little army that captured Independence were composed principally of Col Upton Hayes' regiment but few of whom had been in battle. Col J. T. Hughes with about 75 men and Quantrill with 25 men were the only veterans in the fight, but, they all stood the test just the same. Two or three days after the taking of Independence, Quantrill and his men were sworn into the confederate service and reorganized by electing Quantrill Capt, Wm. Hulse, first lieut, Geo. Todd second lieut and Wm. H Gregg third Lieut, with one hundred and fifty men. The next day after we were sworn in, Quantrill with ninety men repaired to Independence to secure commissaries captured and left there leaving Lieut's Hallar and Gregg with sixty men. Six miles west from Lone Jack with orders not to move unless we should be driven away, without orders from him, Cockrell having come from the South and joined forces with Hayes, were encamped near Lone jack, Maj. foster, a brave and energetic federal officer, with eight hundred men, came to Lone jack is search of these confederate forces. About eight o'clock on the morning of the 16" august, a courier from col. Hayes arrived at our camp with a dispatch asking us to come to their assistance. Hallar refused to go until a second courier came, when he was persuaded by Gregg to go. Although it was a disobedience of orders and the distance was covered in short order, we were too late to take part in the fight, though we captured about one hundred and fifty prisoners. It was here that Cole Younger displayed the greatest magnanimity in that he saved the life of Maj. foster and his brother, and also saved them some seven or eight hundred dollars in money. The time has come that I must speak of Perry Hoy again and tell of scenes that were repugnant to me.

At the battle of Lone jack a Lieut. Copeland was captured, a man who was very obnoxious to the Southern soldier and citizen, a man who had in cold blood, murdered numerous old men, among them, two of the Longacres of Johnson county, when col. Up Hayes was ready to leave for the south, he turned Lieut Copeland over to Quantrill. We had established a camp some four miles Northeast of the, now, town of Lee’s Summit. Late one evening, Chas Cowherd and Wm Howard came to our camp bringing with them a copy of the then Missouri Republican, in which was published an account of the shooting of Perry Hoy, our man captured at the Tate House 22” march.

Quantrill was sitting at a table reading the paper and I was sitting by waiting to see the paper when, suddenly, I saw a change in Quantrill’s countenance and the paper fell from his hand without saying a word he drew a blank book from his pocket, penned a note on a leaf, folded and handed it to me, saying, “give this to Blunt,” then he told me that Hoy had been shot. Eager to see the purpose of the note, I opened and read’ “take Lieut Copeland out and shoot him, go to Woodsmall’s camp, get twp prisoners and shoot them.”

On the return of Blount, the men were ordered to saddle up and, on inquiry found that we were going to Kansas to kill ten men in revenge for poor Hoy. Let’s have the full sequel to this killing. Hoy was captured on the night of the 22” of March at the Tate House. Soon after the capture of Hoy, we captured a first Lieut of a Kansas cavalry regiment, whom we held to exchange for Hoy. Quantrill wrote the commanding officer at Ft. Leavenworth asking that the exchange be made, but got no answer. He then sent the Lieut to Leavenworth to effect an exchange. On the return of the Lieut, he told Quantrill that they refused to make the exchange, and asked Quantrill what he was going to do with him.

Quantrill told him to go home, the Lieut remarked that he would go home and sty there, that he would not fight for a government that would not exchange a private for him, a Lieut.

After the shooting of the prisoners north of Lee’s Summit, we marched in the neighborhood of red Bridge, near the Kansas line, remaining there until the next evening, when we marched on Olathe. However, we had killed ten men before we reached Olathe, but we had started to take Olathe and Olathe we must have, arriving near the place Quantrill ordered Lieut Gregg to advance with sixty men, place a cordon around the town that no one might escape. While Quantrill with the remainder of the command marched to the center of town on the arrival of Quantrill at the Court Square he found 125 soldier drawn up on the sidewalk South of the square, so that a plan was adopted to capture these men without bloodshed. The men were ordered to hitch there horses to the court yard fence, close together and when hitched to step to the rear of their horses, standing in line. This completed they drew their revolvers and ordered the federals to surrender which they did without firing a shot, however, one man refused to give p his gun and was shot & killed so that they had killed fourteen men for Hoy. We remained in Olathe until morning when we marched our prisoners out on the prairie about two miles from town, swore them out of the service and, turned them loose, notwithstanding Maj. Gen. Halleck’s order to shoot or hang Quantrill and his men whenever caught or found. About two weeks after the capture of Olathe, colonel Burris with his Kansas regiment, came upon us near Columbus, Johnson County Missouri, but his force being so much greater than ours, we retreated to Lafayette county, avoiding a collision, while encamped at the farm of our Harvey Gleaues, some of our pickets 32. Were chased in and came near being captured. At first we thought it was Burris command following us up, but soon found they were militia from Lexington. We gave pursuit overhauling them at Wellington, driving them from the town. They made no halt, driving and scattering the enemy in every direction, killing many of them, we having one man, (Lieut. Ferd Scott) wounded in the side, as usual, they could not stand our onslaught.

After the fight was over, we marched west to Mecklin where we stopped for supper, finding that Burris was still 33. In pursuit, we moved our camp three miles north, where we rested ‘til morning. About daybreak next morning moved to Bone Hill where we got breakfast, but, we had barely finished when our pickets wee driven in by Burris, this time Col. Burris pressed us more vigorously but did not bring us to a stand until about four o’clock P.M. on the high prairie north from Pleasant hill, where we lost one man, young Simmons from Westport. We never knew if we did the enemy any damage on reaching the timber we scattered our men in order to avoid pursuit, which we did very effectually. 34. After a rest of four or five days the boys were together again, fresh and ready for the fray, and the “fray” was soon upon us. Camped in the river bottom one mile below Sibley, one hundred and fifty of Quantrill’s cutthroats drove our pickets in who were stationed in town. Although our force was only one hundred strong, we decided to give them battle, and, believing thy would go south to he Lexington and Independence road, we at once, repaired to that road. Arriving at the farm house of Mrs. Garrison and the road leading north to Sibley, we halted for a short consultation when Col. Dick Chiles who had that day fallen in with us, asked to be given 35. Command of the advance, to which Quantrill said ‘No, I do not know you, I do not know if you would carry out my instructions. Here are my Lieut Gregg and Todd, I know that either of them will do just as I tell them,” the Lieut speaking up said “let him have it.”

So Quantrill said to Chiles, “you must obey these orders. When you meet the enemy, you must not stop, but go right into them, I will be there to support you, now go.” Chiles moved out gaily and briskly with twenty-five as brave and dauntless soldiers as ever followed any man and Chiles was no coward, but unfortunately for poor Chiles, he disobeyed the orders given by our dauntless commander, instead when 36. He met the enemy, he stopped and dismounted his men giving the enemy time to dismount, take possession of a log house and heavy rail fence. Soon Chiles dismounted, he was shot through the lungs from which he never recovered. Quantrill saw at a glance that it was useless to continue the fight so, called the men off, carrying Chiles   to the house of Mrs. Garrison where we left him, we also had one man wounded, Pat O’Donnell. Soon after the Sibley affair which was late in September 862, we planned and carried out another successful raid on Kansas, this time, Shawnee Town was the objective point. This was to have been a bloodless affair 37. But unfortunately, we struck a train of wagons on the Santa Fe Trail, guarded by a troop of infantry. This infantry was taken by surprise, they having gone to sleep without a camp guard, much less a picket. As soon as they were wakened, there was a general scramble to get away, and I think that about half escaped, the other were shot down as they ran.

This raid was planned for the purpose of securing clothing for the men; however, it was almost waterhall for Shawnee Town was possessed of little of that commodity. This Shawnee Town raid was made about the 20’ October.

The last mentioned affair was about 38. The last escapade of Quantrill in the Missouri river county in 1862, what little time we remained after that, we devoted to preparations for the trip south, which began on the 6” day of November, our rendezvous being on Big Creek, Cass county Mo, not far from the scene of the Scarancy battle. We struck the Harrisonville and Holden road about sundown in the evening, our advance striking a train of U. S. wagons escorted by about forty Iowa cavalry. Quantrill ordered Lieut. Gregg to advance with forty men and attack the cavalcade, capture the train, which was drawn by cattle. The enemy corralled the wagons and tried to enter the corral, but Gregg was too quick for them. 39. Nearly every one of the forty either killed or captured, some two miles south from where we captured this train. We camped, fed and lunched before we moved, our pickets reported the enemy coming, and, actually pushed our picket on to us before we got out of camp, Capt. Harrison being in the rearguard, the sergeant and men being inexperienced, the enemy drove them pell-mell upon our rear, also composed of raw men, stampeding the whole of Harrison’s company. We had just arrived at the top of a sharp ridge when Lieut. Gregg, Todd & Hallar formed all the veterans of Quantrill’s old company 40. Seeing that the enemies force was far superior to ours in number, Lieut Gregg ordered his men back from the crest of the ridge, giving a chance to see the enemy come in view, Gregg ordered a charge, the enemy were so surprised and Gregg charge so impetuous, that the enemy were hurled back at least half a mile. Never daunted however, they came again and again each time they were hurled back with that same impetuous charge directed by Lieut. Gregg, Todd and Hallar. The third charge however, was enough. The contest was at an end, and we 41. Resumed our march without the loss of a man, killed or wounded. What damaged we inflicted on the enemy, we never knew definitely.

On our march southward, we chanced to fall in with Col. Warner Lewis, who had a command of about 200 men.

Lewis insisted that Quantrill should join forces with him in an attack on Lamar, with was finally agreed to, on condition that Lewis would attack simultaneous with us, the hour for the attack being 0 o’clock P. M. Lewis to enter from the North and Quantrill from the south. On nearing the town limits, Quantrill found that he was a few minutes ahead of time, so that we halted and waited for the exact 42. Time, when we rushed the guards and brought on the fight in which we lost two men killed and accomplished nothing, Lewis not showing up. We pulled our men off, and continued our journey south, passing some miles west from Carthage, turning to westward and entering the Indian territory, going to Ft. Smith by way of Gibson, arriving a Ft. smith, we were assigned to Gen. Jo. O. Shelby’s command, taking an active part in battles of Cane Hill, Prairie Grove, Springfield, Hartville &c, however, before the battle was opened at cane Hill, Quantrill had obtained leave of absence and started on a journey to Richmond, Virginia. Lieut 43. Gregg in command, he now being the first Lieut. Possibly, some may think me ungenerous for relating an occurrence that took place at Cane Hill, but, I have said that nothing but the truth was history and that I was going to tell the truth, let the chips fall where they might.

When I took command, I noticed the Lieuts. Todd was absent. On close inquiry, I found that he with eight men had left for Missouri some hour or so before I made the inquiry. Whether Todd left with consent of Quantrill or not, I was never able to learn.

After battle of Hartville Lieut Gregg was given recruiting papers and ordered to Missouri river 44. By Brig. Gen John s. Marmaduke, leaving the skeleton of Quantrill’s command in charge of third Lieut Scott. On Quantrill’s return from Richmond in the spring, he brought the skeleton of his command back to the Missouri river, arriving early in May. Owing to the excessive hard winter, Lieut Gregg’s operations were limited until March, when with eleven men he captured the government steamer, “Sam Gaty” near Sibley, destroying half million in sugar, coffee, flour, bacon &c and killing some fourteen soldiers of Penick’s command. On Quantrill’s return to the state military operations 45. Began in earnest, however on a different line from the previous year, during the year of 1862 the men were kept close together and all under the watchful eye of Quantrill. Not so in 1863, there was Todd, Pool, Blunt, Younger…and others, each had companies, often widely separated, and only called together on special occasions, all of whom, however, recognized Quantrill as commander in chief with Lieut Gregg adjutant. Occurrences were thick and fast during the summer of 1863. Todd would anililate a party of the enemy in Western Jackson County; Blunt another in the Eastern 46. Portion, Anderson somewhere is Kas, or Cass Co. Mo. Pool in Lafayette on Saline, Younger on the high Blue. Some of these commanders were in collision with the enemy almost every day (supplement starts here) up to about the 1^st august when the enemy ceased their activity from some cause or other, giving Quantrill and his men much needed rest. The enemy had been more savage, if possible, than ever before. They had killed numerous men and boys, one boy, son of Henry Morris, only eleven years old. They could have been no better argument for the people to flock to Quantrill, than the dastardly acts of the enemy and they came 47. About the 10” august 1863, Quantrill called his various captains together for a council of war, which lasted near twenty-four hours. Quantrill said “let’s go to Lawrence”, and in support of this proposition he said, Lawrence in the great hotbed of abolitionism in Kansas, and all the plunder, (or the bulk of it) stolen from Missouri will be found stowed away in Lawrence, and we can get more revenge, and more money there than anywhere else in the state.” Some said that the undertaking was too hazardous, “I know, says the chief, but if you never risk your will never gain,” so Quantrill won. Quantrill and his captains 48.busied themselves the next five or six days in having the men prepare an extra supply of ammunition, but, did not tell the men of the contemplated raid.

Why we made the raid to Lawrence, Jennison, Lane, Burrrus and many other marauding bands under leaders of lesser fame, had visited various Missouri border communities and never left the state without murdering, plundering and devastating the homes of a greater or less number of our citizens, and to kill, it was only necessary to know that a man sympathized with the south, but, as to robbery, they robbed everybody 49. Without distinction, and they often laid waste whole districts. I counted thirteen houses burning at one time on the 28” day of January 1862. This burning was done by Jennison’s men, although government officials said Jennison was not a U. S. officer and had no authority yet he carried the U. S. flag and, was often assisted in his forays by troops stationed at Independence and other stations in Jackson and adjoining counties. There parties until early in sixty these did not haul away much household plunder, contenting themselves with such as blankets, quilts, wearing apparel and jewelry, such articles as they could carry on their horses. But they usually went back to Kansas, well loaded with such articles as I have mentioned.

It would be too tedious for me in this brief history to mention all the atrocious acts of the Kansan. Combined with federal troops stationed in Missouri and Kansas, hence I will give you one circumstance in illustration of the hundred other similar ones. About the 18” feby, 1863 Col. Bill Penick stationed at Independence, whose men were part Missourians and part Kansans, sent a scout of about seventy-five men sixteen miles southeast of Independence