Bloody Bill Anderson Thesis

William “Bloody Bill” Anderson was a barbaric, gruesome confederate guerrilla who played a major part in the guerrilla conflict during the Civil War and much more. Anderson was born in 1838 and was dubbed “Bloody Bill” because he murdered and butchered union soldiers and supporters during the Civil War. Anderson conducted multiple, brutal raids while joining forces with William Clarke Quantrill and the James brothers along the line. Anderson was considered a quiet, polite child. He was born to William C. Anderson and Martha Anderson, along with six children. Although he claimed Missouri as his home state, his place of birth is uncertain but it likely was Kentucky. During the 1850s, his family moved to Kansas where his family co-owned a 320

After a mishap with a United States Marshal, they split into small groups. Anderson set up his own guerrilla group alongside Jesse James. Anderson had barbaric ways of torturing men he terrorized, though ironically, he did spare women. He would scalp Union soldiers, decorating his horse with the bloody scalps. Sometimes he had dead enemies decapitated, placing their heads on different bodies. Anderson’s tactics were often compared to Indian warfare.

Whilst tension was rising in the area of the Kansas-Missouri border, Anderson and his comrades participated in much conflict. He fought brutal battles in the Battle of Fort Blair, the Lawrence Massacre, the Centralia Massacre, and the battle in Orrick, Missouri. Although the most famous battle was the Centralia Massacre, which was the possibly the war’s deadliest and most brutal guerrilla conflict yet. Anderson’s men killed 24 Union soldiers on a passenger train and set an ambush later that day that killed more than 100 Union militiamen. Another famous battle was the Lawrence Massacre. After arriving in Lawrence, Anderson and his men immediately killed many of the Union Army recruits and they took their flag. The Provost Marshal of Kansas, surrendered to the guerrillas and Anderson took his uniform, which was

Although his body is gone, his violent practices still live today and will not be forgotten. The body of the “blood-drenched savage,” as he became known as, was placed on public display around the area of Albany, Missouri. His violent memory still lives