Quantrill's Raid

Visit the past and 
see justice prevail.

I'd like to introduce you to the  The Past Times series. I liked the idea of the "present" being in the past, so these two books are set in 1878 and 1879. The main character goes back in time from there, facilitating God's justice. Psalm 36: 6 says, "Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep."  God uses my character, Justine, to showcase His wonderful attributes. Here's the gist of the series: 

Stand up for what is right, no matter the cost. 1878: Frivolous New York socialite, Justine Braden, receives the gift of time travel on her twentieth birthday--as have past generations of the women of her family. Such a gift presents her with a great purpose, one that is far beyond her imagining: justice. The gift is given, but it can be declined, ignored, or embraced. If she is strong enough, brave enough, and noble enough, the gift will facilitate justice and change many lives for the better. Join Justine on her journey from a fickle girl into a woman of great purpose and potential.

Where Time Will Take Me takes place in New Hampshire where Justine is sent back into Colonial America. Book 2: Where Life Will Lead Me has Justine living in Lawrence, Kansas where she explores frontier life and the Civil War.

I live in Kansas, so was excited to delve into its history. One of the historical events I have Justine visit is Quantrill's Raid in Lawrence during the Civil War. First, you need to understand the animosity between Missouri and Kansas at that time. The people who traveled westward were independent people—an admirable trait. But many came to flee their own crimes, or because their views conflicted with established society. Those who settled in Missouri tended to have Southern roots, were often sympathetic to slavery, and had plantation-type farms. For the most part, those who settled in Kansas had Northern roots and opposed slavery. Sometimes opposing sensibilities were as close as the next farm. And so there was conflict—sometimes horrendous, violent conflict. Hence the term "Bleeding Kansas".

Quantrill’s Raid was the most violent conflict between Missouri Bushwhackers and the Kansas Jayhawkers. William Quantrill was a guerrilla fighter from Missouri whose gang of bandits chased after escaped slaves and terrorized anyone who had Union sympathies. On August 23, 1863 he led a raid from Missouri into Kansas to attack the free-state stronghold of Lawrence. Four hundred men rode into Lawrence before dawn. They were told to shoot any man--or boy, who was big enough to hold a gun. The raiders carried American flags as cover until they got close, then brandished Quantrill’s black flag. They killed nearly 200 men and boys, and burned most of Lawrence to the ground, causing $20-30 million in damages (in today’s money). They rode back to Missouri and didn’t lose a single man. 

Why didn't Lawrence fight back? Their defenses were down. They'd spent years being told they were susceptible to an attack and had armaments ready. But when years passed and nothing happened they let their guard down. Unfortunately, with great consequences.

As we know, the pro-slavery side lost the war. Quantrill and his band of men (which may have included Jesse James) spread out and became outlaws, robbing and murdering innocents. Most died a violent death. 

I hope you dive into Justine's story as she seeks justice!

Thanks for stopping by! I'd love to hear from you. Happy reading!

Civil War in Missouri, the Oliver Anderson House, battlefield hospital

Posted: 11 Feb 2015 10:00 PM PST

 A Footnote from History by Stephanie Grace Whitson

"Maggie didn’t know how long it had been since John had screamed at her to go back to safety in the rear. He’d been astride Blue and he’d kept going, tearing across the battlefield ... She’d watched with a horrible kind of fascination as Blue galloped away, willing both horse and rider to somehow fill only the spaces between the bullets. And then, when Colt dropped out of sight, she’d looked down at the boy she was tending and was jerked back to another terrible reality ... The boy was staring up at her with panic in his eyes, and with everything that was in her, Maggie mustered kindness and an expression that she desperately willed to feign hope ... “Look at me, Private. You aren’t alone. The Good Lord is here and so is Maggie Malone. Neither of us is leaving you.” (Excerpted from Daughter of the Regiment)

In 1853, Kentuckian Oliver Anderson had this beautiful house built overlooking the Missouri River near Lexington, Missouri,in the heart of a rich agricultural center where planters raised hemp, tobacco, and fine cattle. With its 15-foot ceilings and 15-foot-wide central hallway, the house is an example of the kinds of mansions prosperous, slave-holding Southerners were building in Missouri in the 1840s and 1850s. None of the outbuildings survive, but there would have been a carriage house, a horse barn, a summer kitchen, and slave quarters.  

In the fall of 1859, financial woes forced Anderson to auction off all his real estate, his personal property, and his slaves. His sons purchased the house, enabling their parents to live there until the eve of the Civil War.

When the Civil War broke out, Unionists in Missouri quickly gained the upper hand. With the Missouri River strategically vital for the movement of troops and supplies, Federal troops occupied Lexington in July of 1861 and confiscated the Anderson House for use as a hospital. Local tradition says that Anderson refused to take the Union-imposed oath of loyalty. He subsequently left Lexington (Anderson died in Kentucky in 1873). 

In August of 1861, when the Battle of Wilson's Creek near Springfield set the stage for a rebel offensive into the heart of the Missouri River valley, the Anderson house was at the heart of the action. 

The battle map shows the house in green and various military positions in red. The Battle of Lexington was waged over three days in September. Battle damage to the house is still visible today, both on the exterior brick walls and on interior walls.

Battle damage to the house is still visible today, both on the exterior brick walls and on interior walls. 

The house changed hands three times on September 18, 1861, the first day of the Battle of Lexington.  That day, three Southern soldiers died at the base of the grand staircase in the main hall.

Visitors who venture away from the house to walk the battlefield encounter this small burial plot designated for five unknown Union soldiers whose remains were found during excavations in 1932 near the site of the building that was used as Union headquarters during the siege of Lexington. The men were likely part of Colonel Thomas A. Marshall's cavalry. 

The southern victory at the Battle of Lexington made Major General Sterling Price a hero throughout the South. The Union responded en masse and eventually forced Price to retreat back to the southwestern corner of the state, returning Lexington and the Missouri River Valley to Union control.

In 1958, the Anderson house and portions of the battlefield were donated to the Missouri state park system. See interior photos and learn more here: http://mostateparks.com/park/battle-lexington-state-historic-site

Have you visited any state historic sites in recent weeks? Did you enjoy your time there? Learn anything new? Share!

___________________________

The Oliver Anderson house and the Battle of Lexington played an important role in

inspiring Daughter of the Regiment, Stephanie Grace Whitson's March, 2015 release. Stephanie has been a full time novelist since 1994. Her studio is located in the lower level of her 1890s home--"the hired man's house"--in Lincoln, Nebraska. She enjoys learning about the real women who inspire her historical fiction, studying antique quilt history, riding her Honda Magna motorcycle named Kitty, and spending time with her extended family, grandchildren, and grand-dogs. 

Learn more at 

www.stephaniewhitson.com

www.Facebook.com/stephaniegracewhitson.

Pre-order Daughter of the Regiment here:
http://www.amazon.com/Daughter-Regiment-Stephanie-Grace-Whitson/dp/1455529036