Charles W. Quantrell: A History Of His Guerrilla Warfare On The Missouri And Kansas Border During The Civil War

by John P. Burch

A true history of Quantrell's guerilla warfare on the Missouri and Kansas border during the Civil War of 1861 to 1865 as told by Captain Harrison Trow, the one who followed Quantrell through his whole course.

This book was written just as Captain Harrison Trow told it to John P. Burch, giving accounts of fights that he participated in, narrow escapes experienced, dilemmas it seemed almost impossible to get out of, and also other battles; the life of the James boys and Youngers as they were with Quantrell during the war, and after the war, when they became outlaws by publicity of the daily newspapers, being accused of things which they never did and which were laid at their feet.

268 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2000

Reviews

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anytime I see a book title that says it is a "true history" of the Missouri-Kansas border war and/or outlaws, I take it with a grain a salt. Certainly the authors were there (and some of the events, they knew those involved but weren't actually there) but it's very much colored by the perceptions of old men telling tales. This book is written with far more enthusiasm than writing ability. This does give it charm and despite the difficulty following events at times, I did get draw in during many events shown in this book. The edition I read is actually from the local library and published in 1923. The pages are on heavy paper stock and it's a delight to handle and has stood up very well over time.

This is my first time hearing the story of the 'old apple woman' complete with a picture. I also think the accounting of why the Lawrence raid happened is factual. I've read several books that had different reasons, but this one seems authentic. Now I've become curious about many of the place names identified in the book that are no longer spoken of. Since I live where many of these events happened, I would love to visit more of the actual locations of Jackson County. There's mention of Dayton in Cass County which was burned during the Civil War as I saw in a re-enactment a few years ago. It was visited in the book apparently before the burning.

As you can see, I enjoyed the book but rated it as 3 stars because it is difficult to read although not terribly long. I recommend this book for those who are particularly interested in this type of first person account and Civil War and/or outlaw history.