Frank and Jesse James: The Story Behind the Legend

by Ted P. Yeatman

"To some he was a Robin Hood, a mythic figure of righteous retribution. "

"To others he was the devil incarnate, a bloodthirsty hooligan and cold-blooded killer. "

The disparity between these views of the outlaw Jesse James is often attributed to an almost invisible line between marauding Missouri guerrilla bands of the Civil War and the general lawlessness that plagued the Old West.

The beginning of the legend of the James brothers, which began in 1866 - the first successful peacetime daylight bank robbery - is somewhat murky. But once their careers in crime commenced, the James brothers eluded capture for sixteen years, until Jesse was killed in 1882 by Bob and Charlie Ford while the three of them planned the robbery of the Platte City Bank. Frank was never apprehended but surrendered voluntarily to the governor of Missouri. Since then the exploits of the James gang have become legendary.

"Frank and Jesse James" is a complete account of the James brothers during the Civil War, the following sixteen years of notoriety, and the lives of those who outlived Jesse. Yeatman has created a thoroughly documented popular narrative. Also included are dozens of heretofore unpublished illustrations and photographs of the people, places, and artifacts associated with the notorious brothers.
Ted Yeatman began researching this book twenty-five years ago, reviewing materials in Missouri, Tennessee, Maryland, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, Minnesota, Illinois, and the District of Columbia. He discovered items that had never been published, particularly a cache of Pinkerton letters concerning the firebombing of the James farm in 1875 (somewhat analogous to the FBI's role in the Branch Davidian crisis near Waco, Texas, in 1993) and heretofore overlooked papers in the National Archives regarding the Civil War activities and later banditry of the James brothers. Yeatman also assisted in the 1995 exhumation and forensic examination of the remains of Jesse.
The result is a complete account of the James brothers during the Civil War, the following sixteen years of notoriety, and the lives of those who outlived Jesse. Yeatman has created a thoroughly documented popular narrative that will be satisfying both to readers who know little or nothing about the James brothers and those who have read everything. Also included are dozens of heretofore unpublished illustrations and photographs of the people, places, and artifacts associated with the notorious brothers.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, Westerns, Civil War, American History, Biography Memoir

512 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2000

Reviews

[Joe]

I normally enjoy biographies, and in this case there are two very interesting subjects. With all of the novels and movies that involve the James brothers, this book provides a good look at some of the actual facts and a more accurate portrayal of their personalities then some of the other books about them. It is good, but unfortunately it's not great. The lives that they led and the personalities that they had could have made for a very interesting and entertaining book (even with it being completely true), however the author's presentation is extremely dry and does not go into detail about some events that would have been entertaining to read.

[Stefanie Robinson]

This book tells the stories of Frank and Jesse James before they went on their wild crime spree. I was particularly interested in their wartime activities during the Civil War period. I had never known they participated in anything other than a life of crime, so this was a considerably informative book to me.

This isn't the best book or the most favorite book I have read so far this year by any stretch of the imagination. I am not really terribly interested in the "Wild West" or United States history in general, but this book was a lot more interesting than I thought it would be. I only paid a dollar for it at my favorite used bookstore, so it was certainly worth that price. The author did his research into Frank and Jesse's activities and lives, and I appreciate the thoroughness that I found in this book.

[Chris]

A detailed and competent history of these two famous outlaws. The author tries to accurately portray their lives and indicate where we cannot be certain of events. However, what struck me most is the way many at the time seemed to excuse their actions by comparing them to much larger amounts of money involved in corruption by political and railroad leaders. Evil though these actions were they did not involve robbing people at gun point and shooting them if they resisted and the James’ actions certainly did, even if they were not responsible for all the robberies they were blamed for at the time. The other thing that struck me is that many of the problems with the politicising and monetisation of law enforcement and justice in America at that time still seem to be the case, hence the difficulty in bringing Donald Trump to justice for his many crimes both financial and political.

[Robert Kemp]

Very detailed and thoroughly researched presentation of the lives and activities of the James brothers. The author is able to separate a lot of a fact from fiction. If you read for pleasure, this may not be at the top of your list. If you're reading to gain knowledge of the particular subject matter, this is it.

[Pat Wahler]

I read this book as part of my research into writing a novel about the wife of Jesse James. This is one of the better biographies of the James brothers, a well-researched and thorough examination.

[Wasted Suffering]

Ted Yeatman also wrote a wonderful book called “Jesse James and Bill Ryan at Nashville”. It’s not on Goodreads, but it’s great.

[Mark Sequeira]

This was a very readable, interesting book that comes highly recommended by both those who know the subject matter and general readers. It presents a 'fair' reading between both the 'confederate-southern-hero' interpretation and the 'law-and-order' Union version. Who knew that Jesse James had met Billy the Kid and that Jesse had tried to recruit him into robbing banks in New Mexico?! Or that the man that shot Jesse James in the back, Bob Ford, would later be challenged to a duel by Jose Chavez y Chavez, one of Billy the Kid's gang (remember Lou Diamond Phillips?) in Las Vegas, New Mexico?

[William Matthies]

Just finished. If you are an American Civil War enthusiast, the first part shouldn't be all that tedious, but that's not me and it was. However once past the war, we got into the banditry years and things got interesting. Yeatman tended to go into more detail than I cared to read, a little too often, but overall a good read.

[Royce]

Somewhat detailed and complicated, but provides in depth description of pre-civil war struggles over state rights, slavery, class warfare, blood feuds, rage against corporate and political power mongers, and some really bad men.

[Mark Schultz]

Frank and Jesse James, by Ted P. Yeatman, 2003. Interesting, sprawling, anecdotal history of the James brothers. The historical context that Yeatman provides, particularly regarding the border wars of the Civil War in Missouri and Kansas and the partisan strife that followed, was very useful.

[Mitzi]

a little bit too detailed information for me. Passed this one on to my husband who is reading & enjoying it.

[Keshia✨]

Very interesting read that helped to separate fact from fiction. Included stories and anecdotes about other infamous outlaws as well!

[Jason Taylor]

I thought the narrative history of Jesse James would be riveting. I was wrong. It was impossible to keep up with all the characters and locales. it was more like reading a timeline. boring.