Col. John T. Coffee's S.W. Missouri Cavalry was considered guerillas by the Federal army in Missouri. The first instance that led the Federal authorities to believe this is when they accused Col. Coffee of soliciting the use of Quantrill's irregulars at the battle of Lone Jack Missouri. Actually Coffee refused the offer by Bill Anderson and it made Anderson so mad after his offer was rejected, he treatened to mount a charge against the Confederate troops. During the battle of Lone Jack, Quantrill was in Richmond seeking a commission to captain which was denied by the Confederate Congress. If Quantrill could get a commission as an officer in the regular Confederate army and his followers were granted military status, they could avoid being hanged as a guerillas when or if they were e caught by Federal authorities during or after the war. Col John T. Coffee's Missouri Cavalry were not in uniform and were foragers when not engaged and of course that would lead Federal authorities to believe they were guerillas.
Since guerillas were not protected by the rules of war Col. Coffee resigned his command in January 1865 and fled to Brownsville Texas and Matamoros Mexico with Gen. Jo Shelby and his undefeated Confederate army. After full amnesty was offered to Confederates who applied, in 1866, Col. Coffee returned to Austin Texas and surrendered to Brevet Gen. George A. Custer, took the loyality oath and retired to Georgetown Texas. While in Brownsville and Mexico, Col. Coffee was to be the agent for cotton sales in Mexico for his son-in-law John Wesley Snyder who was a cattleman and planter at Georgetown in Williamson County Texas, north of Austin. Col Coffee saw the futility of the situation because at the close of the war, the Brownsville area was nothing but anarchy.
The so-called Confederate "guerillas" as they are commonly referred to were not considered guerillas by the Trans-Mississippi Department after Gen. Hindman issued the "Partisan Ranger Act" which was reluctantly approved by the Confederate Congress in Richmond. The so-called guerillas should be referred to as Confederate Irregular Light Cavalry."
In Fannin County Texas, my great grandfather Pvt.Joshua D.Coffee was in the 14th Brigade, Fannin County Home Guard from June 1861 until June 1863 when he enlisted in Lt. Col. Peter C. Hardeman's 1st Texas Cavalry Regiment, C.S.A. After the war my great grandfather fled with his family to the frontier in west Texas to avoid the strife during reconstruction and to avoid the threat of being arrested by Federal authorities for guerilla activities.
The state Home Guards were not in uniform and were considered guerillas by Federal authorities. The Texas Confederate government granted members of the Home Guard companies the unlimited power of search, seizure, and arrest. The renegades, red-legs, deserters, shirkers and bounty jumpers who were taken into custody by members of Bill Anderson and George Todds irregulars in north Texas were robbed and hung on the spot. From October 1863 until July 1864 George Todd, Bill Anderson and Wiliam Quantrill were assisting the Home Guard in north Texas with the authority given them by Gen. Edmund Kirby-Smith, Commander of the Trans-Mississipi Department.
The Home Guard in the South was similar to a Confederate "gestapo". See the movie, "Cold Mountain"