It is ironic that, despite the retaliatory raid of Quantrill, the Civil War was good to Lawrence. In the words of Cordley: "And peace found Lawrence prosperous as she had never been before. The ravages of Quantrill had been more than restored. Nearly all the business houses and dwellings destroyed had been replaced by better, and nearly every business broken up had been resumed and enlarged. The population had increased; and the town had spread beyond the former limits."

A lot of wealth was pumped into Lawrence during the war.