While I was reearching background information for the Watts Hays Letters I don't recall that the term 'Red Legs' was commonly used in the Civil War period. Margaret who lived near Westport, Jackson Co. referred to the Kansas raiders as Jayhawkers in her many letters. She did refer to Jennison in one letter. It seems to me that Red Legs was a more sensational term picked up and used mostly by writers after the War. I would think that if the term Red Legs was used in newspaper accounts of the time that you would have to sort out which raids were done by Hoyt's band and which raids were done by other bands and Red Legs was used because it was a more colorful term. I doubt that the people who were being killed, pillaged and burned out noticed what color leggings the raiders wore during the attack and especially at night.