The Missouri in the Civil War Message Board

Re: Hoyt and the Lawrence Raid
In Response To: Re: Hoyt and the Lawrence Raid ()

Dear Keith,

You're absolutely correct in assuming that Hoyt was attempting to CHOA [cover his own a--] after the Lawrence raid. He and his crew of detectives, already under intense criticism in Kansas for their high-handed ways--including theft of property and other alleged crimes--before the raid, were now subject to truly high levels of complaint that they had utterly failed in providing timely warning of the impending attack. In the pursuit of Quantrill's force, Hoyt and his detectives/former Red Legs covered themselves in "rebel" blood undoubtedly with the profound hope that this would temper or deflect the just criticism that when they were truly needed to ferret-out Quantrill's movements they had totally failed.

Within about ten days of the Lawrence raid newspapers in Kansas reported that some 150 Missouri residents had been killed (about the same number of men reported killed at Lawrence}. This would have been a third of Quantrill's entire force! But while many of those executed by federal troops for participating in the raid were undoubtedly guilty, can any reasonable person conclude that everybody killed was involved in the attack? I'm a solid Unionist, and I certainly don't. Kansas wanted blood for what happened at Lawrence, and the federal forces (Union, Missouri militia, Kansas "volunteers", etc.) certainly provided it. And on top of that Senator Lane forced General Tom Ewing to pass the infamous Order No. 11 that had long been threatened. (Although to be strictly fair to Ewing, there is ample evidence that some version of Order No. 11 was going to be passed before the Lawrence raid. The raid simply ensured that the order was probably harsher than Ewing had originally intended. But Ewing's a-- was on the line, with Lane threatening to have him removed from command.}

The truly sad thing is that the Lawrence raid, which brought about tremendous suffering by Missourians in the western counties, resulted from a desire on the part of Quantrill's command and other Confederate "volunteers" to gain some measure of vengeance upon the federals for perceived and actual crimes committed by Union forces in Missouri. And belief was strong among Quantrill's men and other Missouri Confederates that Hoyt's Red Legs had been responsible for a large share of those crimes.

Regards,
Jim
JAMES D. DREES

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Hoyt and the Lawrence Raid
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