Marcy,

I found some of my Kansas/Missouri border maps in a box at my new house, and can shed more light on Quantrill's Shawneetown, Kansas raid of 17 and 18 October. You mentioned that your ancestor lived in Leavenworth County, Kansas. Well, Leavenworth County, KS borders the Kansas River at its north bank, and Shawneetown was located a short distance south of the Kansas River. To me, this proximity shows why it would not be unusual for a Leavenworth County man to be found in Shawneetown.

This paragraph is simply conjecture, but I wonder if Quantrill's band was tipped that "slavestealers" were spotted in Shawneetown, and this MAY have been the reason for the guerrilla raid on that village. That Quantrill's bushwhackers killed some men in Shawneetown but took others back to Missouri with them for their version of justice seems odd. I wonder if the guerrillas were making a statement by leaving so many men hanging in trees, as if to discourage others from "slavestealing," as I indicated earlier. My impression is that Quantrill's men shot their enemies, and reserved hanging for someone who committed a more serious offense, at least the way the bushwhackers saw things.

I hope this is helpful.
Bruce