Tuesday, February 23, 2016
On the August 25th, 1863 Forced Expulsion of Over 20,000 People from Jackson, Cass, and Bates Counties Missouri, the Theft of All Their Possessions by Union Militia Members, and the Burning of Their Homes to the Ground
This affected an area of nearly 3,000 square miles and the 20,000 homeless refugees figure was actually greater than the infamous "Trail of Tears" atrocity of the 1830s. Yet we never hear about it because as we've been told from the moment of birth, the Civil War was one of the good wars and Abe Lincoln was our greatest President.......and heaven forbid that we question it.
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Even prior to the war, both New Englanders and Southerners were flooding into
Missouri and Kansas hoping to vote either slavery in or out and there was violence
even before the war. There was basic anarchy with large groups of paramilitary
armed thugs terrorizing both Missouri and 'bloody' Kansas. After Quantrill's raid
on Lawrence, Kansas, where he and his "troops" dragged out, lined up and shot to
death every male in town (about 190 in front of their womenfolk), there was outcry
and criticism in the western north. Which prompted Gen Order 11, issued by area
commander Gen. Schofield, but ameliorated to some extent by Gen. Ewing:
"Order No. 11 was not only intended to retard pro-Southern depredations, but renegade pro-Union activity, as well. Ewing not only had his hands full with Confederate raiders; he equally had troubles with Unionist Jayhawkers, led by radical Kansas Senator James Lane. There was immense anger sweeping Kansas following Quantrill's raid. Convinced that Ewing was not retaliating sufficiently against Missourians, Lane threatened to lead a Kansas force into Missouri, laying waste to the four counties named in Ewing's decree, and more. On September 9, 1863, Lane gathered nearly a thousand Kansans at Paola, Kansas, and marched towards Westport, Missouri, with an eye towards destruction of that pro-slavery town. Ewing sent several companies of his old Eleventh Kansas Infantry (now mounted as cavalry) to stop Lane's advance—by force, if necessary. Faced with this superior Federal force, Lane ultimately backed down.[3] Order No. 11 was partially intended to demonstrate that the Union forces intended to act forcefully against Quantrill and other bushwhackers, thus rendering vigilante actions (such as the one contemplated by Lane) unnecessary—and thereby preventing their occurrence, which Ewing was determined at all costs to do."
-in effect Ewing was attempting to separate the sociopaths from both sides. I can not find the figures for confederate sympathizers rounded up and shot before their
family's eyes and suspect none were, although they were dispossessed and removed.
History is a constant recycling of this type thing and it is what is is. Surely
there may be a few others to blame besides Old Abe?
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