By
1864, fighting along the border between Kansas and Missouri had
turned vicious and personal. Atrocities on both sides were being
committed almost daily as the "Border War" had been raging on for a
decade since the passing of the Kansas - Nebraska Act of 1854.
"Bleeding Kansas" led to intense hatred between the two states. William
Clarke Quantrill formed a Southern band of Partisan Rangers, guerrilla
fighters called "Bushwhacker's", to counter the actions of the
abolishionist "Jayhawkers" and the harsh Union "Red Legs"
soldiers who were more interested in punishment than keeping the peace.
In an effort to cut off their supplies and local support, the Federal
government arrested and detained several women who were known relatives
of the Bushwhackers. They were kept "jailed" in a dilapidated building
in downtown Kansas City which collapsed on August 13th, 1863, injuring
several and killing four, including 14 year old Josephine Anderson,
sister of "Bloody Bill". In retaliation for what was percieved as
deliberate murder, Quantrill led his infamous raid on Lawrence, Kansas
on August 21st, 1863 which resulted in the slaughter of at least 150
unarmed men and boys. Reprisals against Missouri came just four days
later in the form of General Order 11, which forced the evacuation of
all rural residents of four western Missouri border counties. Families
with Confederate sympathies as well as those who were pro Union, were
directed to leave their homes with a moments notice. Those who refused
to comply or did not move quickly enough were shot on the spot, their
homes looted and then torched.Some of the charred remains of those
homes can still be found today.
The situation was out of hand as the hatred spread even greater on both
sides of the border. To help diffuse the situation, the 2nd Colorado
Cavalry was formed a month later to take over patrolling the border
from the Kansas Cavalry regiments. It was into this malestrom that the
proud 2nd Colorado Cavalry first saw service. Although it's service was
shorter lived than most, the 2nd Colorado Cavalry saw action almost
daily and along with it's sister unit, McLain's Independent Battery,
took very active roles in several major battles. They were: The Battle
of Camden Point, The Second Battle of Lexington, The Battle of Little
Blue River, The Second Battle of Independence, The Battle of Byram's
Ford, The Battle of Westport, The Battle of Marais des Cygnes, The
Battle of Mine Creek, and The Second Battle of Newtonia. The fierce
fighting style of the regiment, among which was comprised of many tough
gold miners from Colorado, eager to prove their loyalty to the Union,
earned the begrudging respect of the Confederacy.
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Colonel James H.
Ford
Lt. Col. Theodore Dodd