The True Account of William “Bloody Bill” Anderson

By Paul R. Petersen, author of Quantrill of Missouri

William Anderson, a name etched in the annals of American history, particularly during the tumultuous era of the Civil War, remains shrouded in both notoriety and fascination. Born in Kentucky in 1839, his life took a dramatic turn as his family relocated to Missouri and later Kansas, eventually leading him down a path that would earn him the grim moniker of “Bloody Bill.” The story of William “Bloody Bill” Anderson is not merely a chronicle of violence; it’s a complex narrative interwoven with themes of vengeance, loyalty, and the brutal realities of a nation torn apart.

The transformation of William “Bloody Bill” Anderson from an ordinary citizen to a feared guerrilla leader was precipitated by a series of devastating events. The catalyst was the raid led by William Quantrill on Aubry, Kansas, in March 1862. In the aftermath, a Federal company from Olathe, Kansas, specifically Company D of the Eighth Kansas Jayhawker Regiment, was dispatched to investigate. Their mission: to identify and apprehend Southern sympathizers believed to have aided Quantrill’s raiders.

Among those targeted were Anderson’s father and uncle, accused of assisting the Confederate guerrillas. On March 11, as William and his younger brother Jim were dutifully delivering fifteen head of cattle to the U.S. commissary agent at Fort Leavenworth, a horrific scene unfolded at their farm. Upon their return, they discovered their father and uncle had been hanged, their home razed to the ground, and all their possessions stolen. This act of retaliation by the Jayhawkers left an indelible mark on young Anderson, fueling a burning desire for revenge.

Two days after this horrific discovery, Bill and his brother Jim joined forces with William Quantrill, effectively embarking on a path of guerrilla warfare. Before fully committing himself, Anderson ensured the safety of his sisters, relocating them from Kansas to various locations before they eventually settled with the Mundy family on the Missouri side of the border, near Little Santa Fe. When questioned about his decision to join Quantrill, Anderson articulated his motives with stark clarity: "I have chosen guerrilla warfare to revenge myself for wrongs that I could not honorable revenge otherwise. I lived in Kansas when this war commenced. Because I would not fight the people of Missouri, my native State, the Yankees sought my life but failed to get me. [They] revenged themselves by murdering my father, [and] destroying all my property."

The year 1863 brought further tragedy to Anderson’s life. On August 13, a Union jail in Kansas City collapsed, a catastrophic event orchestrated by Union guards from the 9th Kansas Jayhawker Regiment. The guards intentionally caused a three-story brick building to collapse on several young Southern female prisoners. Among those imprisoned were Anderson’s sisters. Fourteen-year-old Josephine Anderson perished in the collapse. Ten-year-old Martha suffered horribly crushed legs, leaving her crippled for life, while sixteen-year-old Molly endured severe back injuries and facial lacerations. These events solidified Anderson’s path of vengeance.

These traumatic experiences undoubtedly shaped William “Bloody Bill” Anderson’s character and fueled his relentless pursuit of retribution. His rise through the ranks of Quantrill’s command was rapid, eventually attaining the rank of captain. While often portrayed as a ruthless individual who reveled in brutality and atrocities against Union soldiers, a closer examination of historical accounts reveals a more nuanced picture.

In 1864, as Anderson led his men eastward toward Boonville, Missouri, to rendezvous with General Sterling Price during his last raid into Missouri, he divided his command to facilitate the acquisition of food and shelter from sympathetic farmers in the area. It was during this time that tragedy struck. Union Major Austin King of the 6th Regiment, Missouri State Militia, stationed in Fayette, reported that his men had killed five of Anderson’s men and captured seven horses and twelve pistols on September 12. Among those captured were seventeen-year-old Al Carter and seventeen-year-old Buck Collins.

Carter had relocated his family to Howard County from Kansas City due to General Ewing’s General Order No. 11, which forced the evacuation of residents from several Missouri counties suspected of supporting Confederate guerrillas. Carter and Collins were foraging for food when they were ambushed by twenty-five Federals searching for Anderson near a farmhouse. Both men were shot from their saddles. After killing Carter, the Union soldiers committed a heinous act: they gouged out his eyes and then scalped him. Carter’s long, curly black hair led the Federals to mistakenly believe they had killed Anderson himself. This act of barbarity underscored the deep-seated hatred that existed between Union troops and Confederate guerrillas and the depths of depravity to which they were capable of sinking.

The events at Centralia, Missouri, on September 27, further cemented Anderson’s reputation for ruthlessness. Anderson and his company entered the town in search of much-needed supplies. A westbound train carrying 25 Federal soldiers soon appeared. The guerrillas quickly surrounded the train cars. Eyewitnesses recounted how the soldiers, armed with rifles, crowded the windows and platforms, engaging in a fierce exchange of gunfire with the guerrillas. Anderson’s men ultimately overwhelmed the train. The 25 soldiers, most of whom were on furlough from General William T. Sherman’s army, were taken off the train and lined up along the platform.

Anderson, still consumed by the recent loss of his men and the brutal scalping of Carter, questioned the soldiers and recounted the atrocities committed by Union troops. He declared, "You Federals have just killed six of my men, scalped them, and left them on the prairie. I will show you that I can kill men with as much skill and rapidity as anybody. From this time on, I ask no quarter and give none." When the soldiers protested, Anderson retorted, "You are Federals, and Federals scalped my men and carry their scalps at their saddle bows. I have never allowed my men to do such things." One sergeant was spared, designated for a prisoner exchange. This event is often cited as evidence of Anderson’s brutality, however, context is crucial for understanding his actions.

The claim that William “Bloody Bill” Anderson adorned his saddle bows with Federal scalps is a fabrication, a sensationalized exaggeration of the truth. Historical research has revealed that while Anderson himself did not engage in such practices, other guerrilla leaders did.

When Anderson rode into Boonville to meet with General Price, he was accompanied by another guerrilla leader, John Pringle, along with his group of partisans. It was Pringle and some of his men who reportedly had Federal scalps hanging from their horses’ bridle bits. Price, upon witnessing this gruesome display, ordered the scalps to be removed before he would engage in conversation with the guerrilla leaders. Following this incident, Price received Anderson’s report on his activities along the Missouri River during the summer. Impressed by Anderson’s capabilities, Price remarked that if he had fifty thousand men like him, he could hold Missouri for the South indefinitely.

The life of William “Bloody Bill” Anderson came to an abrupt end on October 26, near Orrick, Missouri. While leading a charge against 300 Federals led by Major Samuel P. Cox of the 1st Regiment, Missouri State Militia, Anderson was killed. Cox’s soldiers, in a macabre act of desecration, cut off Anderson’s finger to steal his wedding ring. After photographing his lifeless body, they severed his head and mounted it on top of a telegraph pole in town as a gruesome trophy. Anderson’s body was later buried in the Old City Cemetery of Richmond, Missouri.

The indignities did not end with his death. Within a week of Anderson’s burial, soldiers from Colonel Charles Jennison’s Kansas Jayhawkers stopped at the cemetery. They stamped the bouquets into the ground, kicking the soft mound and stamping it down to an even level, resulting in difficulty in later years as to its location. Other accounts report that the Jayhawkers relieved themselves over Anderson’s grave in an act of sheer depravity.

The story of William “Bloody Bill” Anderson is a complex and multifaceted one, far removed from the simplistic and sensationalized narratives that have often been perpetuated. While his actions were undoubtedly violent and often brutal, they must be understood within the context of the brutal realities of the Civil War and the personal tragedies that fueled his quest for vengeance. The true explanations surrounding the horrible acts directed towards William “Bloody Bill” Anderson are much more interesting than the irresponsible sensationalized accounts of his actions that his detractors have tried to perpetuate since his death.

© Paul R. Petersen, updated May 2022.

Also See:

• Bleeding Kansas and the Missouri Border War
• Civil War Main Page
• War & Military Photo Gallery
• William Quantrill – The Man, the Myth, the Soldier

About the Author:

Paul R. Petersen is a lifelong resident of Jackson County, Missouri, the same area in which William Clarke Quantrill’s partisan rangers operated. A highly decorated Master Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps and a combat infantry veteran of Vietnam and Desert Storm, Petersen is uniquely qualified to interpret the nature of guerrilla warfare that characterized the Civil War along the Missouri–Kansas border. He lives in Raytown, Missouri. His recent book Quantrill of Missouri by Cumberland House Publishing is his first book in a trilogy concerning Quantrill during the Civil War.

References:

• Kansas City Post, August 21, 1909
• Charles H. Lothrop, History of the First Regiment Iowa Cavalry, pg 188.
• “Quantrill’s Raiders Recognized by Texas as a Confederate Unit,” Kansas City Star, October 8, 1949.
• John Newman Edwards, Noted Guerrillas, pg 293.
• Jim Cummins, Jim Cummins’ Book, 1903, reprint, Provo, Utah: Triton Press, 1988.
• George Scholl, Letter, collection of Claiborne Scholl Nappier.
• Albert Castel, William Clarke Quantrill: His Life and Times, 1962, reprint, Norman: University of Oklahoma, 1999, pg 189.
• Moberly (Missouri) Evening Democrat, August 15, 1924.
• Official Records of the Rebellion, ser. 1, vol. 41, pt. 4, pg 354.
• Paul R. Petersen, Quantrill of Missouri, Cumberland Publishing Co., 2003
• Paul R. Petersen, Quantrill in Texas, Pelican Publishing Co., 2007