The Partisan Ranger Act of 1862 gave a legal right to Southern group's operating outside the "norms" of the Confederate Army. It was repealed in 1864 after pressure from R.E.Lee.
Quantrill had Lt.'s Anderson and Todd. I think there were a couple of others.
Most have heard about the burning/sacking of Lawrence, Ks.. Most don't know this was in retaliation for the burning/sacking of Osceola,Mo. Osceola was accessible by Riverboat and before the Civil War was the largest City in Western MO. and the closest point to ship goods to Fort Scott,Ks. and the Shawnee Missions. Before the War, Jayhawkers (unscrupulousness people from Kansas) would go to Missouri, steal slaves, take them back to Ks. and get the reward money when the Slaves were claimed. After the start of the war, The Jayhawkers would go to MO.,rob,rape and kill them trail back to Ks. Whole orchards were dug up and transported back to Ks. The burning of Osceola was after the plundering of over a million dollars worth of goods (1862 dollars) and the murder/rape of several citizens. This riled up the local residents who joined w/the Partisan Rangers. Some for the rest of the war but most just to go to Lawrence,Ks. to "get their goods back". The Rangers killed every man in Lawrence but raped none. Lawrence was the home of Lane and Tennison who were the leaders of the Jayhawkers. It should be noted the Jayhawkers were not held in high regard by Regular Union Forces and at least once orders for their arrest was issued. Politics being what they were they got away with many crimes but at least twice were ordered out of MO. by Union officials.
After this, General Order Number 11 was issued. This Order said there could be no home outside a mile of the County seat of the County's bordering Ks. from about Harrisonville to Nevada. 4 or 5 County's, about 100 miles. All the goods a person owned were confiscated or burned along with their homes. Cole Youngers Mother was made to set fire to her own home.
Most of the men that burned Lawrence,Ks. never rode w/the Rangers again. Most of Quantrill's men came from "Little Dixie" in MO. This was an area 50 miles either side of the Missouri River between Kansas City and St. Louis. Anderson,Todd and McCorkle were from there. James were from Kerney, North of the Mo. River and Younger from Harrisonville,15 miles from Ks. and 50 miles south of Kansas City.
There were terrible acts committed by BOTH sides in this area and damned few were without sin. Quantrill would sometimes let a Union man live. Anderson never did and was know to personally execute unarmed prisoners. Union men and Southern sympathizers were murdered in horrible ways here. Not always because of the War but of bad blood before the war.
Most Partisan Rangers led lawful productive lives after the war. For some, the war never ended.
