Books on Guerrilla Warfare in the Civil War

Here are two new (new to me) books on Civil War guerrillas.

The book Inside War by Michael Fellman is a great book for anyone who wants to know more about guerrilla conflict in Missouri during the Civil War. This book looks at characters such as William Clarke Quantrill and Bloody Bill Anderson. Book is a bit older (published 1989) but is still very valuable for the history enthusiast. I was not aware of the book until one of my history professors at Tennessee Tech recommended it for my senior paper. I encourage everyone to go check it out.

The second book is entitled The UnCivil War by Robert Mackey. This book focuses on guerrilla warfare in the Upper South. One can expect to find mentions of Champ Ferguson, Tinker Dave Beatty, and John Hunt Morgan, among others. It is more recent then Inside War (published 2004). Again I had never heard of this book until the same professor from Tech told me about it. This is a good book as well, and is highly recommended!!


Stay tuned for more blog posts about tales from Tennessee and beyond.

Jim Lane and the Kansas Jayhawkers

Jim Lane has been regarded by many as the John Hunt Morgan or John Singleton Mosby of the North. Lane was a Union partisan ranger. His goal was to eliminate William Quantrill and his raiders. The two would meet at the sacking of Lawrence, Kansas. Lane was the leader of the Kansas Jayhawkers. Their one task was to rid the nation of guerrilla warfare in the areas of Kansas and Missouri. Lane had been elected to the U.S. senate in 1861. His power allowed him to become a prominent respected citizen of Kansas and the surrounding area. The raid on Lawrence was significant because Quantrill felt that he could capture Lane there. Lane being smarter as far as military was concerned was able to escape. Many historians claim that Lane was just as despicable as Quantrill. I personally believe that the guerrilla war was very dastardly, but I feel as though each player had their own agenda, and we may very well never know the full story. Either way, this was a sad time for our great nation.

The Raid on Lawrence, Kansas.

The book Inside War by Michael Fellman is vital in understanding the role of guerrilla warfare in Civil War Missouri. 

Stay tuned for more blog posts about tales from Tennessee and beyond. I am currently in the research stage of my senior paper on "Terrorism in the Civil War." It will focus on some of the topics previously discussed on this blog, concerning guerrilla warfare in the Civil War. My readers can expect the paper to be published sometime in May, so be on the lookout for it!!