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14 NOTED GUERRLLAS, OR
from the loins of civil war, as did also the Guerrilla-fall-armed,
full-statured, terrible! His mission was not to kill, alone, but
to terrify. At times he mingled with the purr of the tiger the
silkiness of the kitten. Hilarity was a stage in the march he
made his victim take to the scaffold. Now and then before a
fusillade there was a frolic. Harsh words were heard only when
from the midst of some savage melee a timid comrade broke
away or bent to the bullet blast. The softer the caress the
surer the punishment. The science of killing seemed to bring
a solace with it, and to purr also meant to be amiable. Sharing
his blanket like Rhoderick Dhu shared his plaid, on the morrow
his Coliantogle Ford was the contents of his revolver.
It is not easy to analyze this species of murder, all the more
certain because of its calculation. The time to refuse quarter
is in actual conflict. Conscience then-a sleepy thing in civil
war at best-is rarely aroused in time to become aggressive.
Through the smoke and the dust it is difficult to see the white,
set face and the haunting eyes of the early doomed. In
the rain of the rifle-balls, what matters the patter of a
prayer or two? Discrimination and desperation are not apt to
ride in the same squadrons together, and yet the Guerrilla, with
a full revolver, has been known to take possession of his victim
and spare him afterwards. Something, no matter what-some
memory of other days, some wayward freak, some passing
fancy, some gentle mood, some tender influence in earth, or air,
or sky-made him merciful when he meant to be a murderer.
The warfare of the Guerrilla was the warfare of the fox joined
to that of the lion. He crept from the rear, and he dashed from
the front. If the ambuscade hid him, as at Lone Jack, the
noonday sun shone down full upon the open prairie slaughter of
Centralia. In either extreme there was extermination. Death,
made familiar by association, merged its constraint into com-
radeship, and hid at the bivouac at night the sword-blade that
was to be so fatal in the morning. Hence all the roystering in
the face of the inevitable-all that recklessness and boisterous-
ness which came often to its last horse, saddle and bridle, but
never to its last gallop or stratagem.
There are things and men one recognizes without ever having
seen them. The Guerrilla in ambush is one of these. Before a
battle a Guerrilla takes every portion of his revolver apart and
Object Description
| Title | Noted guerrillas, or the warfare of the border |
| Author | Edwards, John N. (John Newman), 1839-1889 |
| Description | A history of the lives and adventures of Quantrell, Bill Aderson, George Todd, Dave Poole, Fletcher Taylor, Peyton Long, Oll Shepherd, Arch Clements, John Maupin, Tuch and Woot Hill, Wm. Gregg, Thomas Maupin, the James Brothers, the Younger Brothers, Arthur McCoy and numerous other well known guerrillas of the West |
| Subject.LCSH |
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Underground movements Missouri -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 Southwest, Old -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 Quantrill, William Clarke, 1837-1865 Kansas -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 Guerrillas |
| Subject.Local | Quantrell, William Clarke, 1837-1865; Quantrell, Charles William, 1837-1865; Quantrill, W. C. (William Clarke), 1837-1865; Hart, Charley, 1837-1865 Anderson, William T. |
| Coverage | United State -- Missouri |
| Source | St. Louis, Mo. : Bryan, Brand & Company, 1877. |
| Language | English |
| Date.Original | 1877 |
| Date.Digital | 2004 |
| Type |
Books and pamphlets |
| Format | JPEG |
| Collection Name | Civil War in Missouri - Monographs |
| Editorial Note | All blank pages have been eliminated |
| Publisher.Digital | University of Missouri Digital Library Production Services |
| Rights | These pages may be freely searched and displayed. Permission must be received for subsequent distribution in print or electronically. Please contact contributing institution for information. |
| Contributing Institution |
University of Missouri--Columbia. Libraries |
| Copy Request | Contact Ellis Library Special Collection, University of Missouri - Columbia at (573) 882-0076 or email: SpecialCollections@missouri.edu |
Description
| Title | civm000003p0014 |
| Description | 14 NOTED GUERRLLAS, OR from the loins of civil war, as did also the Guerrilla-fall-armed, full-statured, terrible! His mission was not to kill, alone, but to terrify. At times he mingled with the purr of the tiger the silkiness of the kitten. Hilarity was a stage in the march he made his victim take to the scaffold. Now and then before a fusillade there was a frolic. Harsh words were heard only when from the midst of some savage melee a timid comrade broke away or bent to the bullet blast. The softer the caress the surer the punishment. The science of killing seemed to bring a solace with it, and to purr also meant to be amiable. Sharing his blanket like Rhoderick Dhu shared his plaid, on the morrow his Coliantogle Ford was the contents of his revolver. It is not easy to analyze this species of murder, all the more certain because of its calculation. The time to refuse quarter is in actual conflict. Conscience then-a sleepy thing in civil war at best-is rarely aroused in time to become aggressive. Through the smoke and the dust it is difficult to see the white, set face and the haunting eyes of the early doomed. In the rain of the rifle-balls, what matters the patter of a prayer or two? Discrimination and desperation are not apt to ride in the same squadrons together, and yet the Guerrilla, with a full revolver, has been known to take possession of his victim and spare him afterwards. Something, no matter what-some memory of other days, some wayward freak, some passing fancy, some gentle mood, some tender influence in earth, or air, or sky-made him merciful when he meant to be a murderer. The warfare of the Guerrilla was the warfare of the fox joined to that of the lion. He crept from the rear, and he dashed from the front. If the ambuscade hid him, as at Lone Jack, the noonday sun shone down full upon the open prairie slaughter of Centralia. In either extreme there was extermination. Death, made familiar by association, merged its constraint into com- radeship, and hid at the bivouac at night the sword-blade that was to be so fatal in the morning. Hence all the roystering in the face of the inevitable-all that recklessness and boisterous- ness which came often to its last horse, saddle and bridle, but never to its last gallop or stratagem. There are things and men one recognizes without ever having seen them. The Guerrilla in ambush is one of these. Before a battle a Guerrilla takes every portion of his revolver apart and |
| Source | Noted Guerrillas, or the Warfare on the Border |
| Type | Books and monographs |
| Format | JPEG |
| Identifier | civm000003p0014.jpg |
| Collection Name | Civil War in Missouri - Monographs |
| Editorial Note | All blank pages have been eliminated |
| Publisher.Digital | University of Missouri Digital Library Production Services |
| Rights | These pages may be freely searched and displayed. Permission must be received for subsequent distribution in print or electronically. Please contact koppk@umsystem.edu for more information. |
| Copy Request | Contact Ellis Library special collection at: SpecialCollections@missouri.edu |
