Quantrill in Texas: The Forgotten Campaign Paperback - 2003

The second of a three-volume work that examines the life of one of the most controversial figures of the Civil War, Quantrill in Texas: The Forgotten Campaign documents a part of William C. Quantrill's military career that has largely been ignored by historians. Indeed, Quantrill's most unrecognized accomplishments outside his adopted state of Missouri occurred in Texas, not in Kansas or Kentucky.

Paul R. Petersen corrects that oversight, carefully exploring for the first time the places and people associated with the guerrilla leaders as he moved south during the winters of the war years to a safer environment in Texas. The result is a surprising addition to the Quantrill legacy.

Quantrill spent his winters in Texas after the leaves fell form the trees in Missouri, denuding the countryside and leaving his camps vulnerable to discovery by Federal patrols. His first experience in Texas and his subsequent trips to and from the Lone star State reveal that he became acquainted with the notable personalities of the area. His battles and skirmishes along the way increased his reputation among the citizenry as word spread of his victories throughout the South.

These times in Texas explain why Quantrill took his followers through Kentucky toward Virginia at the end of the war rather than return to Texas with the hundreds of other Confederates. While most men of fighting age were away from home, serving in the Confederate army, armed desperadoes--mostly Union and confederate deserters and conscription dodgers--made their way into North Texas and hid out in the areas of impenetrable thickets and underbrush. From there they preyed on the civilians who remained behind.

Quantrill and his men were welcome by the people of North Texas. While more historians have depicted his as resting in exile, in reality he occupied himself with battling cattle thieves, warding off Indian attacks, hunting down deserters and draft dodgers, and even quelling riots on behalf of Confederate authorities. Careful research in the official records of the war, local historical records, and archeological excavations reveal that Quantrill and his men even thwarted two Federal invasions of Texas.