It would not have mattered which of the two of them 'lead' the raid, although I believe both were present. They both shared something which pertained quite well into the brutality that was done in Lawrence. What was that something, which oh so coincidentally is never mentioned when the subject of Lawrence may happen to come up?
The fact that *both* men had lost women who were important in their lives, at the hands of Union forces in Missouri, in the same incident. William Quantrell's wife, and Bill Anderson's sister were taken by soldiers operating under the orders of Governor Crittenden, then housed , with several hundred other wives and sisters of those that Governor Crittenden believed harbored Confederate sympathies, in an abandoned, condemned factory in Kansas City. The building, which had never even been in its prime, able to house so many collapsed with a great many injuries and no few fatalities. Quantrell's wife, and Anderson's sister were among the dead.
At the time this happened, neither Quantrell or Anderson had actually taken up arms, and no punitive actions were taken by the Federal government in the matter of the callous disregard for the lives and safety of those who should have been considered non-combatants.
While the revenge the two took was, and should be considered, horrific, it was not entirely without some justification, and is a perfect example of the true hell that war actually is...
the infowarrior
My grandfather told me his father road with Quantrill and after the Lawrence raid left and went to Salina. Later on my grandfather and his brother loaded a wagon and came to TX. Once stablished they went back to Salina and loaded up their wives and kids in that same wagon and moved them all to TX. My father was born 3 days after they arrived in Breckinridge TX.
There were about a dozen women being held on the second floor of a residential and commercial building. It wasn't an abandoned factory. On the first floor was a grocery store. The third floor was empty, one big room that had been an artist's studio
The building, which had never even been in its prime, able to house so many collapsed with a great many injuries and no few fatalities. Quantrell's wife, and Anderson's sister were among the dead.
Four women were killed in the collapse, including Anderson's sister. Another sister was badly injured. Quantrilll's wife was not killed and continued to live alongside her husband in his camps. Interestingly, his wife was 13 when he married her.
At the time this happened, neither Quantrell or Anderson had actually taken up arms
Wow. Okay. So what you're saying is that Quantrill and Anderson only took up arms after the building collapse on August 13, 1863 and were leading a large band of armed men when they raided Lawrence on August 21?
Finally, most people who have studied the collapse point to the building next door, which collapsed at the same time. In that building, the Army was doing extensive work, converting it to barracks, and it seems that they wakened the structure, causing ti to collapse and taking the makeshift prison next door with it. Previous to that, by the way, the women had been kept at a hotel.