The FReeper Foxhole Remembers Quantrill's Raid (8/21/1863) - May 18th, 2003

http://skyways.lib.ks.us/genweb/archives/1912/q/quantrills_raid.html ^

[SAMWolf]

Dear Lord,

There's a young man far from home,
called to serve his nation in time of war;
sent to defend our freedom
on some distant foreign shore.

We pray You keep him safe,
we pray You keep him strong,
we pray You send him safely home ...
for he's been away so long.

There's a young woman far from home,
serving her nation with pride.
Her step is strong, her step is sure,
there is courage in every stride.
We pray You keep her safe,
we pray You keep her strong,
we pray You send her safely home ...
for she's been away too long.

Bless those who await their safe return.
Bless those who mourn the lost.
Bless those who serve this country well,
no matter what the cost.

Author Unknown

.

FReepers from the The Foxhole
join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time.

.

.................................................................................................................................

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Quantrill's Raid

At the beginning of the Civil war in 1861 William C. Quantrill was living among the Cherokee Indians. He joined a company which entered the Confederate service, serving for a time with Gen. McCullough and later under Gen. Price. The discipline of an organized army was not to Quantrill's taste, however. He wanted more freedom of movement, especially in the privilege of pillaging the homes of those whom he vanquished. Gathering about him a number of kindred spirits he organized a gang of guerrillas and began operations in western Missouri. As his success became more marked he grew bolder and made several raids into Kansas, plundering the towns of Olathe, Shawnee, Spring Hill, Aubrey and a few others. Early in March, 1862, his gang had been declared outlaws by the Federal authorities, but Quantrill cared nothing for the declaration. None of his raids in 1862 extended into Kansas over 15 miles, and the people of Lawrence, being about 40 miles from the border, felt little apprehension that the city would ever be attacked. True, some precautions were taken to guard against a surprise, but they were generally of a desultory character and were not continued. When Gen. Collamore became mayor he secured a small body of troops to patrol the city, but the military authorities concluded such action was unnecessary and the soldiers were ordered elsewhere.

On the night of Aug. 19, 1863, Quantrill assembled 294 men at Columbus, Mo., where they were organized into four companies and quietly the plans were made for an attack upon Lawrence. Two of Quantrill's companies were commanded by Bill Todd and Bill Anderson, "two of the most desperate and bloodthirsty of the border chieftains." Others who accompanied him were Dick Yeager and the James boys, who afterward became notorious. About 5 o'clock on the afternoon of the 20th they crossed the state line into Kansas, within plain view of a camp of a small detachment of Union soldiers, but as the guerrillas outnumbered the troops five to one Capt. Pike, in command of the camp, offered no resistance, contenting himself with sending word of the movement to Kansas City. About 11 o'clock that night they passed Gardiner, where they burned a house or two and killed a man. At 3 o'clock in the morning they went through Hesper. The moon had gone down, and being ignorant of the way, they took a boy from a house and compelled him to lead them to Lawrence. The raiders entered Franklin 4 miles east of Lawrence at the first break of day, but were very quiet, so as not to arouse attention. Two miles east of Lawrence they passed the farm of Rev. S. S. Snyder and shot him in his barnyard. A mile further on they met young Hoffman Collamore, the son of Mayor Collamore, who replied indifferently to their queries about his destination and they fired upon him. Both he and his pony fell, as if dead, but the boy recovered.

Mr. Cordley narrates that when they drew near the town they seemed to hesitate and waver. "Coming from the east," says he, "the town appeared in its full proportions, as the first light of the morning sun shone on it. It is said some of them were disposed to turn back. But Quantrill said he was going in, and they might follow who would. Two horsemen were sent in advance of the troop to see that all was quiet. They rode through the main street without attracting attention. . . . They returned to the main body and reported the way clear. They now moved on quite rapidly but quietly and cautiously. When they came to the high ground facing Massachusetts street, not far from where the park now is, the command was given in clear tones, 'On to the town!' Instantly the whole body bounded forward with the yell of demons. They came first upon a camp of unarmed recruits for the Fourteenth Kansas regiment. They had just taken in their guards and were rising from their beds. On these the raiders fired as they passed, killing 17 of the 22. This diversion did not stop the speed of the general advance. A few turned aside to run down and shoot the fleeing soldiers, but the main body swept on down Rhode Island street. When the head of the column came about to Henry street the command was heard all over that section, "On to the hotel! On to the hotel!" At this they wheeled obliquely to the left and in a few moments were dashing down Massachusetts street toward the Eldridge house. In all the bloody scenes which followed nothing surpassed for wildness and terror that which now presented itself. The horsemanship of the guerrillas was perfect. They rode with that ease and abandon of men who had spent their lives in the saddle amid rough and desperate scenes. They were dressed in the traditional butternut and belted about with revolvers."



These horsemen sat with bodies erect and arms free, "some with a revolver in each hand, shooting at each house or person they passed, and yelling at every bound. On each side of the stream of fire were men falling dead and wounded, and women and children half-dressed, running and screaming, some trying to escape from danger, and others rushing to the side of their murdered friends."

When they reached the Eldridge hotel the raiders expected resistance and paused a moment in contemplation. Capt. A. R. Banks, provost marshal of the state, opened a window, displayed a white shirt, called for Quantrill and surrendered the house to him, stipulating the safety of the guests. The raiders ransacked the hotel, but Quantrill bade the guests to go to the City hotel, where they would be safe. The prisoners lost no time in obeying Quantrill, who, strange to relate, kept his word with them. As soon as the Eldridge house had surrendered, the raiders scattered all over the town in bands of 6 or 8, taking house by house and street by street. Says Cordley: "The events of the next three hours has no parallel outside the annals of savage warfare. History furnishes no other instance of so large a number of such desperate men, so heavily armed, were let perfectly loose upon an unsuspecting and helpless community." Instead of growing weary of their work as the morning advanced they secured liquor that made them more lawless, reckless, brutal and barbarous than when they came. They said they had orders "to kill every man and burn every house," and while they did not fulfill their commands they set about their task as if that were their intention. They were a rough, coarse, brutal, desperate lot of men, each of whom carried from two to six revolvers, while many also carried carbines. The attack had been perfectly planned. Every man seemed to know his place and what he was to do. So quietly were detachments made, every section of the town was occupied before the citizens comprehended what was happening. With a very few exceptions the raiders had their own way. For some four hours the town was at their mercy—and no mercy was shown. Along the business street they did the most thorough work, robbing buildings and shooting the occupants. Then the torch was applied and throughout the town a reign of terror prevailed. Every house had its story of incredible brutality or a remarkable escape. Many were saved by their own quick wit and the bravery of the women.



Quantrill did not return the way he came, for he had information that Maj. Plumb was approaching from the east with a body of troops. After four hours' horrible work all ceased their work of plundering and assembled for departure. To avoid Maj. Plumb they went south, crossing the Wakarusa at Blanton's bridge. They kept up their work of destruction as they went away, burning nearly all of the farm houses they passed. Gen. James H. Lane with a few followers pursued them, as did the regular troops, but the raiders finally escaped to their hiding places along the border. Lawrence spent the following week burying its dead, of which there were 142, as nearly as an estimate could be made. For some time the intense gloom and grief forbade any thought of the future, but the day came when they rallied their spirits and rebuilt their town and homes.

In 1875 the legislature of Kansas appointed a commission "to examine and certify the amount of losses of citizens of the State of Kansas by the invasion of guerrillas and marauders during the years 1861 to 1865. The towns molested had been Lawrence, Olathe, Humboldt, Altoona, Paola and Fort Scott. In 1887 the legislature enacted a law providing for its assumption and payment of these claims for losses.

Four of Quantrill's raiders at Lawrence were Cole, James, John, and Robert Younger. Known as the Younger Brothers after the war, they teamed up with Frank and Jesse James to rob banks, trains, and stagecoaches.

[SAMWolf]

William Quantrill and the Lawrence Massacre

William Clarke Quantrill came to Kansas as a young man in 1858. Two years later he acheived a measure of notoriety by engineering a scheme with four free-state men to liberate the slaves of a Missouri farmer; however, Quantrill warned the farmer before the raid occurred, and three of the Kansas men were killed in the ambush. Quantrill adapted well to the ruthless chaos that Civil War brought to the Southwest, and until 1864 was the most popular and powerful leader of the various bands of Border Ruffians that pillaged the area. While he and the men who followed him had more in common with the Confederate than the Union cause, they were by no means enlisted soldiers. They terrorized the Kansas countryside almost entirely for profit: to rob the citizens and loot the towns. In addition, the innumerable atrocities committed on both sides made the guerilla armies convenient vehicles to carry out personal vengeance. The sack of Lawrence in 1863 by Quantrill's Bushwackers is one occasion in which revenge and avarice produced a bloodbath.

Prior to this attack the pro-slavery farmers of Missouri had been continuously antagonized by the marrauding forces of Jim Lane and "Doc" Jennison's Jayhawkers; due to their obvious position as abolitionist headquarters in Kansas, the citizens of Lawerence were frequently sent into hysterics when rumors of an attack from Missouri gained creedence. Nevertheless, security around the city was usually lax, and on August 21 the populace was jarred awake by the sounds of Quantrill's men invading the town. After a swift and bloody assault, the Ruffians had the town secured. Once their military objective was out of the way, they eagerly proceeded to loot and burn as many houses as they could. They cleaned out all the banks, and the taverns were drained of whiskey. While they killed no women or children, they shot every man they saw. The death toll numbered 150 men, whose burned and mangled corpses littered the streets of Lawrence when Quantrill's men rode away, just a few hours after they had came.

Although the raid was indeed a crushing blow to the Free State community in Kansas, it failed in one of its goals of executing prominent Lawerence residents such as Charles Robinson and the hated Jim Lane. The Bushwhackers destroyed a great deal of property, but did not take much with them to Missouri. The Federal troops in the area, who blatantly allowed Quantrill take over 400 men into the heart of Kansas, further demonstrated their incompetence by failing to make an organized pursuit of them as they left.

The Reverend H.D. Fisher was one of the men who narrowly escaped the murderous attack, and his account of the slaughter in Gun and the Gospel reflects the justifiable outrage of a witness and survivor. Quantrill's raid stands out in history as being not only one of the more gruesome events of the Civil War, but also the climax of the border conflict between Missouri and Kansas.

[SAMWolf]

Many of the survivors of Quantrill's Raid wrote of their experiences in letters and reminiscences. These are just a few quotations from them:

O. W. McAlaster: It being very warm, I was up about 5 o'clock on the morning of August 21, 1863. A noise attracted my attention, and I looked south and saw between 300 and 400 horsemen ... in an instant they spread out ...shooting every person they saw ... They reached a camp of thirty-two unarmed recruits ... I saw them shooting down these men, who ran in every direction, some crawling under sidewalks and into bushes, only about five escaping with their lives. Then I realized that Quantrill and his guerrillas were upon us.

Sophia L. Bissell: ... about 1/2 mile away were ever so many men on horseback, coming along very quickly, strung out, oh, I should think there must have been three or four hundred of them. In a few minutes ... we heard them say, "Halt!" and then ... they all separated into bands and went yelling and shooting as fast as they would ride, a band for each street ...

Brigetta Dix Flintom: I saw men jumping from windows and fleeing for their lives. Several were killed as they ran ...

Hiram Towne: Almost everyone was abed and they were all over the city in ten minutes and shot down every one that showed his head, so that they had no chance to get together to defend the town ...

Mary Carpenter Rankin: We ... had been married ten months. When two of the raiders called at our house and saw my husband, they fired a shot at him and after his race through the yard the fired a second shot. Of what passed around us I know and remember nothing, until I sat beside the body of my husband and saw him in a rude coffin and laid away in a corner of our yard.

W. H. Simpson: When Quantrell raided Lawrence I was five and one half years young. My father, Henry M. Simpson, then lived in West Lawrence. Back of our house was a large field of corn, growing as Kansas corn is in the habit of doing, lustily tall and thick. That field, with its 'walls of corn' saved our lives. I well remember being hurrriedly dragged into the maze of maize just as the rebels came up the front steps looking for abolitionists. The day was hot. It dawned that way. We had no water, no breakfast, and nothing to satisfy hunger except ears of half-green corn. The necessity for keeping quiet was impressed on my mind; but probably I was too badly scared to make a noise, anyway. The flames from our burning house scarcely had died down when we came out of our hiding place and were taken care of by kind neighbors--glad just to be alive.

Mrs. J. B. Sutliff: My husband was not killed, he being away on business and our home was not burned. I saw Mr. Griffith and told him to run to the ravine. He reached it and saved his life. I had to warn Mrs. Griffith to keep away from him. I can hear the pounding of nails yet, for Ira Brown and Hiram Towne made coffins for two nights in their shop just across the alley from my home.

Mat Shaw: The (first M.E.) church was used as a morgue. I put men to work, making rough coffins and used 250 feet of walnut lumber and fifty pounds of nails that I happened to have in the shop."

Priscilla Jones: They were digging graves all night Friday, begun burying just at daylight Saturday morning and worked till dark ... there was one hundred and twenty-three bodies found, some burnt so you couldn't tell what it was.

Richard Cordley: The walls of the brick and stone buildings were still standing, black, gloomy and threatening. The smoke was still rising from the ruins and in the deep cellars the fires were still glowing.

[SAMWolf]

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[SAMWolf]

[SAMWolf]

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[chance33_98]

Bump and thanks as always for the ping. I don't post much on this thread, but they are always interesting and informative! Thanks!

[SAMWolf]

Thanks for the compliment chance33_98.

[E.G.C.]

BTTT!!!!!!

[KDD]

Enjoyed the history presentation.

The controversy swirls around William Clarke Quantrill. Some people would consider him a patriot of the South, doing his part against Northern tyranny. Others would consider him to be a lawless butcher that took advantage of the disarray brought about by the Civil War to assuage his need for brutality and cruelty.

A lttle of both I think.

[Soaring Feather]

Good morning SAM, snippy, everyone!!

Have a great day!!

[Valin]

On this Day In History


Birthdates which occurred on May 18:
1692 Joseph Butler Wantage Berkshire, theologian
1711 Ruggiero G Boscovich [Rudzer J Boskovic], Italian astronomer
1744 Joseph Beer Bohemia clarinetist/composer (5th clarinet flap)
1759 Charles Duquesnoy composer
1788 Hugh Clapperton Annan Scotland, African explorer
1797 Frederik Augustus II King of Saxon (1836-54)
1798 Ethan Allen Hitchcock Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1870
1815 Thomas Stanhope Bocock representative (Confederacy), died in 1891
1817 James William Denver Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1892
1819 Julius Hopp composer
1830 Karl Goldmark Keszthely Hungary, composer (Sakuhtala)
1836 Isidor Vorobchievici composer
1836 Wilhelm Steinitz Austria, world chess champion (1866-94)
1850 Oliver Heaviside physicist predicted existence of ionosphere
1854 Bernard Zweers Dutch composer (To My Fatherland)
1862 Freiherr Albert von Schrenk-Notzing German para-psychologist
1864 Jan P Veth Bayern, Dutch painter/etcher/lithographer/art historian
1865 William Heinemann England, publisher (Chemical Instrumental)
1868 Nicholas II Aleksandrovitsj last tsar of Russia (1894-1917)
1869 Ruprecht crown prince of Bavaria/general-fieldmarshall
1871 Franiska zu Reventlow writer
1872 Bertrand Russell England, mathematician/philosopher (Nobel 1950)
1875 Guido Alberto Fano composer
1881 Georgi Atanasov composer
1882 Eduardo Fabini composer
1883 Walter Gropius Berlin Germany, architect (founded Bauhaus school of design)
1885 Eurico Gaspar Dutra President of Brazil (1945-50)
1886 Ole Windingstad composer
1887 Ernst Wiechert writer
1889 G Gunnarson writer
1891 Rudolf Carnap philosopher (German Logical Positivist)
1892 Ezio Pinza Rome Italy, bass (New York Metropolitan-South Pacific)
1896 Walter Fitzgerald Keyhan Devonport England
1897 Frank Capra Palermo Sicily Italy, movie director (It's a Wonderful Life, Arsenic & Old Lace)
1897 Jack Raine London England, actor (Quartet)
1898 Juan J Domenchina Spanish poet/interpreter (sombra desterrada)
19-- Gail Strickland Birmingham AL, actress (Alice West-Insiders)
19-- Steven David Delong rocker (Sweet F.A.-Stick To Your Guns)
1900 Sarah Miriam Peale US, portrait painter (General Lafayette-1825)
1901 Harry Robert Wilson composer
1901 Henri-Pierre Sauguet Bordeaux France, composer (La Chotte)
1901 Vincent du Vigneaud US biochemist
1902 [Robert] Meredith Willson Mason City IA, composer (Music Man)
1903 George E Stone Lodz Poland, actor (Viva Villa, Last Mile)
1904 Jacob K Javits (Senator-R-NY)
1905 Eric Zeisl composer
1905 Hedley Verity cricketer (terrific slow lefty for England pre-WWII)
1907 Clifford Curzon London England, pianist (MacFarren Gold Medal)
1907 Robley D Evans nuclear physicist
1909 Fred Perry Stockport England, tennis star/commentator (Wimbledon 1934-36)
1910 Arthur van Schendel Dutch art historian
1911 Big Joe Turner Kansas City MO, blues singer (Corrine Corrina, Shake Rattle & Roll)
1911 Lord Hartwell
1911 Sigrid Gurie Brooklyn NY, actor (Algiers, Sofia, Refugee)
1912 Georg von Opel German auto manufacturer
1912 Perry [Pierino] Como Canonsburg PA, singer/TV host (Perry Como Show)
1912 Richard Brooks Philadelphia PA, director (Blackboard Jungle, In Cold Blood)
1914 Anthony Fell British MP
1914 Boris Christoff Bulgaria/Italian bass (Boris Godunov)
1914 Pierre A Balmain France, fashion designer (1940's "New Look")
1915 Leon Shenandoah native American leader
1917 Charles Wintour journalist
1917 James Donald Aberdeen Scotland, actor (Bridge on River Kwai, Vikings)
1918 Pope John Paul II [Karol Wojtyla] 264th Roman Catholic pope (1978- )
1919 Dame Margot Fonteyn Surrey England, ballerina (Giselle/partner of Nureyev)
1921 Anthony Epstein FRS/pathologist
1922 Bill Macy Revere MA, actor (Walter-Maude, Oh! Calcutta)
1922 GMcC Kitson British principal (Central School of Speech/Drama)
1923 Liam Sullivan Jacksonville IL, actor (Mapoy-Monroes)
1924 Jack Whitaker Philadelphia PA, sportscaster (ABC, CBS)
1924 Priscilla Pointer New York NY, actress (Rebecca-Dallas, Call to Glory)
1927 Richard Body MP
1928 G R Hall nuclear scientist
1928 P G Hammersley British Rear-Admiral
1928 Pernell Roberts Waycross GA, actor (Adam Cartwright-Bonanza, Trapper John MD)
1929 Johan N Block aviation pioneer (Martinair/Transavia/Air Holland)
1929 Lord St John of Fawsley
1929 Roger Matton composer
1930 Barbara Goldsmith New Rochelle, author (Little Gloria Happy At Last)
1930 Don Leslie Lind Midvale UT, astronaut (STS 51-B)
1930 Fred[erick Thomas] Saberhagen US, sci-fi author (Book of Swords)
1930 Geoffrey Littler CEO (County NatWest Group)
1930 Warren B Rudman (Senator-R-NH, 1980- )
1931 Robert Morse Newton MA, actor (That's Life, Jack Frost)
1932 John Clement chairman (Unigate Group)
1934 Dwayne Hickman Los Angeles CA, actor (Dobie Gillis, How to Stuff a Wild Bikini)
1937 Brooks Robinson Baltimore Oriole 3rd baseman (1955-77)
1937 Ildikó Sagi-Retjö Hung, foils (Olympics-2 gold/3 silver/2 bronze-1960-76)
1937 Jacques Santer President (European Commission)
1939 Glen Hardin Texas, rocker (Crickets)
1939 Patrick Cormack MP
1940 A Marshall Stoneham FRS, physicist
1940 Pat Trimborn cricket pace bowler (South African in 4 Tests 1966-70)
1941 Diane McBain Cleveland OH, actress (Surfside Six, Spinout, Donner Pass)
1941 M S Longair astronomer
1942 Albert Hammond rocker
1942 Keith Hellawell Chief Constable (West Yorkshire)
1942 Marquess of Reading
1942 N P (Nobby) Stiles footballer
1942 Rodney Dillard rocker (Glittergrass)
1944 Peter Ryan British national director (Police Training)
1945 Bhagwat Chandrasekhar cricketer (brilliant Indian leggie 1964-79)
1945 John Richard Patterson businessman
1945 Maarten van Traa Dutch MP (PvdA)
1946 George Alexander rocker
1946 Reggie Jackson "Mr October" baseball rightfielder (Yankees, A's)
1947 Candice Azzara Brooklyn NY, actress (Fatso)
1947 John Bruton Prime Minister (Republic of Ireland)
1948 Felix MH Troch Flemish actor/director (Gekkenbriefje)
1948 Joe Bonsall Philadelphia PA, country singer (Oak Ridge Boys-Elvira)
1949 Bill Wallace rocker (Guess Who)
1949 Rick Wakeman rock keyboardist (Yes-Fish Out of Water)
1949 Stuart Gannes Detroit MI, writer (Fortune)
1950 Rodney Milburn Jr USA, hurdler (Olympics-gold-1972)
1950 Thomas Gottschalk Bamberg Germany, (Telespiele)
1951 Angela Voigt German Democratic Republic, long jumper (Olympics-gold-76)
1951 Denny Dillon comedian (Saturday Night Live, Dream On)
1951 James Stephens Mount Kisko NY, actor (Paper Chase, Devil's Island)
1951 Rodger Davis Sydney New South Wales, Australasia golfer
1952 Diane E[lizabeth] Duane US, sci-fi author (Door into Fire)
1952 George Strait Pearsall TX, country singer (All My Ex's Live in Texas, Beyond the Blue Neon)
1952 Martin R Hoke (Representative-R-OH)
1953 [Feliciano] Butch Tavares rocker (Tavares)
1953 Helen Chadwick artist
1954 Martyn Wiley writer/broadcaster
1954 Wreckless Eric rocker (Waxworks, Be Stiff)
1955 Yun Fat Chow Nam Nga Island Hong Kong, actor (Better Tomorrow)
1956 Joe [Naomichi] Ozaki Tekushima Japan, golfer (1995 Phoenix Open-8th)
1957 Michael Cretu rocker (Enigma)
1958 Ray Donaldson NFL center (Dallas Cowboys)
1958 Toyah Wilcox Birmingham England, rocker (I Want to Be Free)
1959 Graham Dilley cricketer (England wicket-taker of 80's)
1960 Jari Kurri Helsinki Finland, NHL left wing (New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings, Colorado Avalanche)
1960 Tom Jackson Oakville Ontario, Canadian Tour golfer (1991 CPGA Winter)
1960 Yannick Noah France, tennis player (French 1983)
1962 Mike Whitmarsh San Diego CA, beach volleyballer (Olympics-silver-96)
1963 Marty McSorley Hamilton, NHL defenseman (Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers)
1964 Will Wolford NFL tackle (Indianapolis Colts, Pittsburgh Steelers)
1965 Erik Hanson Kinnelon NJ, pitcher (Toronto Blue Jays)
1965 Rufus Porter NFL linebacker (New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
1966 Mike Inez US rock bassist (Alice in Chains-Facelift)
1967 Jaime Gomez Arlington TX, Nike golfer (1992 Boise Open)
1967 Karl Dunbar NFL defensive tackle (Arizona Cardinals)
1968 Ernie Logan NFL defensive end (Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets)
1969 Jean-Chris Filippin hockey defenseman (Team France 1998)
1969 Martika [Marta Marrero] Whittier CA, singer (Toy Soldiers)
1970 Clemens Zwijnenberg soccer player (FC Twente)
1970 Vicky Sunohara ice hockey forward (Canada, Olympics-98)
1971 Ben Coleman guard/offensive tackle (Jacksonville Jaguars)
1971 Clifton Sunada Honolulu HI, extra-lightweight judoka (Olympics-96)
1971 Craig Hentrich NFL punter (Green Bay Packers-Superbowl 31)
1971 Daniel Gowing Germany, New Zealand judoka (Olympics-96)
1971 Karen Bye ice hockey forward (USA, Olympics-98)
1971 Lael Perlstrom Laguna Beach CA, WPVA volleyballer (US Open-25-1995)
1971 Rich Garces Maracay Aragua Venezuela, pitcher (Boston Red Sox)
1972 Turner Stevenson Prince George, NHL right wing (Montréal Canadiens)
1973 Darren Van Impe Saskatoon, NHL defenseman (Anaheim Mighty Ducks)
1973 David Bailey WLAF tackle (Frankfurt Galaxy)
1973 Donyell Marshall NBA forward (Golden State Warriors)
1973 Markus Brunner hockey forward (Team Italy 1998)
1973 Tory James NFL defensive back (Denver Broncos-Superbowl 32)
1973 Walter Scott NFL defensive tackle (Green Bay Packers-Superbowl 31)
1976 Ron Mercer NBA guard (Boston Celtics)
1978 Jennifer Streblow Oshkosh WI, Miss America-Wisconsin (1997)
1979 Kaci Thompson Miss Nevada Teen USA (1997)

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Deaths which occurred on May 18:
0323 Alexander III the Great king of Macedonia/conqueror, dies at 32
0526 John I Pope (523-26), dies
1160 Erik IX Helgi [The Saint] King of Sweden, dies
1410 Ruprecht Roman catholics German king, dies
1587 Felix van Cantalice Italian saint, dies
1625 Francisco Gómez de Sandoval y Rojas Spanish marquis of Denia, dies
1653 Carel Reyniersz Governor-General (Netherlands East Indies), dies at 48
1675 Jacques Marquette jesuit/missionaries (Chicago) dies at 37
1692 Elias Ashmole antiquary, dies
1724 Johann K Amman Swiss/Dutch doctor for deaf-mutes, dies at 54
1733 Georg Bohm German organist/composer, dies at 71
1767 Thaddaus Ferdinand Lipowsky composer, dies at 28
1799 Pierre de Beaumarchais dramatist, dies
1808 Jacob Albright [Albrecht] German/US preacher, dies at 49
1829 Bernardo Bittoni composer, dies at 72
1832 Bonafacio Asioli composer, dies at 62
1839 Carolina [Maria A] Bonaparte (countess Lipona) dies at 57
1848 William A Leidesdorf black, dies at 38 in San Fransisco
1862 William H Keim US Union Brigadier-General, dies in battle at 48
1864 James Byron Gordon Confederate Brigadier-General, dies at 41
1884 Heinrich R Göppert German paleo-botanist, dies
1909 George Meredith English poet/writer (Diana of Crossways), dies at 81
1909 Isaac M F Albéniz Spanish pianist/composer, dies at 48
1910 Flor van Duyse composer, dies at 66
1911 Gustav Mahler Austrian composer (Children's Death Songs), dies at 50
1913 Otto Reubke composer, dies at 70
1918 Toivo Kuula composer, dies at 34
1930 Joao Marcellino Arroyo composer, dies at 68
1936 Alick Maclean composer, dies at 63
1949 James T Adams US historian (Pulitzer 1921)
1952 Rossetter Gleason Cole composer, dies at 86
1953 Tom Killick cricketer (at the crease 2 Tests for England 1929), dies
1955 Edwin Scharff German painter/sculptor (Rossebändiger), dies at 68
1955 Mary McLeod Bethune educator & civil rights leader, dies at 79
1956 Maurice Tate cricketer (39 Tests for England, 155 wickets), dies
1961 Henry O'Neill actor (Lady Killer, Nothing But Trouble), dies
1965 Eduard J Dijksterhuis mathematician (Archimedes), dies at 72
1966 Paul Althaus German theologist (That Christian Wahrheit), dies at 78
1967 Andy Clyde Hopalong Cassidy's sidekick, dies at 75
1967 Richard Ainley actor (I Dood It, Above Suspicion), dies at 56
1972 Eero Aukusti Sipila composer, dies at 53
1973 Jeannette Rankin 1st Congresswoman (1917-19, 41-43), dies at 92
1974 Daniel R Topping US owner (New York Yankees), dies at 61
1975 Leroy Anderson composer, dies at 66
1980 Ian Curtis English rock vocalist (Joy Division), commits suicide at 23
1981 Arthur O'Connell actor (Mr Peepers, Second Hundred Years), dies at 73
1981 William Saroyan US stagewriter (Time of your life), dies at 72
1985 Tex Terry actor (Apache Rose, Timberjack), dies at 82
1986 John Bubbles Sublett tap dancer (Black & Bubbles), dies at 84
1987 Wilbur J Cohen 1st employee of Social Security System, dies at 73
1988 Daws Butler cartoon voice (Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound), dies at 71
1990 Jill Ireland actress (Carry on Nurse, Family), dies of cancer at 54
1991 Edwina Booth actress (Trader Horn), dies of heart failure at 86
1992 Lawrence Welk bandleader (L Welk Show), dies of pneumonia at 89
1992 Marshall Thompson actor (Bog), dies of congestive heart failure at 65
1992 Skip Stephenson comedian (Real People), dies of heart attack at 52
1993 Heinrich Albertz theologist/mayor of Berlin (1966-67), dies at 78
1993 Pamela M Cunnington English architect/writer, dies at 67
1995 Alexander Gudonov Russian dancer/actor (Witness), dies at 45
1995 Elisha Cook Jr actor (Maltese Falcon, Shane), dies at 91
1995 Elizabeth Montgomery actress (Bewitched), dies of cancer at 62
1995 Gordon Reynolds musician, dies at 74
1995 Robert Harris actor (Werewolf of London), dies at 95
1996 Dermot O'Callaghan Grubb prison governor, dies at 76
1996 Simon Weinstock businessman/racehorse owner, dies at 44

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Reported: MISSING in ACTION

1965 HRDLICKA DAVID L. LITTLETON CO.
(07/66 PUBLISHED PHOTO)
1965 TAVARES JOHN R.
(LAST SEEN IN BAR AT DA NANG)
1966 GUILLET ANDRE R. WATERBURY CT.
1966 HARLEY LEE D. DANVILLE VA.
1966 MOORE WILLIAM J. MONMOUTH IL.
1966 WALL JERRY M. NACOGDOCHES TX.
1967 CAMERON KENNETH R. BERKLEY CA.
(03/74 DRV RETURNED REMAINS DIC 10/04/70)
1967 DELONG JOE L. MC MINNVILLE TN.
1967 NAUGHTON ROBERT J. CEDAR RAPIDS IA.
(03/04/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE IN 98)
1968 GIST TOMMY EMERSON DURANT OK.
1968 JAMES CHARLIE N. GLENDALE CA.
(03/14/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE AND WELL 98)
1968 MONROE VINCENT D. OAKLYN NJ.
(08/23/78 REMAINS RETURNED)
1968 PADILLA DAVID E. BORGER TX.
1968 UYEYAMA TERRY J. LEONIA NJ.
(03/14/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE IN 98)
1969 CUDLIKE CHARLES J. DETROIT MI.
1971 ENTRICAN DANNY D. BROOKHAVEN MS.
1972 BEDNAREK JOHNATHAN B. GREENLAWN NY.
(PROB DEAD REMAINS RETURNED 05/89)
1972 RATZEL WESLEY D. SCRANTON PA.
(NO SHOW PW CAMP SYSTEM REMAINS RETURNED 05/89)


POW / MIA Data & Bios supplied by
the P.O.W. NETWORK. Skidmore, MO. USA.

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On this day...
0526 St John I ends his reign as Catholic Pope
1096 Crusaders massacre Jews of Worm
1291 Sultan of Egypt & his son take last Christian stronghold of Acre
1302 Trades people assault on French garrison (Brugse Metten)
1385 Peace of Doornik: Gent & Louis van Thoughts
1596 Willem Barents leaves Amsterdam for Novaya Zemlya
1619 Hugo the Great sentenced to life in prison
1631 English colony Massachusetts Bay grants puritarian voting right
1631 John Winthrop is elected 1st governor of Massachusetts
1642 Montréal Canada founded
1652 Rhode Island enacts 1st law declaring slavery illegal
1703 Dutch & English troops occupy Cologne
1756 England declares war on France
1794 2nd battle of Bouvines (France-Austria)
1803 Britain declares war on France after General Napoleon Bonaparte continues interfering in Italy & Switzerland
1804 Napoleon Bonaparte proclaimed Emperor of France
1828 Battle of Las Piedras, ends conflict between Uruguay & Brazil
1830 Edwin Budding of England signs an agreement for manufacture of his invention, the lawn mower - Saturdays are destroyed forever
1843 United Free Church of Scotland forms
1846 US troops attack Rio Grande occupying Matamoros
1851 Amsterdam-Nieuwediep telegraph connection linked
1852 Massachusetts rules all school-age children must attend school
1860 Republican Party nominates Abraham Lincoln for president
1861 Battle of Sewall's Point VA-1st Federal offense against South
1861 Friedrich Hebbels "Kriemhildes Rache" premieres in Weimar
1863 Siege of Vicksburg MS
1864 Battle of Yellow Bayou LA (Bayou de Glaize, Old Oaks)
1866 French Government of De Putte resigns
1880 6th Kentucky Derby: George Lewis aboard Fonso wins in 2:37½
1887 Emmanuel Chabriers opera "Le Roi Malgré Luis" premieres in Paris France
1889 Jules Massenets opera "Esclarmonde" premieres in Paris France
1896 US Supreme court affirms "separate but equal" policy (Plessy v Ferguson)
1897 Irish Music Festival 1st held (Dublin)
1897 New York Giant William Joyce sets record of 4 triples in 1 game
1897 Paul Dukas "L'Apprenti Sorcier Pruimtabak on the Market" premieres
1899 World Goodwill Day-26 nations meet in 1st Hague Peace Conference
1900 Britain proclaims protectorate over kingdom of Tonga
1904 American Ion Perdicaris kidnapped in Morocco
1910 Passage of Earth through tail of Halley's Comet causes near-panic
1911 President/dictator José Porfirio Diaz of México term ends
1912 Maurits Binger establishes 2 Dutch movie companies
1912 Philadelphia A's beat Detroit Tigers 24-2, who use amateurs protesting Ty Cobbs suspension
1916 US pilot Kiffin Rockwell shoots down German aircraft
1917 Satie/Massine/Picasso's ballet "Parade" premieres in Paris France
1917 US passes Selective Service act
1918 Netherlands Indian Volksraad installed in Batavia
1918 TNT explosion in chemical factory in Oakdale PA kills 200
1920 46th Preakness: Clarence Kummer aboard Man o' War wins in 1:51.6
1922 Dutch 2nd Chamber agrees to 48 hour work week (was 45 hours)
1926 Evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson vanished in Venice CA; She showed up a month later & said she had been kidnapped
1927 "Slide Lake" in Gros Ventre WY collapses
1927 Grauman's Chinese Theater opens in Hollywood CA
1927 Ritz Hotel opens in Boston
1929 55th Kentucky Derby: Linus McAtee on Clyde Van Dusen wins in 2:10.8
1929 Brooklyn Dodgers beat Philadelphia Phillies 20-16 & lost 8-6 in 2nd game (record 50 runs)
1933 1st major league All-Star Game announced for July 6 at Comiskey Park It will be played as part of the Chicago World's Fair
1933 Tennessee Valley Act (TVA) Act signed by FDR, to build dams
1934 Academy Award 1st called Oscar in print (Sidney Skolsky)
1934 Congress approves "Lindbergh Act", makes kidnapping a capital offense
1934 Jimmie Foxx hits 1st homerun in Comiskey Park center field bleachers
1934 TWA begins commercial service
1935 Harold Gimblett scores 123 in 80 minutes on debut for Somerset
1940 German troops conquer Brussels
1941 An Egyptian steamer sinks
1941 Italian army under General Aosta surrenders to Britain in Ethiopia
1941 Jewish veterans honor their dead
1942 NYC ends night baseball games for the rest of WWII
1943 Allied bombers attack Pantelleria in the Mediterranean Sea
1944 Expulsion of more than 200,000 Tartars from Crimea by Soviet Union begins, they are accused of collaborating with the Germans
1944 Polish 2nd Army corps captures convent of Monte Cassino Italy
1945 Tigers & A's both have 7 straight games postponed due to rain
1947 A's catcher Warren Rosar catches his 147th game without an error
1948 "Ballet Ballads" opens at Music Box Theater NYC for 62 performances
1948 Arab Legion captures fort on Mount Scopus
1948 Saudi Arabia joins invasion of Israel
1949 Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America incorporates
1950 "Liar" opens at Broadhurst Theater NYC for 12 performances
1950 Tommy Glaviano makes 3 consecutive errors on grounders
1951 UN moves HQ to NYC
1951 US General Collins predicts use of atom bomb in Korea
1952 Professor WF Libby said Stonehedge dates back to 1848 BC
1953 1st woman to break the sound barrier (Jacqueline Cochrane, USA)
1954 European Convention on Human Rights goes into effect
1955 28.7 cm rain falls at Lake Maloya NM (state record)
1955 Atkinson & Depeiaza take West Indies from 6-187 to 6-494 in day vs Australia
1955 Queen Juliana opens E55 fair in Amsterdam
1956 Hungarian party leader Matyas Rákosi enforces his own policy
1956 Mickey Mantle hits homerun from both sides of plate for record 3rd time
1956 Queen Juliana opens Rembrandt fairs in Amsterdam
1957 83rd Preakness: Eddie Arcaro aboard Bold Ruler wins in 1:56.2
1958 Wiffi Smith wins LPGA Peach Blossom Golf Open
1959 "Castin' My Spell" by Johnny Otis Show hits #52
1959 "Judy" by David Seville hits #86
1959 "Russian Band Stand" by Spencer & Spencer hits #91
1960 Eileen Fulton begins playing Lisa on As the World Turns (for > 30 years)
1960 Jean Genets "Le Balcon" premieres in Paris France
1961 "Donnybrook!" opens at 46th St Theater NYC for 68 performances
1963 "Beast in Me" closes at Plymouth Theater NYC after 4 performances
1963 "If You Wanna Be Happy" by Jimmy Soul hits #1
1963 89th Preakness: Bill Shoemaker aboard Candy Spots wins in 1:56.2
1964 David Frost interviews Paul McCartney on the BBC
1964 Supreme Court rules unconstitutional to deprive naturalized citizens of citizenship if they return to home country for more than 3 years
1965 Gene Roddenberry suggests 16 names including Kirk for Star Trek Captain
1965 WTAF TV channel 29 in Philadelphia PA (IND) begins broadcasting
1967 Silver hits record $1.60 an ounce in London
1967 Tennessee Governor Ellington repeals "Monkey Law", upheld in 1925 Scopes Trial
1968 94th Preakness: Ismael Valenzuela aboard Forward Pass wins in 1:56.8
1968 Al Kaline hits his 307th homerun, surpassing Hank Greenberg as a Tiger
1968 Frank Howard ties American League record with homerun in his 6th consecutive game his 10 homeruns in the most in 6 games
1969 "Canterbury Tales" closes at Eugene O'Neill NYC after 122 performances
1969 Apollo 10 (Stafford/Cernan/Young) launched toward lunar orbit
1969 Sandra Haynie wins LPGA St Louis Women's Golf Invitational
1971 4th ABA Championship: Utah Stars beat Kentucky Colonels, 4 games to 3
1971 Bulgarian constitution goes into effect
1971 President Nixon rejects the 60 demands of Congressional Black Caucus
1971 Stanley Cup: Montréal Canadiens beat Chicago Blackhawks, 4 games to 3
1971 Vampire rapist Wayne Bodens last victim found
1972 "Me & The Chimp" last airs on CBS-TV
1972 John Sebastian makes 63 consecutive free throws while blindfolded
1973 Russian party leader Brezhnev visits West Germany
1973 WIBC Bowling Queens won by Dotty Fothergill
1974 "The Streak" by Ray Stevens hits #1
1974 100th Preakness: Miguel Rivera aboard Current Little wins in 1:54.6
1974 India becomes 6th nation to explode an atomic bomb
1977 A nightclub fire in Cincinnati killed 164
1977 Juventus wins 6th UEFA Cup at Bilbao
1977 Menachem Begin becomes Israel's Prime Minister
1978 Italy legalizes abortion
1978 Russian dissident Yuri Orlov exiled to compulsory work
1980 Belgium 3rd Government of Martens forms
1980 China People's Republic launch 1st intercontinental rocket
1980 Donna White wins LPGA Coca-Cola Golf Classic
1980 Fernando Belaunde Terry elected President of Peru
1980 Mount St Helens blows its top in Washington State, 60 die
1982 Detroit Tigers outfielder Larry Herndon is 14th to hit 4 consecutive homeruns
1982 Unification Church founder Reverend Sun Myung Moon convicted of tax evasion
1983 Senate revises immigration laws, gives millions of illegal aliens legal status under an amnesty program
1985 "One Night In Bangkok" by Murray Head hits #3
1985 111th Preakness: Pat Day aboard Tank's Prospect wins in 1:53.4
1985 1st remote location for "Nightline" (South Africa)
1986 "Singin' in the Rain" closes at Gershwin Theater NYC after 367 performances
1986 Becky Pearson wins LPGA Chrysler-Plymouth Golf Classic
1986 Chung Kwung Ying does 2,750 "atomic" hand-stand push-ups
1986 David Goch finishes swimming 55,682 miles in a 25-yd pool
1986 South African army occupies Botswana, Zimbabwe & Zambia
1988 Bayer Leverkusen wins 17th UEFA Cup at Leverkusen
1988 In just Oakland's 39th of the season, pitcher Dave Stewart breaks record with his 12th balk en route to 16
1989 Lisa Strawberry files for divorce from Darryl
1990 "Return To Green Acres" TV movie airs
1990 Cubs Ryne Sandberg ends 2nd baseman record 123 errorless game streak
1990 East and West Germany sign a monetary union treaty
1990 Judy Carne arrested at JFK airport on an 11 year old drug warrant
1991 117th Preakness: Jerry Bailey aboard Hansel wins in 1:54
1991 France performs nuclear test at Muruora Island
1991 USSR launches 2 cosmonauts to MIR space station
1992 Supreme Court rules states could not force mentally unstable criminal defendants to take anti-psychotic drugs
1993 Danish people vote in favor of ratifying the Maastricht Treaty
1993 Italian police arrest Mafia boss Benedetto "Nitto" Santapaola
1994 AC Milan wins Europe Cup 1: 4-0 against Barcelona
1994 Israel withdraws from the Gaza Strip
1994 Tropical Butterfly Garden at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo opens
1995 WIBC Bowling Queens won by Sandra Postma
1996 122nd Preakness: Pat Day aboard Louis Quatorze wins in 1:53.2
1996 WIBC Bowling Queens won by Lisa Wagner
1997 "King David" opens at New Amsterdam Theater NYC
1997 43rd McDonald's LPGA Championship won by Chris Johnson
1997 Cadillac NFL Senior Golf Classic
1997 Tiger Woods wins Byron Nelson Golf Classic

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Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

Haiti : Flag Day/University Day
Uruguay : Battle of Las Piedras (1828)
Canada : Victoria Day (1819) - - - - - ( Monday )
US : Armed Forces Day - - - - - ( Saturday )

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Religious Observances
Christian : St Eric of Sweden
Roman Catholic : Commemoration of St Venantius, bishop, martyr
Roman Catholic : Commemoration of St John I, pope & martyr (523-526)
Lutheran : Commemoration of Erik, King of Sweden, martyr
Christian : Solemnity of Pentecost (Whitsunday)
Christian-Scotland : Term Day
Moslem : Ashura (Muharram 10, 1418 AH)

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Religious History
1291 Acre, the last territory in Palestine taken by the first Crusaders, fell to invading Moslem armies. It signalled the end of a Christian "military presence" in the Near East. (Afterwards, friars sought to spread the gospel by preaching instead.)
1631 The General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony decreed that 'no man shall be admitted to the body politic but such as are members of some of the churches within the limits' of the colony. (Separation of church and state was an unthinkable concept in early American colonialism.)
1766 The Church of the United Brethren in Christ was organized in Lancaster, PA, under the leadership of Martin Boehm, 41, and Philip William Otterbein, 39. (It became a branch of the Evangelical United Brethren in 1946.)
1814 In Philadelphia, the General Missionary Convention of the Baptist Denomination in the United States of America for Foreign Missions was established -- the first national organization of Baptists in the U.S. It was later called the Triennial Convention because it met every three years.
1925 Popular evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson, 34, disappeared while on a beach outing. Turning up five weeks later, she claimed to have been kidnapped and held prisoner, before escaping from her abductors.

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Thought for the day :
"Inflation is when the buck doesn't stop anywhere."

[aomagrat]

Today's classic warship, USS Fort Hindman (Tinclad #13)

Fort Hindman class river gunboat
Displacement. 286 t.
Lenght. 150'
Beam. 37'
Draft. 28"
Armament. 2 8" sb., 4 8" r.

USS Fort Hindman, a side wheel steamer, was purchased 14 March 1863 as James Thompson; joined the Mississippi Squadron in April 1863, Acting Volunteer Lieutenant T. O. Selfridge in command; was renamed Manitou 23 Mars 1863; and renamed Fort Hindman 8 November 1863.

In July 1863, the steamer headed an expedition up the Little Red River, a tributary of the Black River, and captured quantities of ordnance and Confederate Government provisions, as well as the ironclad Louisville. She continued to patrol the central Mississippi and its tributaries, taking a Confederate merchantman prize in the Red River 1 March, engaging Confederate sharpshooters and a battery ashore in the Black and later that day in the Ouachita River. During the expedition, Fort Hindman transported troops and prisoners, over and over again engaged Confederate batteries, and took part in the passage of the falls off Alexandria, La., on 8 May.

Moving to a more southerly patrol area, Fort Hindman operated in the rivers and bayous of Louisiana, occasionally returning to Natchez. She arrived at Mound City, Ill., 1 August 1865. There she was decommissioned 3 August 1865, and sold 17 August 1865. As a merchant steamer, she was renamed James Thompson and remained in use until about 1874.

[F-117A]

Quantrill's Flag

[snippy_about_it]

Goodness gracious girl! lol. Up before me! haha. Good morning.

[snippy_about_it]

Some Ohio folklore on Quantrill.

[SAMWolf]

Good morning Feather

[SAMWolf]

1830 Edwin Budding of England signs an agreement for manufacture of his invention, the lawn mower - Saturdays are destroyed forever

So now I have a name I can curse when I'm out mowing.

[SAMWolf]

Thanks F-117A. Interesting reading about the flag.

[SAMWolf]

Morning aomagrat. I wonder how many steamers were purchased and converted for the war vs ships that were purposely built as gunboats.