Roots of The Civil War: The Border Wars, Jay Hawkers and Bushwhackers: By G.C. Stevens

 

Photo Courtesy of Don Wilson, originally published in the 

Maries County Advocate

"Sir: Your dispatch of the 15th instant, making a call on Missouri for four regiments of men for immediate service, has been received. There can be, I apprehend, no doubt that the men are intended to form a part of the Presidents army to make war upon the people of the seceded states. Your requisition, in my judgment, is illegal, unconstitutional, and revolutionary in its object, inhumane, and diabolical and cannot be complied with. Not one man will the state of Missouri furnish to carry on any unholy crusade.

-Governor Clairborne Jackson in Response to President Lincoln's call for 

Missouri to provide 75,000 troops

By 1861, all options to resolve the internal conflict surrounding the issue of slavery had all failed. the nation was divided, and the promised constitutional amendments, court cases and the Presidential election had only served to fan the flames of war. The Kansas-Nebraska act had failed to provide a workable path to allow new states to enter the union and the question of slavery had poured over the borders of Kansas and Missouri as the enigmatic abolitionist firebrand radical, John Brown had conducted an insurgency into the region by way of Iowa, Missouri and Kansas. Brown ran guns and committed acts of violence against the pro-slavery factions in Kansas. John Brown first came to attention when he led anti-slavery volunteers and his sons on a mission into the region, during the Bleeding Kansas crisis of the late 1850's. This conflict pre-dated the civil war and was state-level war over whether Kansas would enter the union as a slave state or a free state. Brown was dissatisfied with abolitionist pacifism, saying of pacifists, "These men are all talk. What we need is action—action!"  In May 1856, John Brown, along his sons killed five supporters of slavery in the Pottawatomie massacre, an apparent response to the sacking of Lawrence by pro-slavery forces. Brown then commanded anti-slavery forces at the Battle of Black Jack and the Battle of Osawatomie.                                                                                                                  

 The War in the West / The Border War

Jayhawker: A mythical Irish bird of prey that stole eggs from

 the nests of other birds, became the name attached to Kansas troops. Western Missouri was plagued by Jayhawker raids.

The American civil war in the west was truly a war which pitted brother against brother and neighbor against neighbor. As time has passed, many descendants of those who were swept up in the Border wars in that region, have begun to come forward to tell the story of their ancestors who suffered through that time. Local historian and author Don Wilson who was born and raised in Phelps County Missouri is descendant of William "Bill" Wilson a famed Bushwhacker, who was born around 1830 in Phelps County, Missouri. His father, Sol Wilson, was a very well-to-do farmer who owned several slaves, but freed them before the Civil War. Sol remained neutral and advised his children to do the same. But the war in Missouri was very heated and the state endured some 40 percent of the battle and engagements nation-wide in the first year of the war and 40 percent of the casualties. In fact, three of the four biggest battles of the first year of the civil war, Wilsons Creek, Lexington and Belmont were fought in Missouri, in most part by Missourians. According to historian Don Wilson, Union troops entered Maries County under the guise of maintaining order, but instead, he says that troops took what they wanted, destroyed what they could and left families struggling to survive.

Bushwhackers

Guerrilla warfare common during the American Revolutionary War, War of 1812, American Civil War and other conflicts in which there were large areas of contested land and few governmental resources to control these tracts. This was particularly prevalent in rural western areas during the Civil War where there were sharp divisions between combatants.

"Our rights have been usurped, dear, by Northmen of our land:

Fanatics raised the cry, dear politicians fired the brand, the Southrons spurn the galling yoke, the tyrants' threats defy, They find we've sons like sturdy oaks to raise the battle cry."

- The Volunteer by Harry MaCarthy

While Union troops were mostly portrayed as "the good guys," for the Wilson family, soldier's actions were a form of war time terrorism. These actions created Bushwhackers who were civilian soldiers who felt that they needed to fight for their freedom. The military activity in Missouri was not isolated, and was widespread throughout the state, the situation created a chaotic mix of regular army troops (both union and confederate), militias, and gangs of independent home guard "Bushwhackers." The war in the west is filled with moral ambiguity, which brings the story down to a very human level, as Missourians were fighting Missourians. These personal stories handed down through families, give life to the deeper story of the civil war. A reminder that wars aren't just fought on battlefields, the war in Missouri was brought home to the front yards of the people who lived there. Children saw troops march through their towns, where crops were destroyed, and livestock were stolen. Even decades later those events are still visible in Missouri, and the descendants of families like the Wilson's carry those oral histories forward, keeping the memories of their ancestors alive. It's interesting to note that Wilson's great grandfather, Bill Wilson's experiences during the civil war inspired the Hollywood movie "The Outlaw Josey Wales" In the 1976 dramatized movie, Clint Eastwood, playing Wales was a farmer whose family had been killed by a group of "Red Leg Jayhawkers" when they attacked his homestead.  Wales then joined Missouri guerillas during the war and became a feared outlaw and wanted fugitive while trying to flee south to escape his Red Leg pursuers. The films portrayal of the attack on Wales home, draws attention to the real-life devastation that many families in Missouri experienced during the war between the states.

About Don Wilson

Born in 1946 Don Wilson grew up on the farm built by his great grandfather Bushwhacker Bill Wilson. Without any electricity he grew up as the last of his generation to learn how to do things “the old way”. He grew up hearing the story of his great grandfather along with his fourteen brothers and sisters, and has been asked by many to recite his story onto the pages of his book. Complying he has created this book in the honor of his great grandfather to describe what his true story was.

References

-Maries County Advocate Article by Alvin Hett

- 1861 Civil War Almanac "The Civil War in Western Missouri and Eastern Kansas" 

By Harold Dellinger Special Projects Editor, Windingriver.com

-Josey Wales, aka Bushwhacker Bill Wilson | Metropolis.Café 

Author portraying a confederate guerilla 

250 Years of American History

Rest in Peace Robert Carradine by G.C. Stevens

 

Original photo from IMDB, Robert Carradine (right)

I was sad to hear about Robert Carradine's Passing this morning. I loved cinema when I was growing up. It was the movies that gave me my love of western history. And the Carradine family was a dynasty that went back to the early days of film making.  The above photo is from the movie " The Long Riders" Keith Carradine (L) played Jim Younger, David Carradine (M) Played Cole Younger and Robert Carradine (R) Played Bob Younger.

The Long Riders

The hills of Clay County wild and free, an outlaw's dream, the border battle made them brave, with scores to settle along the way. They mounted up, headed north, to Adair town where they shook the earth, they rode the southern borders meeting folks along the way, they seemed polite and always paid, but then they robbed to local bank, they rode long and fast, it was Jesse's way, with the brother Frank beside him they gained the outlaw fame, the fastest bandits of the west, outlaws to some, hero's to the rest. The posse couldn't keep up, the long riders a step ahead, back into Missouri they rode, until the very end.

-G.C. Stevens

CSL&oH.A. Podcast #1 Nicholas Porter Earp

 

Nicholas Porter Earp, Public Domain

Welcome to Our very first podcast.

#1 Nicholas Porter Earp. 

Father of Wyatt Earp

                                                        250 years of American History

Western Poetry, Old Nick Earp By: G.C. Stevens

 

Nicholas Porter Earp, Photo public domain

Some died on the frontier, while some could never be killed, those who survived well, were sometimes despised, the modern weak seek to destroy the strength and honor they can never have, lies cloaked as heroism are the words by which they abide.. The true story is that Nick Earp was hell on wheels, a true man of steel. It took grit to conquer the wide prairie, and there was a grave every mile. The lady who complained was not fit to judge, she risked the lives all, for ego and nothing more. If it wasn't for old Nick.. The Indians would have settled the score, like they did many times before. They crossed the great prairie, like so many did at the time, and he was the captain who navigated trail and brought his people to San Bernadino, alive and well.

Nicholas Porter Earp The True Story

250 YEARS OF AMERICAN HISTORY

Historic Reenactments 2026 updated 02/23/26

250 YEARS OF AMERICAN HISTORY

2026

Iowa

Reenactments

Another season of reenacting is quickly approaching. I look forward to another year of fun and sharing American history. Thank you to O.J. Fargo from the Army of the Southwest (ASW) for organizing the ASW and providing the list of Civil War Reenactments for 2026. This list is not a complete and only reflects the schedule for ASW and the upcoming Buck skinners Fair in Boone Iowa. If any event or group would like to get on this list. Please reach out to me at gene9156@yahoo.com

 March 20, 21 & 22 Buck skinner Fair Boone Iowa *See below

 Fort Dodge Frontier Days – June 6-7 

 Jefferson Bell Tower Festival June 13-14

 Zering  July 25 

 Albert City – August 7-9 

 Vinton – August 22-23 

Madrid Memorial Day – Aug. 29-30 

September 5-7 Rendezvous Steam Boat Rock IA

 Winterset  – Oct. 10-11

Coffee In the Wild West By G.C. Stevens

 

                    Ken Curtis as Festus Haggen "Gunsmoke" Photo courtesy of Andy Falls

As a historic reenactor, the author of this article has huddled around many campfires on some brutally cold of mornings after crawling out of a frost covered canvas A-tent and awaited a cup fresh brewed cowboy coffee which is still his coffee of choice.

- G.C. Stevens

Coffee in the Old West was sometimes called the "six-shooter coffee" because of its strength. Cowboy coffee was typically brewed by simply boiling ground coffee in large tinned pots over campfires. Cowboys, soldiers and settlers relied on this hot brew to wake up and stay alert. Arbuckles' Coffee was the first pre-roasted, packaged brand of coffee it was very popular in the old wild west. 

 "Cowboy coffee," (the authors favorite) was made by throwing grounds into boiling water, and allowing the grounds to settle to the bottom of the pot. Cooks would add cold water and eggshells. Before 1865, coffee was sold green and had to be roasted in skillets. Arbuckle Brothers patented a process for roasting, egg-coating, and packaging coffee, making it accessible to pioneers. It was almost always drank black, very strong, and it was sometimes gritty. If coffee was not available, substitutes were sometimes used like roasted grains, chicory, or even sweet potatoes. In the west, Coffee was highly prized, with Arbuckle's packages often containing small gifts like peppermint sticks. The phrase "Man at the Pot" was commonly shouted to signal that fresh coffee was ready. It was brewed in large 3-5 gallon pots, often left on the fire for anyone to take a cup, regardless of the time of day.

The Passing of Robert Duvall By: G.C. Stevens

Robert Duvall as Al Sieber and Gene Hackman as Brig. General George Crook

       From the Movie Geronimo: An American Legend 1993 Photo

 from IMDB

     Robert Duvall 1931-2026

 I'm sad to report that famed Actor Robert Duvall has passed away. Duvall was an actor of immense talent who played in many roles, portraying many characters. I had first come to know Duvall through his role as Tom Hagen in the Godfather series of movies. But my favorite of Duvall's characters were, Lt. Col Kilgore in Apocalypse Now (1979), The Apostle E.F. in The Apostle (1997) and Al Sieber in Geronimo; An American Legend (1993). But out of these three roles I mention, his recreation of Al Sieber is my favorite.

Al Sieber Photo ref https://www.historiascripta.org/

Al Sieber was a German-American immigrant who served in the civil war.He enlisted on March 4, 1862, in Company B, 1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry during the American Civil War (1861-1865). Sieber was severely wounded on July 2, 1863 in the Battle of Gettysburg, on the battlefield's westside heights of Cemetery Ridge. He fought in several key engagements, including the earlier Battle of Antietam, (September 1862 in the Maryland campaign, then following Battle of Fredericksburg during the winter of 1862-1863, and Battle of Chancellorsville, (1863), Battle of Gettysburg, (June-July 1863), then the post-war conflicts in the American Indian Wars later phase in the American Southwest territories of the Apache Wars, (1849 to 1886), with the Battle of Cibecue Creek (August 1881), and Battle of Big Dry Wash (July 1882). After the wars, he became a mineral prospector in California, Nevada, and in the old Arizona Territory, where he also managed a cattle ranch from 1868 to 1871. But Al did not die as portrayed in the movie Germino, he died on the Apache Trail as a result of a construction accident.

Robert Duvall played Al just as he played other western characters, such as Gus in Lonesome Dove, Boss in Open Range and Prentice in Broken Trail, with a deep southern accent and many “yessir” and “nossir, as he also did with his portrayal of Robert. E. Lee in Gods and Generals. He uses no German accent as the real Al had. But on the other hand, Al Seiber did not take part in the Gatewood expedition to capture Geronimo. And he was not shot and wounded by Geronimo and he was most certainly not killed in a Mexican cantina in a fight with bounty hunters. But Hollywood most certainly took creative license, and I believe it worked in this case.  Duvall will be remembered as one of the best screen actors of his time. 

Presentation at their Boone Scenic Valley Railroad Museum

 

It was a real pleasure to speak at the Boone Scenic Valley Railroad Museum (BSVRR) today in Boone Iowa. It was a very pleasant Valentines Day, especially for a February in Iowa, so a lot of people came out. I spoke to a full house while the presentation was also streamed online. I got to meet and speak to a lot of great people there. I talked about Jesse James in Iowa, the 1873 Adair Train Robbery and I even got to recite some of my poetry. Many thanks to Mike Wendel of the BSVRR who put the program together.

THANK YOU

See you on the Dusty Trail!

G.C. Stevens

Welcome to The Central States Lawman and Outlaws Historic Association: G.C. Stevens

Check out my books

CSL&OH.A.

Check out the Blog 

Like Route 66 

Its a roadside attraction 

Fort Dodge Fort Museum  

photo by the author 

Welcome to CSL&OH.A.

Howdy, partners! Welcome to the Wild West History Blog— I hope you'll ride the trail or the train with us into the real American frontier.

Saddle up for tales of dusty cattle towns, railroad towns, gold-rush boom camps, lawless borderlands, and wide-open plains. We’ll walk Western towns, boardwalks, stand at the OK Corral, follow the Chisholm Trail, and trace the railroads that bound a nation.

No Hollywood gloss here—just the grit drawn from diaries, court records, old newspapers, and fresh scholarship. Meet the true Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, Buffalo Soldiers, Native nations, and trailblazing women who ran ranches and saloons.

Whether you love Western lore or just crave authentic frontier stories, pull up a chair by the campfire. New posts on sheriffs, outlaws, cattle barons, and pioneers drop regularly.

Grab your hat—let’s ride. The Wild West awaits.

 Author Information

Gene Stevens Is a local historian, reenactor and writer, who has studied and written about frontier history, covering the Old Northwest Territory, the Illinois territory and expansion into western Iowa. He has memberships with the John Wayne Birthplace Society, the Western Writers of American and he is the founder of the Central States Lawman and Outlaws Historic Association.                                                      

His books include, Last Stand at Old Man's Creek, Red Flag of Defiance, Navy Signalman in Their Own Words, The Battle of Apple River Fort, A Fiendish Crime the story of the first train robbery in the west, and the Author of the Dusty Trails of the Old West Anthology. He has traveled the country, studied and reenacted the American civil war, the Black Hawk war and wild west periods of American history.

 

Go West Young Man; The Story of William Hudspeth and the Connection To Jesse James

 Story by Dennie Anderson.  Edited by Gene Stevens 

Descendant Dennie Anderson Holds up a photo of William Hudsepth

William Hudspeth approx, 1865

Photo Courtesy of Dennie Anderson

William Hudspeth was born in North Carolina on May 1st, 1778, a time when the colonies had declared independence from crown of England. In 1812, a war broke out, which was sometimes called the 2nd American revolution, as Britain once again made an intrusion onto American soil in a war that stretched along the Canadian border and along the great lakes in the old Northwest Territory. During that war, a young brave Willliam Hudspeth entered service as a Major in the 22nd Kentucky Militia. It's worth mentioning that Some 25,010 Kentuckians served in war, which was about five out of every six men then of military age. Fighting against both the British and their Native Americans allies, Kentucky sent a total of 36 regiments, four battalions, and twelve independent companies to the field, an almost unbelievable accomplishment considering the state's small population at the time. For his service in the war. Maj. William Hudspeth was granted 260 acres in Kentucky. He and his brother, Joel E,, moved their families to what in now Simpson County Kentucky. They farmed there and became fairly successful.

Hudspeth and Simpson County Kentucky

It was in 1819 that Simpson County Kentucky was carved out of existing Warren, Logan and Allen counties; as a result, the county seats of Bowling Green, Russellville and Scottsville became equidistant from Franklin.  The county name remembers with honor Captain John Simpson for his service in the war of 1812.  Franklin’s location can be noted humorously and practically.  One proposed site was contiguous to Drakes Creek; another was land belonging to William Hudspeth.  Water supply was vitally important to either location.  Tradition reports the night before Commissioners were to make a choice, Hudspeth worked rapidly to carry barrels of water from the creek to prime the well which he had dug without striking water (site now marked by a replica well structure).  Evidently, the water seeping to an underground stream allowed the almost deep-enough hole to open into the water supply.  What luck!  Hudspeth won the Commissioners’ vote.

William Hudspeth in Missouri   

In 1826 William Hudspeth moved to Missouri and eventually settled near Fort Osage in Sibley Missouri, Fort Osage was established by William Clark in the Louisiana Purchase territory to provide a presence in the region and it established a trading post with Native Americans.

The Hudspeth Connection to Jesse James

In a three-volume family genealogy by Anna Ford called "Through the Years With the Hudspeths,"  Major William Hudspeth had migrated to Missouri by 1828.Which stated that he had been a soldier in both the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, and that he had founded Franklin, Ky. William was also considered a sportsman, bringing with him to Missouri a fine collection of foxhounds (the Hudspeth hounds later became famous, thanks to the efforts of a grandson, Thomas Benton Hudspeth). The major and his wife, Tabitha, whom he married in 1801, had 11 children — Nathan Beall, Thomas Jefferson, Sylvia, Joseph W., Missouri L., Silas Burke, Benoni Morgan, Joel Ephriam, George Washington, Robert Nichols and Malinda Paralee.

 The Hudspeth Settlement was established at what is now Lake City, Missouri. Robert Nichols ‘Bob’ Hudspeth, who never married, gave land for the small town. His house was about eight miles northeast of Independence. When he died in 1885, he owned 1,500 acres of land, which was being used for raising stock and farming. 

    Hudspeth's in the Civil War

When the Civil War broke out, Robert Hudspeth had served with the famed Confederate guerilla William Quantrill, and he and Frank James, who also rode with Quantrill, were apparently good friends. Robert and brother Silas, who owned a 120-acre farm, and he supplied the James-Younger Gang with valuable horses and allowed their homes to be used as hideouts. Frank James’ only son, Robert Franklin (1878–1964), was named for Robert Hudspeth, according to descendant Joe Elsea, whose great-grandfather was Joel ‘Rufus’ Hudspeth (1839–1895).

Rufus Hudspeth was a son of Joseph W. Hudspeth.  He married his first cousin Amanda in 1830 and become a successful Jackson County farmer. Amanda died in 1850, Joseph then married Louise (Rice) Brown, and they had one more child — Joseph Lamartine (‘Lam’) Hudspeth. Rufus, was friends with Frank and Jesse James when they all were schoolboys. He was one of several Hudspeths to serve in Quantrill’s guerrilla band, while other family members assisted the Rebel raiders. Rufus also later served under General Shelby and Maj. Gen. Sterling Price, in the trans-Mississippi theater.  After the war, Rufus went to Kentucky with Quantrill, but he later returned to Missouri in 1865, married Sarah Franklin the next year, had four children — Joseph, Mary Amanda (Elsea), Elvira Beall (Chiles) and Charles B. — and became a prominent farmer and stockman. Rufus’ brother William Napoleon ‘Babe’ Hudspeth also served with Quantrill. After the war, Babe married Nannie Ragland of Independence and built a large two-story Victorian home that still stands in Lake City, which was then a thriving community with stockyards and a racetrack. Other sons of Major William Hudspeth living nearby included George Washington Hudspeth and Joel Ephriam Hudspeth, who inherited the family farm. An 1877 history of Jackson County states: "It is probable that no finer nor a more extensive view of the surrounding country can be obtained than from the hill upon which the residence of Joel E. Hudspeth is located. It overlooks the Valley of the Blue. Its landscape is in its rural beauty." Many of the Hudspeths vacationed at Monegaw Springs, where James-Younger Gang members were known to hang out.

Strong Connections with the James-Younger Gang

A strong connection between the gang and Hudspeths, was probably known by the authorities, and it  became obvious from the testimony of former gang member James Andrew ‘Dick’ Liddil at the 1883 Gallatin trial of Frank James. Liddil, who also once rode with Quantrill, and had been part of Jesse James’ new gang, beginning with the October 8, 1879, and they were at the train robbery at Glendale, Missouri   ., and then had surrendered to the sheriff of Clay County on January 24, 1882. Liddil told the law most of what he knew about the gang, but his surrender was not publicized, so as not to alert Jesse James. The news didn’t become public until March 31. At his St. Joseph, Mo., home on the morning of April 2, 1882, Jesse read about it and supposedly commented that Liddil was a traitor who deserved to be hanged. Shortly thereafter, Bob Ford fired a shot heard around Missouri and beyond — the ball struck Jesse in the back of the head, killing the famous outlaw.

Reference Historynet: The James-Younger Gang and their Circle of Friends

Re: Copy of letter sent to my cousin Malinda Paralee Hudspeth Woods the youngest daughter of William Hudspeth. Letter was written by Alexander Frank James.

                                        Family Historian Dennie Anderson at the Hudspeth Well

250 Year of American History

Dusty Trails and Tall Tales Interviews Peter Sherayko

 In collaboration with Matthew Pizzolato of Dusty Trails and Tall Tales Podcast. Matthew Interviews Hollywood and movie artist and actor Peter Sherayko, who is best known for his role as Texas Jack in the movie Tombstone

Autographed Photo from the authors collection of Peter Sherayko as 

Texas Jack from to movie Tombstone

Gunfight on the Santa Fe Trail

I was honored to have met Peter a few years back at the "Gunfight on the Sante Fe Trail." He is an expert on the American west and provides support and consulting for historic movies, where he strives for historic accuracy.

G.C. Stevens

 Actor and historian Peter Sherayko joins Dusty Trails & Tall Tales for an in-depth conversation about authenticity in Western film and television.

Best known for his work on Tombstone and his behind-the-scenes contributions to Deadwood, Peter has spent decades studying, preserving, and helping filmmakers accurately portray the Old West on screen. His experience spans acting, historical consulting, and hands-on production work—giving him a rare, well-rounded perspective on what Hollywood gets right, what it gets wrong, and why the details matter.

In this episode, we talk about the challenges of making authentic Westerns, the importance of historical accuracy in props, wardrobe, weapons, and locations, and how Peter’s passion for the genre led him to create Caravan West Productions—a company dedicated to helping filmmakers, historians, and event organizers meet the demanding standards of the Western genre.

Whether you’re a fan of classic Westerns, modern interpretations, or the craftsmanship that goes into bringing the Old West to life, this conversation offers a thoughtful look behind the camera at one of America’s most demanding film genres.

250 years of American History

.