Author Stephen Harrigan speaks of the border wars going on in Kansas and Missouri before and during the Civil War. The early population of these states consisted of many Scotch and Scotch Irish people whose heritage was derived from clan feuds/warfare. "Frank and Jesse - finally old enough, at 16, to get into the fight - fell under the deadly spell of the grandiloquent and perhaps psychopathic "Bloody" Bill Anderson, whose men decorated their horses' bridles with human scalps and who were responsible, among other atrocities, for the giddy execution of 24 unarmed Union soldiers at Centralia, Mo., and for the slaughter and mutilation of almost 150 more who set out in reprisal."
That sentence is loaded with some strong words that convey the author’s perspective, that of a Northerner, about what was happening.
Here’s the Southern perspective - from the Todd family history.
One Southerner’s version is that of my great grandfather, William Chenault Todd who participated in the Centralia battle. Another version come from his son, Joseph C. Todd. The fact that the versions don’t seem to be describing the same events is not surprising – such is history – a matter of perspective, beliefs, and memory. It was very interesting when we visited the town of Centralia and the battlefield outside the town in a farmer's field - there were actually two "fights," one conducted by Bloody Bill Anderson in the Centrailia train station and the other in the field outside town conducted by Thomas Todd who was a Baptist minister and no apparent relation and included my Grandfather's father, William Chenault Todd, who was 19 years old.
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Far - Joseph Clinton Todd c1938 |
My Grandfather – Joseph Clinton Todd, Dean of Indiana University School of Religion - I called him “Far” would really become enthusiastic while telling the story about his father William Chenault Todd. His story telling mode was in great contrast to his usual “dignified” or reserved self. He said that the “guerillas” led their horses up behind a hill and waited for the signal; the word came to “saddle up, saddle up, saddle up! At that point “Far” would repeatedly slap his right leg as if it were the side of a horse. “They rode to the top of the hill and proceeded to charge down the other side of the hill on an encampment of sleeping Northern soldiers who were so careless as to have no adequate guard on watch. While they charged down the hill they all yelled the rebel yell.” At that point, my grandfather would very vigorously give several rebel yells – I would repeat them here but I have no idea how to spell it. Slapping his leg and calling out the rebel yell was the most animated that I ever saw “Far”. His wife always looked at him rather strangely during his telling of the story. Most of the time he told the story when she was not around. No other experience that I ever had with him even came close to the excitement of this story about his father. Up until the time I visited this area in Missouri, I had always assumed that Centralia was in Illinois. I envisioned the Missouri Guerillas saddled up and riding all the way to Illinois to have this fight. “Far” never mentioned it was only 6 or 7 miles from their home.
His father’s account of the “Great Centralia Fight” was published as a pamphlet in response to the History of Boone County published by a Northern sympathizer in 1882, which referred to the “fight” as a brutal massacre. “Far” sent his father’s version to the Monroe City weekly newspaper in 1915 after his father’s drowning death in 1907.
William C. Todd always referred to the incident as a “fight.” The “The History of Boone County” which reflects the “Northern” version referred to it as a “massacre”. It seems clear that they were referring to different events – one referring to an event conducted by Bloody Bill Anderson (associated with Quantrill) a few days earlier and Todd’s referring to 9/27/1864 in a field outside of Centralia. “Far” used both terms as well as accounts of swooping down on sleeping Federal soldiers which neither of the other accounts makes reference to. Whether it was a fight, battle, or massacre would rest upon your perspective and which aspect of the several days you were referring to. One side would refer to horses as stolen, the other as borrowed or confiscated for military purposes. They all agreed it was a most significant bloody battle. Moreover, I am certain that it was the most significant encounter if you were a 19 year old young man who participated in it, or if you were one of the less fortunate who died in it – in that case it was the bloodiest of all battles. About 100 or so Federals were killed in the fight and about 3 Southerners. Years and perspective do amazing things to stories and history.
The Boone County Historical Society and Museum is located at 319 East Sneed St., Centralia, MO. On September 27, 1994, the first historic site marker was placed near the Civil War battleground southeast of Centralia on the 130th anniversary of that battle that resulted in the largest number of fatalities in that county during the Civil War. When we visited in 2010 the marker sign is closer to the actual battle site and there are now a Northern memorial and a Southern memorial at the actual site of the battle. The area of Centralia population 13,032 in 2010 looks remarkably similar to the descriptions contained in the several accounts.
It is also interesting to note some of the history that may have led up to Bill Anderson becoming "Bloody Bill" (www.millersparanormalresearch.com/Pages/Bloody_Bill.htm)
In March of 1862, his father was murdered while Bill and his brother, Jim were on a trip to Fort Leavenworth. The murders were either Pro-Northern neighbors or a squad of Union soldiers. There are several accounts of the murder. One account claims that Union soldiers hanged him because his name appeared on a list of southern sympathizers. Another account says that a neighbor who accused him of horse theft murdered him. Bloody Bill later killed this same neighbor.
When Bill and his brother returned home that evening and found their father dead, his campaign of revenge began that same evening when he sneaked up behind a Union picket and broke his neck. The next night he killed another Union soldier and was almost caught by a federal cavalryman and had to shoot him in order to escape. He left that same night for the Missouri border and joined up with Quantrill.
In August of 1863, Federals arrested his three sisters along with other some other women in an attempt to draw out the guerilla soldiers. They imprisoned the women in a makeshift prison located in a building in Kansas City. Mysteriously, this building collapsed killing his sister Josephine and maiming Mary for life. This event was the reason cited behind the attack on Lawrence and intensified Bill's hatred of the Federals
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May 2010 at the battlefield marker with the Southern version of the battle |
Joe
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