Back When the West Was Wild

One of the biggest concerns as the Civil War wrapped up was that Confederate troops might disappear into the Appalachian Mountains where they could conduct guerrilla raids with relative impunity. If they did, the war could have been extended for years, maybe even decades as the insurgents crept out of their strongholds to conduct hit-and-run raids.

Fortunately, that didn’t happen. Confederate leaders like Robert E. Lee and Pete Longstreet reminded Southerners they lost the war. It was time to get on with their lives.

Most southern veterans accepted the situation. A few, like Jesse and Frank James and the Younger brothers, couldn’t accept defeat. They holed up in the backwoods of Missouri and fought a new kind of war, using tactics they’d learned under William Quantrill and Bloody Bill Anderson.

Most members of the band had already robbed banks, derailed trains, and looted towns. The transition to outlaw was relatively easy.

This is the story of the James-Younger Gang.