On June 6, 1865 William Quantrill died of wounds encountered in a skirmish with Union Soldiers.

At one time I referred to Quantrill as a man without any redeeming qualities. I was promptly told not to go into the Deep South and say that. I may not return under my own steam.

William Quantrill was Frank and Jesse James’ mentor. He was born in Ohio and after getting into trouble in Utah and Kansas he fled to Missouri where he became a strong supporter of slavery, even getting into violent conflicts with neighbors.

When the Civil War broke out…It’s also referred to by some as “the war of Northern aggression”…he formed a group of gorilla irregulars. As indicated earlier, Frank and Jesse James were members of Quantrill’s Raiders.

Quantrill not only attacked Union forces, he would attack unguarded pro-Union towns; most notably Lawrence, Kansas where the raiders shot every man and boy they could find. After killing 150 civilians, they left the town ablaze.

Incidentally, since Quantrill’s guerillas weren’t considered legitimate soldiers, they were never given amnesty after the conclusion of the war.

When we started Cowboy to Cowboy we said we would have an occasional “off the wall” item.  Well, here’s one.

We old farts are always concerned about young people appreciating and getting involved with the history of the Old West.  Maybe the group named The Phantom of the Black Hills could be an avenue to bridge that gap.

Although they call themselves a cowpunk band, they do have an interesting message.  One of their songs is directed to the government:  “First you take my money, then you take my guns.”

You can view one of their videos by going to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sf1kll9csSI

What do you think?