Union Guerrillas of Civil War Kansas: Jayhawkers and Red Legs

A Tumultuous Time in Kansas

Both before and during the American Civil War, ragtag groups of Kansas militants patrolled the Kansas-Missouri border. Known as "Jayhawkers" and later "Red Legs," they raided anyone they believed sympathetic to secession. For many in the state, these irregular warriors were heroes fighting for a Free Kansas and preservation of the Union; for their victims, these men were little more than opportunistic thieves. James Montgomery teamed up with Harriet Tubman to lead the Combahee River Raid, an audacious mission in South Carolina that liberated more than 750 slaves. George H. Hoyt, who once defended famed abolitionist John Brown, became a leader of a contentious group of pro-Union partisans known as the "Red Legs." Authors Paul A. Thomas and Matt M. Matthews seek to answer the question of who these men were.

Author: Paul A. Thomas, Matt M. Matthews
Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: History Press
Published: 04/01/2025
Series: Civil War
Pages: 160
Weight: 0.74lbs
Size: 9.00h x 5.90w x 0.40d
ISBN: 9781467158084