AUGUST 25, 1863:
The terrible aftermath of the raid on Lawrence, Kansas.
Pro-Union Jayhawkers raided five counties in Missouri, now known collectively
as “The Burned District,” leaving only fireplaces and chimneys (named “Jennison
Monuments” after the chief of the Jayhawkers) standing to mark where there had
been homes.
Under orders of General Thomas Ewing U.S.A. (the expulsion Order
was named “General Order Number 11” just like Grant’s earlier order to expel
the Jews from Union areas), the Union military exiled every presumed pro-Confederate resident of these
areas, leaving the area a No-Man’s Land for the remainder of the war. Most of the
20,000 Missouri exiles struggled to resettle elsewhere. They were often unwelcome
wherever they settled. Southerners saw them as an extra burden in a time of
want, while Northerners mistrusted them as Rebels.
Although pro-Union families were allowed to remain in the Burned District, none did. The area became a free-fire
zone of Jayhawkers hunting down Bushwhackers and Bushwhackers hunting down Jayhawkers. The violence continued even after the war ended, as old scores remained to be settled.
