Wakarusa War
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The Wakarusa War was an armed standoff that took place in the
Kansas Territory The Territory of Kansas was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until January 29, 1861, when the eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the United States, Union as the Slave and ...
during November and December 1855. It is often cited by historians as the first instance of violence during the "
Bleeding Kansas Bleeding Kansas, Bloody Kansas, or the Border War was a series of violent civil confrontations in Kansas Territory, and to a lesser extent in western Missouri, between 1854 and 1859. It emerged from a political and ideological debate over the ...
" conflict between anti-slavery and pro-slavery factions in the region. The incident took place in Douglas County, centered on the
Wakarusa River The Wakarusa River is a tributary of the Kansas River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed March 30, 2011 in eastern Kansas in the United States. It drains ...
Valley and the town of
Lawrence Lawrence may refer to: Education Colleges and universities * Lawrence Technological University, a university in Southfield, Michigan, United States * Lawrence University, a liberal arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States Preparator ...
, where the opposing militias confronted each other for the first time. At the behest of Territorial Governor
Wilson Shannon Wilson Shannon (February 24, 1802 – August 30, 1877) was a United States Democratic Party, Democratic politician from Ohio and Kansas. He served as the 14th and 16th governor of Ohio, and was the first Ohio governor born in the state. He was th ...
, the two sides eventually agreed to a truce, but it was short-lived, and widespread violence resumed the following spring.


Background

While pro- and anti-slavery settlers had been antagonistic towards one another for some time, the genesis of the Wakarusa War in particular dates to November 21, 1855, when a pro-slavery settler named Franklin Coleman shot a Free-Stater named
Charles Dow Charles Henry Dow (; November 6, 1851 – December 4, 1902) was an American journalist who co-founded Dow Jones & Company with Edward Jones and Charles Bergstresser. Dow also co-founded ''The Wall Street Journal'', which has become one of the ...
nine times in the back, killing him. The murder was the culmination of a long-simmering feud between the two, as for some time they had argued about a land claim near Hickory Point, located about south of Lawrence. According to the ''Border War Encyclopedia'', "Politics had not motivated Coleman to kill Dow, but the murder marked the genesis of the violent political divisions that characterized Kansas for the next 10 years." According to one contemporary account, Coleman was a former abolitionist who had only turned pro-slavery after moving to Kansas. His dispute with Dow intensified when he trespassed on Dow's property and Dow reproved him. Shortly after, Coleman and his friends met Dow at a local blacksmith's shop, where Coleman ultimately shot him. Dow's Free-Stater friends rallied in anger. Coleman fled, but he soon gave himself up to Douglas County Sheriff
Samuel J. Jones Samuel Jefferson Jones (April 16, 1827 December 10, 1883) was a pro-slavery settler who held the position of Douglas County, Kansas, Douglas County sheriff in Kansas Territory from late 1855 until early 1857. He helped found the territorial ca ...
of
Westport, Missouri Westport is a historic neighborhood in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. Originally an independent town, it was annexed by Kansas City in 1897. It is one of Kansas City's main entertainment districts. Westport has a lending library, a branch of the K ...
. Jones had become sheriff under the auspices of a "bogus" pro-slavery government elected in opposition to a Free-State government simultaneously operating in Lawrence. Such dual governments had become widespread in Kansas in the preceding year as a result of political tensions surrounding the territory's anticipated statehood. Coleman argued that he had been acting in self-defense when he killed Dow, and simultaneously sought an arrest warrant for one of Dow's friends, a Free-Stater named Jacob Branson, who had witnessed the murder, apparently in an attempt to thwart Branson's threatened retaliation. When Jones investigated, he chose not to arrest Coleman for Dow's murder but instead arrested Branson on charges of
disturbing the peace Breach of the peace, or disturbing the peace, is a legal term used in constitutional law in English-speaking countries and in a public order sense in the several jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It is a form of disorderly conduct. Public ord ...
. However, a
posse Posse is a shortened form of posse comitatus, a group of people summoned to assist law enforcement. The term is also used colloquially to mean a group of friends or associates. Posse may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Posse'' (1975 ...
of Free-Staters led by
Samuel Newitt Wood Samuel Newitt Wood (December 30, 1825 – June 23, 1891) was an American attorney, politician, newspaper publisher-editor, and Free State advocate in Kansas. Wood, who was also an early supporter of Women's Suffrage, was assassinated in 1891 i ...
, composed mostly of Branson's neighbors, intercepted Jones' party en route to
Lecompton Lecompton (pronounced ) is a city in Douglas County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 588. Lecompton was the ''de jure'' territorial capital of Kansas from 1855 to 1861, and the Douglas County seat f ...
and forced them to release Branson, challenging Jones' authority and causing the pro-slavery faction to seethe with anger. Within a matter of days, the governor of the Kansas Territory,
Wilson Shannon Wilson Shannon (February 24, 1802 – August 30, 1877) was a United States Democratic Party, Democratic politician from Ohio and Kansas. He served as the 14th and 16th governor of Ohio, and was the first Ohio governor born in the state. He was th ...
, called for the Kansas militia to settle the issue; Shannon had intended for the militia to be composed of Kansans, but Jones rallied a small army of between 700 and 1,500 men (sources vary), almost all of whom were from Missouri. This group, which included forces raised by
David Rice Atchison David Rice Atchison (August 11, 1807January 26, 1886) was a mid-19th century Democratic United States Senator from Missouri. He served as President pro tempore of the United States Senate for six years. Atchison served as a major general in ...
and Benjamin Franklin Stringfellow, obtained arms from the state arsenal at
Liberty, Missouri Liberty is a city in and the county seat of Clay County, Missouri, United States and is a suburb of Kansas City, located in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 United States Census the population was 30,167. Liberty is home to Willi ...
, crossed the Kansas border, and made its way to Lawrence, preparing to eradicate the Free-Staters.


Siege

During the siege, the main body of the invaders were encamped near the small pro-slavery settlement
Franklin Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...
, located to the southeast of Lawrence, although others camped near the territorial capital of
Lecompton Lecompton (pronounced ) is a city in Douglas County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 588. Lecompton was the ''de jure'' territorial capital of Kansas from 1855 to 1861, and the Douglas County seat f ...
. The invading army was indifferently armed as a whole, but some men had broken into the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
at
Liberty, Missouri Liberty is a city in and the county seat of Clay County, Missouri, United States and is a suburb of Kansas City, located in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 United States Census the population was 30,167. Liberty is home to Willi ...
and stolen guns, cutlasses, the "Old Sacramento Cannon" (which would later be used during the
Sacking of Lawrence The sacking of Lawrence occurred on May 21, 1856, when pro-slavery settlers, led by Douglas County Sheriff Samuel J. Jones, attacked and ransacked Lawrence, Kansas, a town which had been founded by anti-slavery settlers from Massachusetts w ...
in 1856), and other munitions of war. Hearing of the impending raid, the men of Lawrence raised up a militia of 800 men. Dr.
Charles L. Robinson Charles Lawrence Robinson (July 21, 1818 – August 17, 1894) was an American politician who served in the California State Assembly from 1851-52, and later as the first Governor of Kansas from 1861 until 1863. He was also the first governor o ...
(an agent of the
New England Emigrant Aid Company The New England Emigrant Aid Company (originally the Massachusetts Emigrant Aid Company) was a transportation company founded in Boston, Massachusetts by activist Eli Thayer in the wake of the Kansas–Nebraska Act, which allowed the population of ...
) was put in charge of the city's troops, and the future state senator James Lane was appointed as his second-in-command. Lawrence was also aided by the abolitionist
John Brown John Brown most often refers to: *John Brown (abolitionist) (1800–1859), American who led an anti-slavery raid in Harpers Ferry, Virginia in 1859 John Brown or Johnny Brown may also refer to: Academia * John Brown (educator) (1763–1842), Ir ...
and his sons. After about a week, the Free-Staters eventually sent an emissary to Shannon, who was briefed in regards to the situation. The news distressed him, so he journeyed to Lawrence to see the situation for himself and was quite startled by what he saw. He immediately called representatives from the Missouri army and Lawrence militia before him and urged them to sign a peace treaty. Such an agreement was finally made in December 1855 between Robinson and Lane (who represented the Free-Staters) and
David Rice Atchison David Rice Atchison (August 11, 1807January 26, 1886) was a mid-19th century Democratic United States Senator from Missouri. He served as President pro tempore of the United States Senate for six years. Atchison served as a major general in ...
(who represented the pro-slavers). After much persuasion (which, according to Frank W. Blackmar, "was not easily accomplished"), the Missouri army reluctantly left the area. Aside from Dow, the Wakarusa War claimed only one other life: that of Free State settler and abolitionist Thomas Barber, who, on his way to the defense of Lawrence, had been shot by the
Pottawatomi The Potawatomi , also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie (among many variations), are a Native American people of the western Great Lakes region, upper Mississippi River and Great Plains. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a me ...
Indian Agent George W. Clarke during an ambush. Barber's death was memorialized in a poem by John Greenleaf Whittier titled ''Burial of Barber''.


See also

*
List of battles fought in Kansas This is an incomplete list of military and other armed confrontations that have occurred within the boundaries of the modern US State of Kansas since European contact. The region was part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain from 1535–1679, New F ...


References

{{reflist


External links


History of the State of Kansas by William G. Cutler (1883)




at Bartleby.com
Grave of Thomas W. Barber
at FindAGrave.com Bleeding Kansas Internal wars of the United States 1855 in Kansas Territory November 1855 events December 1855 events American anti-abolitionist riots and civil disorder John Brown (abolitionist) Riots and civil disorder in Kansas John Brown and family in Kansas