Location: Douglas County, Kansas

Campaign: Quantrill’s Raid into Kansas (1863)

Date: August 21, 1863

Principal Commanders:
No Union commander [US];
Lt. Col. William C. Quantrill [CS]

Forces Engaged: No Union troops [US];
Quantrill’s Raiders and other guerrillas [CS]

Estimated Casualties: 204 total (US 164; CS 40)

Description:
In a supposed retaliation for a Union raid on Osceola, Missouri, Lt. Col. William C. Quantrill led a force of about 300 to 400 partisans in an attack on the city of Lawrence, Kansas.

His men killed civilians -- men and boys -- and destroyed many of the buildings. He held the town several hours and then withdrew.

The "Lawrence Massacre" was, perhaps, the extreme example of the vicious Kansas-Missouri border warfare.

Result: Confederate victory