By: Courtney Miller
It’s been almost 165 years since Union General James Henry Lane lead a brigade of 1,400 union soldiers through Missouri into Osceola and left behind a trail of fire with only three buildings intact and many civilians dead.
Many of you may have read my short tidbit of Strange House Happenings - Jayhawkers Osceola Raid before. This would be a recap for you but something others have yet to read, so let’s get into it.
Osceola was first settled in 1835 with a population that eventually grew to about 2,500 residents. Osceola was named after famous Seminole Chief Osceola which means “Black Water” in Seminole. The town was given its name in 1839 and soon became a trading center for wagon trains and steamboats off the Osage River. It was until the civil war of 1861 that Osceola had joined in the slavery war along with the rest of Missouri.
The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 was a kick-start of what would be America’s most bloodiest war on American soil. Besides creating territories of Kansas and Nebraska, the Act also allowed citizens to vote on the controversy idea of Kansas becoming an either a slave-free state or slave state. This open the floor to conflicting opinions. Tempers flared. At one point, according to Bob Ford’s article “How Many Kansans Does It Take To Screw In A Lightbulb?”, Congressmen in the LeCompton meeting argued to a point where a shoving match turned into an all out brawl within the Congress room.
With tempers high and resolves standing firm, Kansas became a political battlefield with fanatics on both sides. One such fanatic we’ll come to know is James Henry Lane, the man responsible for leading a onslaught through Missouri in 1861. Lane was one man you’d definitely recognize not only by his appearance but by the way he would speak, without grace or logic.
One thing that we’ll cover is just how Lane’s manner of thinking was, how he went from politician to causing one of Osceola’s most devastating events in history.
Lane was a thin man almost haggard like he suffered from poverty with hair that stood wildly in all directions. Now one image came to my mind when I heard the description of Lane, Neo Cortex from the video game series, Crash Bandicoot. A strange comparison but I digress.
Even more of a description came when historian Richard Brownlee referred to Lane as an “evil-looking creature with the sad, dim-eyed, bad-toothed face of a harlot.” That’s quite the description. On May 31st, 1856, Lane gave a speech in Chicago on behalf of the Kansas free-soilers. He was able to raise $15,000, that’s over $570,000 in today’s currency. That’s just about a full payment on a large house nowadays.
One political party was the antislavery faction, the Republican party with one soon-to-be well-known politician later turned president, Abraham Lincoln. Lane was later sent to the nation’s capital where he installed a volunteer outfit mainly composed of Kansans, in the east room of the White House to protect the president. Two of Lincoln’s secretaries, John Nicolay and John Hay, complained Lane’s “rough-hewn” company staged a undeveloped or basic squad drill “under the light of the gorgeous gas chandeliers.”
Lincoln, on the other hand, was very impressed with Lane’s initiative, making him an ally despite all the negative feedback Lincoln had received from numerous sources. Some time later, Lincoln’s secretary of war, Edwin M. Stanton, would grant Lane authorization to raise troops on behalf on the Union. This would be a decision that Stanton would later regret.
Lane then returned to his hometown of Lawrence, where he had a plan to create two volunteer regiments of cavalry and one for infantry. Lincoln then put Lane’s name as a brigadier general of volunteers which made Lane both a sitting senator and a general officer. This was a unique decision as no other politician or general was granted this due to it being controversial at that time.
With the resources he needed, Lane put his plan into action, wanting to follow former Missouri Governor Sterling Price’s State Guard, intending to punish any and every community that had given aid and comfort to Price and his men. Working his way through Missouri, Lane’s Brigade ran the risk of encountering Price’s men, but that came into reality when Lane’s men engaged a contingent of Price’s Confederates at Dry Wood Creek. Lane took five casualties and retreated. He then requested Washington reinforcements to which Washington refused stating that troops were needed elsewhere.
Lane and his remaining men headed east, looting and pillaging as they went. It wasn’t until September 23, 1861 that Lane and his men reached Osceola. At this time, basically all of the Osceola men of fighting age were engaged in the fight of Lexington under the order of Price, leaving Osceola with hardly any protection. This couldn’t have went in Lane’s favor any better.
However, word of Lane and his men’s arrival had reached the town, with that, 20 militiamen of the Missouri State Guard headed out to meet with Lane head on. To no avail, the militiamen were outnumbered, forcing them to retreat, leaving Osceola unprotected.
Entering the town, Lane had been informed that Osceola had supplies and money marked for the rebels, making his first stop the bank, only to find the bank vault empty. This made Lane furious, in result, he ordered the town destroyed. His brigade fired two cannons at the courthouse, leveling it to the ground as his other men torched other buildings in the area. According to historian, Richard Sunderwirth, Lane and his men were able to loot a whopping 3,000 sacks of flour, 500 pounds of sugar and molasses, 50 sacks of coffee and much more supplies, virtually leaving the town empty.
In the raid, Lane freed about 200 slaves, some of them running off while others joined the brigade when they left Osceola. At this time of the Civil War, it was actually forbidden as per law and President Lincoln to free slaves. During the raid, many had reported what they called “stream of flames” down the Osage River, a probable result of Lane and his men burning multiple buildings including the town’s liquor store.
When word of Lane’s raid through Missouri was received, it outraged unionists and secessionists alike. The department of Missouri commander, General Henry Halleck, was livid stating “The course pursued by those under Lane has turned against us many thousands two were formerly Union men. A few more such raids will make this State unanimous against us.”
When Lane was confronted about Osceola, he had claimed that his artillery had unintentionally set the fires. However, one of Lane’s men later came forward, stating that Lane’s brigade first loaded up their wagons with valuables from many of the Osceola stores before setting the town on fire.
Fate would have it, two years later William Clarke Quantrill, a rebel guerilla leader would stage a raid on Lane’s hometown of Lawrence, Kansas. Unfortunately, killing 150 citizens with Lane coming out of it alive but would commit suicide later after the war was over.
Since the Osceola raid, the town has yet to reach the same population it had before the raid, the current population reaching to only 995 people in total. A monument stands in remembrance of those who lost their lives, known and unknown due to Lane’s actions. This monument is located within the Historic Osceola Cemetery which was established in 1834. The monument honors the citizens and reads, “In memory of citizens of Osceola murdered by Kansas Jayhawkers and the Union Army”. On the opposite side, you will see a small list of names stating “Of the 12 men ordered to be murdered by Gen. James H. Lane, 3 are known. Mr. Berry, Champion Guinn and Micajah Dark (13 yrs later).”
When I first heard of the Osceola Raid, I did some research and was shocked. With so much destruction and loss of life, something like that would leave a mark. Every once in a while, I will go through the cemetery as I live close by, and visit the monument. Now I’d like to end with this quote by Melvina Young as it holds a good reminder to heal and live on. “Lost in the wilderness of grief, we seek our own paths of healing.”
