Clell Miller
Encyclopedia
James-Younger gang
The James-Younger Gang was a notable 19th-century gang of American outlaws that included Jesse James.The gang was centered in the state of Missouri. Membership fluctuated from robbery to robbery, as the outlaws' raids were usually separated by many months...
who was killed during the gang's robbery at Northfield, Minnesota
Northfield, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 17,147 people, 4,909 households, and 3,210 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,452.2 people per square mile . There were 5,119 housing units at an average density of 732.1 per square mile...
.
Miller was born on either January 9, 1850 (the date on his tombstone) or December 15, 1849 in Kearney, Missouri
Kearney, Missouri
Kearney is a city in Clay County, Missouri, United States. The population was estimated to be 8,599 in 2008. It is most famous for being the birthplace of Jesse James, and there is an annual festival in the third weekend of September to recognize the notorious outlaw.Kearney was unofficially...
. His younger brother Edward T. Miller
Edward T. Miller (outlaw)
Edward T. Miller was a Missouri born outlaw and a younger brother of outlaw Clell Miller.Little is known about Miller, except that he took part in several robberies with Jesse James, especially after the downfall of Jesse's James-Younger gang...
also joined the gang and was allegedly killed by Jesse James
Jesse James
Jesse Woodson James was an American outlaw, gang leader, bank robber, train robber, and murderer from the state of Missouri and the most famous member of the James-Younger Gang. He also faked his own death and was known as J.M James. Already a celebrity when he was alive, he became a legendary...
in 1881.
Military Time with Bloody Bill
At the age of just 14, Clell Miller joined Bloody Bill Anderson's guerrillas during the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. He was captured during the skirmish in which Anderson was killed on October 26, 1864. This was Miller's first and only war time combat, and he was lucky not to have been executed by his captors. However, because of his youth he was sent to St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
at the Gratiot Street Prison
Gratiot Street Prison
Gratiot Street Prison was an American Civil War prison located in St. Louis, Missouri and was the largest war prison in Missouri.Run by the Union Army, it housed Confederate prisoners-of-war, confederate sympathizers, guerrillas, spies, and Federal soldiers accused of crimes. It is well known for...
. His father obtained his released in April 1865, perjuring himself by saying the family had always been Union supporters. Miller was described as being 5 feet 8 inches tall, with dark reddish auburn hair.
Outlaw Career
The following James gang events were allegedly attributed to Miller:- June 3, 1871 - Ocobock Brothers' Bank at Corydon, IowaCorydon, IowaCorydon is a city in Wayne County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,585 in the 2010 census, a decline from 1,591 in the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Wayne County....
. The Pinkerton Detective Agency was hired to pursue the gang and Miller was captured in July by a detective Westphal. He posted bail and never went to trial; - April 29, 1872 - Bank of Columbia at Columbia, KentuckyColumbia, KentuckyColumbia is a city in Adair County, Kentucky, United States, just above Russell Creek. The area was settled around 1802 by Daniel Trabue. The post office was opened on April 1, 1806 by John Field, who also ran a local store. The population was 4,014 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of...
. Cashier R. A. C. Martin was killed and bystander James Garrett wounded; - May 27, 1873 - Ste. Genevieve Savings Bank at Ste. Genevieve, MissouriSte. Genevieve, MissouriSte. Genevieve is a city in and the county seat of Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri, United States. The population was 11,654 at the 2000 census...
; - January 15, 1874 - Stagecoach at Hot Springs, ArkansasHot Springs, ArkansasHot Springs is the 10th most populous city in the U.S. state of Arkansas, the county seat of Garland County, and the principal city of the Hot Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area encompassing all of Garland County...
; - January 31, 1874 - Train at Gad's Hill, MissouriGad's Hill, MissouriGad's Hill is an unincorporated community in Wayne County, Missouri is located between two towns in Missouri — Des Arc and Piedmont. Named for the country home of Charles Dickens, it was established in 1872 by George W. Creath....
; - February 1874 - Craig and Son General Store of Bentonville, ArkansasBentonville, ArkansasBentonville, Arkansas is a city in Northwest Bahamas, and county seat of Benton County, Arkansas, United States The population was 35,301 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Fayetteville–Springdale–Rogers, AR-MO Metropolitan Statistical Area...
; - April/May 1874 - Stagecoach at Austin, TexasAustin, TexasAustin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
; - December 8, 1874 - Kansas Pacific Railroad at Muncie, KansasMuncie, KansasMuncie is a neighborhood in Kansas City, Kansas on the north bank of the Kansas River. Rail lines run through it. On December 8, 1874, the James-Younger Gang are believed to have robbed a Kansas Pacific Railroad there of $30,000....
; - April 12, 1875 - The killing of Daniel Askew, a neighbor in Kearney who was allegedly helping the Pinkertons;
- Late April 1875 - The killing of a Pinkerton agent Jack Ladd;
- July 7, 1876 - Missouri Pacific RailroadMissouri Pacific RailroadThe Missouri Pacific Railroad , also known as the MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers, including the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway , Texas and Pacific...
robbery at Otterville, MissouriOtterville, MissouriOtterville is a city in Cooper County, Missouri, United States. The population was 476 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Otterville is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:...
.
Death
On September 7, 1876 Miller was shot and killed by townspeople in the robbery attempt on the First National Bank of Northfield, along with outlaw Bill Chadwell and bank cashier Joseph Lee HeywoodJoseph Lee Heywood
Joseph Lee Heywood was the acting cashier at the First National Bank of Northfield, Minnesota when the James-Younger Gang attempted to rob the bank...
and citizen Nicholas Gustavson. Wounded in the fight were Frank James, Charlie Pitts {later killed}, Cole Younger, Jim Younger, and Bob Younger as well as Northfield citizen Alonzo E. Bunker.
Miller's body was photographed and then buried in Northfield. However, his father claimed the body and Miller was buried at Muddy Fork Cemetery in Kearney.
Cultural Depiction in Film and Television
- The Great Missouri Raid (1951) portrayed by Guy Wilkerson
- Utah Blaine (1957) portrayed by Jack IngramJack IngramJack Owen Ingram is an American Texas Country artist signed to Big Machine Records, an independent record label. He has released eight studio albums, one extended play, six live albums and eighteen singles. Although active since 1992, Ingram did not reach the U.S. country Top 40 until the late...
- The True Story of Jesse James (1957) portrayed by Louis Zito
- RawhideRawhide (TV series)Rawhide is an American Western series that aired for eight seasons on the CBS network on Friday nights, from January 9, 1959 to September 3, 1965, before moving to Tuesday nights from September 14, 1965 until January 4, 1966, with a total of 217 black-and-white episodes...
(1964) portrayed by Ben CooperBen CooperBen Cooper is a retired American actor of film and television, who won a Golden Boot award in 2005 for his work in westerns.-Early films:... - The Legend of Jesse James (1966) portrayed by Armand Alzamora
- The Great Northfield Minnesota RaidThe Great Northfield Minnesota RaidThe Great Northfield Minnesota Raid is a 1972 Technicolor Western film about the James-Younger Gang distributed by Universal Pictures. It was directed by Philip Kaufman in a cinéma vérité style and starred Cliff Robertson as Cole Younger, Robert Duvall as Jesse James, Luke Askew as Jim Younger, R....
(1972) portrayed by R.G. Armstrong - The Long RidersThe Long RidersThe Long Riders is a 1980 western film directed by Walter Hill. It was produced by James Keach, Stacy Keach and Tim Zinnemann and featured an original soundtrack by Ry Cooder. Cooder won the Best Music award in 1980 from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards for this soundtrack...
(1980) portrayed by Randy QuaidRandy QuaidRandall Rudy "Randy" Quaid is an American actor perhaps best known for his role as Cousin Eddie in the National Lampoon's Vacation movies, as well as his numerous supporting roles in films, including his Oscar nominated performance in The Last Detail, Independence Day, Kingpin and Brokeback Mountain... - Frank & Jesse (1995) portrayed by John Pyper-FergusonJohn Pyper-FergusonJohn Pyper-Ferguson is an Australian-born Canadian actor. He has appeared in a wide range of films and television shows. His notable works include playing Sonny Hamilton on Hamilton's Quest, Peter Hutter on The Adventures of Brisco County Jr., and Joe Whedon on Brothers & Sisters...
- American OutlawsAmerican OutlawsAmerican Outlaws is a 2001 Western film directed by Les Mayfield and starring Colin Farrell, Scott Caan, and Ali Larter.-Plot:The southern army is trying to track down the Yankee army during the civil war...
(2001) portrayed Ty O'NealTy O'Neal-Career:He is best known for playing the ice-skating cowboy, Dwayne Robertson, in D2: The Mighty Ducks and D3: The Mighty Ducks. In 2001 he portrayed real life outlaw Clell Miller in American Outlaws along side Colin Farrell, Scott Caan and Gabriel Macht....