Sacking of Lawrence
Encyclopedia
In the northern spring of 1856, the Sacking of Lawrence helped ratchet up the guerrilla war
in Kansas Territory
that became known as Bleeding Kansas
.
was established in 1854 by antislavery settlers, many with the help of the New England Emigrant Aid Company, and soon became the center of proslavery violence in Kansas Territory
. While the village had been besieged
in December 1855, it was not directly attacked at that time. The non-fatal shooting of Douglas County
Sheriff Samuel Jones on April 23, 1856, while he was attempting to arrest free-state settlers in Lawrence, is believed to have been the immediate cause of the violence. Lawrence residents drove Jones out of town after he was shot and on May 11, federal marshal J. B. Donaldson proclaimed that this action had interfered with the execution of warrants against the extralegal Free-State
legislature, which had been set up in opposition to the official proslavery territorial government. Building on this proclamation and a finding by a grand jury that Lawrence's Free State Hotel was actually built as a fort, Sheriff Jones collected a posse of 750 southerners
to enter Lawrence, disarm the citizens, wreck the town's antislavery presses, and destroy the Free State Hotel.
On May 21, 1856, a posse of 800 southerners led by Sheriff Jones gathered closer to the town. A large force was stationed on Mount Oread and cannon planted so as to cover and command the place. The house of Lawrence resident, and the first governor of Kansas, Charles L. Robinson
was taken as headquarters for the Marshal and the officers of his army. On every road leading to the town and on the opposite side of the river, detachments of troops were posted to prevent escape from the assault. The forces mustered two flags. The blood-red flag, on which was inscribed "Southern-rights," floated side by side that day with the "stars and stripes."
The two printing offices were hacked, the presses destroyed, and the types thrown in the river. The planned work was finished by destroying the Free State Hotel. The first shot was fired from a cannon on the opposite side of Massachusetts Street by David Rice Atchison
, but it failed to hit the building. About fifty shots were afterwards fired with little effect upon the solid walls. Next the posse attempted to blow it up. Several kegs of gunpowder were exploded within, with no appreciable damage to the walls. Its destruction was finally caused by an incendiary, and in the early evening it was a roofless, smoldering ruin. This work was followed by petty robberies and looting throughout the half-deserted town. As the men left, they burned Robinson's private dwelling on Mount Oread.
There was one fatality, a slavery proponent killed by falling masonry.
Guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare and refers to conflicts in which a small group of combatants including, but not limited to, armed civilians use military tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary mobility to harass a larger and...
in Kansas Territory
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 Union as the State of Kansas....
that became known as Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas, Bloody Kansas or the Border War, was a series of violent events, involving anti-slavery Free-Staters and pro-slavery "Border Ruffian" elements, that took place in the Kansas Territory and the western frontier towns of the U.S. state of Missouri roughly between 1854 and 1858...
.
Background
LawrenceLawrence, Kansas
Lawrence is the sixth largest city in the U.S. State of Kansas and the county seat of Douglas County. Located in northeastern Kansas, Lawrence is the anchor city of the Lawrence, Kansas, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Douglas County...
was established in 1854 by antislavery settlers, many with the help of the New England Emigrant Aid Company, and soon became the center of proslavery violence in Kansas Territory
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 Union as the State of Kansas....
. While the village had been besieged
Wakarusa War
The Wakarusa War was a skirmish that took place in Kansas Territory during November and December 1855 as part of the Bleeding Kansas violence. It centered around Lawrence, Kansas, and the Wakarusa River Valley.- Background :...
in December 1855, it was not directly attacked at that time. The non-fatal shooting of Douglas County
Douglas County, Kansas
Douglas County is a county located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 110,826...
Sheriff Samuel Jones on April 23, 1856, while he was attempting to arrest free-state settlers in Lawrence, is believed to have been the immediate cause of the violence. Lawrence residents drove Jones out of town after he was shot and on May 11, federal marshal J. B. Donaldson proclaimed that this action had interfered with the execution of warrants against the extralegal Free-State
Free-Stater
Free-Stater was the name given those settlers in Kansas Territory during the Bleeding Kansas era in the 1850s who opposed the extension of slavery to Kansas....
legislature, which had been set up in opposition to the official proslavery territorial government. Building on this proclamation and a finding by a grand jury that Lawrence's Free State Hotel was actually built as a fort, Sheriff Jones collected a posse of 750 southerners
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
to enter Lawrence, disarm the citizens, wreck the town's antislavery presses, and destroy the Free State Hotel.
Sacking
Charles L. Robinson
Charles Lawrence Robinson was the first Governor of Kansas. He was also the first governor of a US state to be impeached, although he was not convicted or removed from office. To date he is the only governor of Kansas to be impeached...
was taken as headquarters for the Marshal and the officers of his army. On every road leading to the town and on the opposite side of the river, detachments of troops were posted to prevent escape from the assault. The forces mustered two flags. The blood-red flag, on which was inscribed "Southern-rights," floated side by side that day with the "stars and stripes."
The two printing offices were hacked, the presses destroyed, and the types thrown in the river. The planned work was finished by destroying the Free State Hotel. The first shot was fired from a cannon on the opposite side of Massachusetts Street by David Rice Atchison
David Rice Atchison
David Rice Atchison 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...
, but it failed to hit the building. About fifty shots were afterwards fired with little effect upon the solid walls. Next the posse attempted to blow it up. Several kegs of gunpowder were exploded within, with no appreciable damage to the walls. Its destruction was finally caused by an incendiary, and in the early evening it was a roofless, smoldering ruin. This work was followed by petty robberies and looting throughout the half-deserted town. As the men left, they burned Robinson's private dwelling on Mount Oread.
There was one fatality, a slavery proponent killed by falling masonry.
See also
- Bleeding KansasBleeding KansasBleeding Kansas, Bloody Kansas or the Border War, was a series of violent events, involving anti-slavery Free-Staters and pro-slavery "Border Ruffian" elements, that took place in the Kansas Territory and the western frontier towns of the U.S. state of Missouri roughly between 1854 and 1858...
- Kansas-Nebraska ActKansas-Nebraska ActThe Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854 created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, opening new lands for settlement, and had the effect of repealing the Missouri Compromise of 1820 by allowing settlers in those territories to determine through Popular Sovereignty if they would allow slavery within...
- Kansas TerritoryKansas TerritoryThe 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 Union as the State of Kansas....
- Lawrence Massacre, a separate attack on Lawrence on August 21, 1863, during the American Civil War.
External links
- Eyewitness account of the Sack of Lawrence, 1856
- Drake, Ross. "The Law That Ripped America In Two." Smithsonian Magazine. May 1, 2004
- Griffin, C. S. "The University of Kansas and the Sack of Lawrence: A Problem of Intellectual Honesty." Kansas Historical Quarterly 34, no. 4 (Winter 1968): 409-426.
- Smiley, Jane.Jane SmileyJane Smiley is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist.-Biography:Born in Los Angeles, California, Smiley grew up in Webster Groves, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis, and graduated from John Burroughs School. She obtained an A.B. at Vassar College, then earned an M.F.A. and Ph.D. from the...
The All-True Travels and Adventures of Lidie Newton: A Novel (1998; ISBN 0-00-225743-2). Historical novel relating to the sack of LawrenceLawrence, KansasLawrence is the sixth largest city in the U.S. State of Kansas and the county seat of Douglas County. Located in northeastern Kansas, Lawrence is the anchor city of the Lawrence, Kansas, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Douglas County...
and other events in Kansas Territory's history. - Territorial Kansas Online: A Virtual Repository for Kansas Territorial History.