The book explores the life of one of americas most famous names and chronicles his life from his. Yeatman basically argues that settles account was the only reliable text on james to come out prior to the 1990s. Whether youve loved the book or not, if you give your honest and detailed thoughts. One hundred and twenty years after that dirty little coward robert ford shot jesse james in the back of the head while the latter stood on a chair to dust a picture in his missouri home, scholars continue to debate the outlaws importance in american social history. Jesse james was born in clay county, missouri in 1847. Yet another jesse james image american civil war forums. Oct 18, 2011 two of the gang members, wood hite, a cousin of jesse james, and a friend of fords named dick liddil, were on the run from the law in december of 1881 and taking refuge at the house of robert fords sister when an argument between hite and liddil got out of hand. Jesse found his way to join up with the confederate partisan rangers serving under capt. Jesse did win recognition as a rebel guerillafighter in the civil war, a robber of banks, trains and stagecoaches and as a cold blooded merciless killer but also, in the minds of many, as the last rebel of the civil war, a symbol of ongoing rebellion that brought hope to those who still believed in the lost cause. Larry mcmurtry, the new republic a fascinating challnge to old legends.
Last rebel of the civil war 9780375405839 by stiles, t. Last rebel of the civil war is a thorough study of how jesse james became the man he was and why his legend grew beyond mere outlaw status. Census records show that james attended school regularly, and he reportedly wanted to. Thus, i feel especially qualified to opine about any book regarding ted bundy, al capone, or jesse james. The civil war in the united states began in 1861, after decades of simmering tensions between northern and southern states over slavery, states rights and westward expansion. Read jesse james pdf last rebel of the civil war by t. Jesse james is one of those historical figures ive never known very much about. After the war, jesse james tried to surrender to the authorities but was shot in the chest holding up a white flag. It includes details about his early life that ive never seen anywhere else. Oct 11, 2011 jesse james, one of the most violent outlaws of the wild west, got his first taste for violence as a civil war guerrilla fighting for the confederates although he came to be known as one of the most dangerous bandits of the west, james started out his life as a religious, peaceful farm boy who seemed destined for a career as a minister, like his father robert, who died in california while. He did take part in the raid and massacre in lawrence, kansas. Jesse, still harboring a serious grudge against the north, wanted to go all the way up that far north and rob the bank, for several reasons, one of which was to tell the yankees that he was still. One hundred and twenty years after that dirty little coward.
The union, led by president abraham lincoln and the republican party, opposed the expansion of slavery and. Jesse james, one of the most violent outlaws of the wild west, got his first taste for violence as a civil war guerrilla fighting for the confederates. Although he has often been portrayed as a robin hood of the old west, in this groundbreaking work stiles places james within the context of the bloody conflicts of the civil war to reveal. Muehlberger, 20, westholme publishing, yardley, pa. Raised in a fiercely proslavery atmosphere in bitterly divided missouri, he began at sixteen to fight alongside some of the most. During the civil war, missouri, a border state, was home to guerilla fighting initiated by forces on both sides of the conflict. Stiles 2003, paperback at the best online prices at. Dec 09, 2008 the philosophical war between northern and southern views had been going on both verbally and physically several years before the civil war actually started. Project muse jesse james and the civil war in missouri. Traditionally, jesse james has been portrayed as a wild west bandit, a robin hood of sorts.
It certainly seems that but for the civil war the james and younger boys who both came from prosperous upper middle income families most likely would not have chosen crime. Turner and, after early 1862, by the war department under lafayette c. Was jesse james a famous western outlaw or is the story more complicated than that. He robbed from the rich and gave to the poor, is the one line i now remember. This book forcefully sets jesse james in the context of his times, firmly identifying him as a violent and effective confederate partisan. Carries the reader scrupulously through jamess violent, violent life. The authors descriptions of the events leading up to the war in the west and the complex political struggle after the war are clear and vivid. Out of this conflict comes an opportunist, jesse w. Please read our short guide how to send a book to kindle. He became a legend in his own lifetime by committing crimes supposedly out of revenge for the poor treatment he, his family, and other southern sympathizers received from union. Jesse james was only 14 when the war began and was too young to be accepted by the confederate army or by quantrills irregular forces.
Stiles offers a new understanding of the legendary outlaw jesse james. There the 16yearold james took part in one of the worst atrocities of the civil war. Stiles in his biography of jesse james, jesse james, last rebel of the civil war, the banditry and robin hood image that has come to be associated with jesse james was the result of careful media manipulation both by jesse james himself and a fellow confederate sympathizer, the journalist john newman edwards. Stiles expertlycrafted tale of jesse james as the last rebel and how he carried on the civil war in the state of missouri from 1865 to the ultimate confederate political victory in the centennial year of 1876. This blog is dedicated to the transmississippi civil war and historical fiction, and occasionally veers off into adventure travel when i go somewhere interesting. The civil war in missouri was a time of great confusion, violence, and destruction. Alexander franklin frank james january 10, 1843 february 18, 1915 was a confederate soldier and guerrilla. Search the kansas city public library bibliocommons. T j stiles a reassessment of the legendary american outlaw chronicles the life of jesse james, from his youth in missouri, to his teenage years fighting alongside confederate guerrillas, to his criminal career. Last rebel of the civil war 9780375705588 by stiles, t. The older brother of outlaw jesse james, frank was also part of the.
Frank james fought with the prosecession missouri state guard at. Stiles argues that the antiunionist and antireconstruction sentiments urged by edwards and the gang itself were the leading source of support and mythmaking for jesse james. Jesse james, one of the most violent outlaws of the wild west, got his first taste for violence as a civil war guerrilla fighting for the confederates although he came to be known as one of the most dangerous bandits of the. Case files were acquired during the war by associate judge advocate major levi c. Stiles dives deep into the missouri political picture before, during and after the civil war. Baker case file against simon greenbaum and robert p. The first was about the 19thcentury outlaw jesse james, the second about another outlaw, jesus christ. Civil war subversion investigations what is this collection. Last rebel of the civil war american civil war forums. James, frank and jesse civil war on the western border. Other readers will always be interested in your opinion of the books youve read.
Gritty, thorough, and insightful, stiles book is a fabulous look into the turbulent times of the 1860s,70s,80s from the perspective of the state of mo. Listen as professor nash takes us through james life and explains the centrality of. The southern army is trying to track down the yankee army during the civil war. An avid reader of newspapers, he was forever firing off badly expressed letters to editors that brimmed over with mythmaking, selfjustification. But in this meticulously researched, vividly written account of his life, he emerges as far more complicated. Stiles the latest and bestever biography of jesse james tears down the myth to reveal not a latterday robin hood, but a greedy, presssavvy bandit. In september 1864, jesse james rode with bill andersons bushwhackers into the small missouri town of centralia. He emerges with a firstrate examination of james and all the commotion he caused not only in his own time but also later on. Union is the term used to identify the united states and its government during the civil war. Looks like me and my kids are just in time for the second civil war.
Escape and revolt in black and white the lost cause revisited. The american civil war 18611865 was a separatist conflict between the united states federal government the union and eleven southern slave states that declared their secession and formed the confederate states of america, led by president jefferson davis. See all 19 formats and editions hide other formats and editions. Although he has often been portrayed as a robin hood of the old west, in this groundbreaking work stiles places james within the context of the bloody conflicts of the civil war to reveal a much more complicated and significant figure. Jesse james jesse james, book last rebel of the civil war by stiles, t. Last rebel of the civil war is the best work on james that ive seen to date. In 1862, at the age of fifteen he joined william quantrills band of irregular confederate cavalry and was involved in the fighting along the kansasmissouri border. Jesse james is listed or ranked 4 on the list photos of horrible people from history being their horrible selves outlaw jesse james again is a relation through dna. A teenager when he rode off to join confederate guerrillas in 1864, jesse james never really stopped fighting the. Home to author sean mclachlan and the house divided series of civil war horror novels.
Jesse, still harboring a serious grudge against the north, wanted to go all the. By the way, i am a direct descendant of jesse james and proud of it. All content included on our site, such as text, images, digital downloads and other, is the property of its content suppliers and protected by us and international laws. Guerrilla tactics american experience official site pbs. Dec 04, 20 jesse james was a hero of the american west but also a coldbloodied killer, a proslavery rebel who fought in the vicious internecine struggle on the kansasmissouri border during the civil war he refused to surrender at the end of it, and was determined to continue it by any other means. Last rebel of the civil war and millions of other books are available for instant access. Last rebel of the civil war is a gripping, welldocumented and convincingly argued reinterpretation of jesse james life and legend, and his place in american history. Stripped of the familiar myths surrounding him, james emerges a far more significant figure. Stiles handling of both james and his context in a conflicted state, one would not have a comprehensive picture of the civil war nor how things were outside of the specific battles and personages that made it a historical event. A teenager when he rode off to join confederate guerrillas in 1864, jesse james never really stopped fighting the civil war. Jesse james and the civil war in missouri ebook, 1994. Bob dyer an account of jesse james life during the civil war and how it directly affected him in his future life as a famous american outlaw. Jesse james was, bar none, the most famous criminal of the old west, in part because of his addictively alliterative name.
Instead of detailing their train and bank robberies, author muehlberger, a kansas city attorney, concentrates on the prosecutions of frank and jesse and their gang members. On april 3, 1882, jesse was shot to death be a member of his own gang. A fine likeness, the first in the series, is available now. Jun 11, 2017 this talk was part of the annual conference hosted by the civil war institute at gettysburg college. Referring to jesse james as the last rebel of the civil war, historian t. Lincoln, grant, and the vicksburg campaign home front and battle front. Last rebel of the civil war by tj stiles 546pp, jonathan cape. Once, at a custer conference in st paul, minnesota yes, there are such things, and yes, many do dress in cavalry. He fought fiercely and was allowed to join his brother frank under captain wm. Investigations of subversive activities in the civil war. Stiles book jesse james last rebel of the civil war vintiage civil war library.
We all have skeletons in our closets and i had no idea until the dna was completed. Jesse james and robin hood how the civil war came to missouri blood on the border opening guns the battle of wilsons creek the battle of lexington the battle of pea ridge guerrilla war quantrills raid on lawrence and order no. Stiles talked about jesse james within the context of the civil war. Sep 17, 2002 a brilliant biography of jesse james, and a stunning reinterpretation of an american icon. Although several major battles were fought in the state between confederate and union forces, much of the fighting in missouri was an ugly form of terrorism carried out by loose bands of missouri guerrillas, by kansas jayhawkers, or by marauding patrols of union soldiers. Last rebel of the civil war, published by alfred a. Jameswho, after all, lived underground his entire adult life, and left behind no papers, diaries, or personal records. After the civil war ended, jesse and frank made their living robbing stagecoaches, banks and trains. Last rebel of the civil war audible audiobook unabridged t. This biography of americas most wellknown murderer was first published last year in the u. Last rebel of the civil war has received such media attention is that it is only the second booklength study of the outlaw to take a scholarly look at himthat is, to truly try to explain him in the context of his times, rather than simply throwing a few more pebbles on the pile of details.
Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. James who uses the civil war as a springboard to fame and cementing his legacy as one of the greatest and cerberal outlaws of all time. Jesse james historic missourians the state historical. When stiles, in his subtitle, calls jesse james the last rebel fo the civil war. A brilliant biography of jesse james, and a stunning reinterpretation of an american icon. The south is ambushed, but thanks to the sharpshooting of frank james gabriel macht. Last rebel of the civil war free mobi epub ebooks download.
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