- Date:
- August 21, 1863
- Original Format:
- Fine Print Illustration
- Item#:
- MES01954
Destruction of Lawrence, Kansas
This illustration first appeared in "Harper's Weekly" on September 5, 1863. The caption was "The Destruction of the City of Lawrence, Kansas, and the Massacre of its Inhabitants by the Rebel Guerillas, August, 21, 1863." William Quantrill (a captain in the Confederate Army), with about 450 men, pillaged the city and killed some 150 citizens. Lawrence was an important stop on the Underground Railroad and the base for many Abolitionist organizations which made it a target for proslavery groups.