Quantrill's Raiders
noun /ˌkwɒntrəlz ˈreɪdəz/
/ˌkwɑːntrəlz ˈreɪdərz/
[plural]- a small independent military group that fought for the Confederate States in Missouri and Kansas during the American Civil War. It was led by Captain William Quantrill (1837-65), a former criminal, and included Jesse and Frank James and the Younger brothers. The Raiders attacked the town of Lawrence, Kansas, on 21 August 1863, and murdered 150 men and boys who were not soldiers. Quantrill was later killed in a gun fight with US soldiers in Kentucky.