James H. Lane

Red Legs

By Tony O’ Bryan, University of Missouri – Kansas City

Although the name “Red Legs” is commonly conflated with the term “jayhawkers” to describe Kansas guerilla units that fought for the Free-State side during the Bleeding Kansas era or the Union side in the Civil War, Red Legs originally referred to a specific paramilitary outfit that organized in Kansas at the height of the Civil War.

Sacking of Osceola

By Scharla Paryzek, Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence, Kansas

The sacking of Osceola was a significant military engagement that took place during the early stages of the Civil War in Missouri. After losing the Battle of Dry Wood Creek near Fort Scott, Kansas, the Free-State leader, U.S. Senator and Brigadier General James Henry Lane guided his 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th Kansas Volunteers in the looting and sacking of Osceola, Missouri.