Bill Anderson

Bloody Bill Anderson

(1839-1864)

The Civil war had its fair share of heroes and villains. Bloody Bill Anderson was not a hero. Even the Confederate men, who were not a part of Anderson's gang, could not say that he was heroic. What Anderson did and what lives he took are legendary and remorseful.

He is remembered mostly for his sacking of the Missouri town called Centralia. It was here that Bloody Bill really showed the Union population his bad side here at this sleepy little SW Missouri hamlet. The date was September 27, 1864 and Bloody Bill accompanied by seventy men, came upon the outskirts of Centralia.

Anderson and his men were disguised as Union soldiers when they rode into the unaware town. Men, women and children were massacred. The devil had come to Centralia, wearing Union blue. Anderson and his band of men systematically went from house to house raping, murdering and stealing whatever they could find.

The scene must have been horrific for the unsuspecting people of the town. After setting the town ablaze, Anderson noticed a train bridge just outside of town and directed his men to head towards the bridge. They built a barricade to stop the train and when it did, the passengers were offloaded. Of the train passengers, 26 were Union soldiers.

Anderson rounded them up and instructed them to go an open field that was nearby. Lining up the Union soldiers, Anderson started his maniacal sadistic teasing of the captured soldiers. It was said that Bloody Bill enjoyed the menacing of the captured soldiers and was quite enjoying himself by strutting up and down loading his weapon. The time was at hand for the men and for Anderson to act his usual way.

After Bloody Bill Anderson had his fill of fun with the Union boys, he was said to give the men the impression that they may be released. The last thing that most of the men heard were the screams of their fellow soldiers as Bill executed each and every one in the line. This cowardly act of a war crime would set the Union in an all out man hunt for Anderson. The king of blood was soon to be the fox in the fox and the hound.

Stories of Anderson's raids were becoming that of legend and horror in the country in 1865. One story said that Anderson carried on his person a silk cord, one in which he would tie a knot for each Union soldier he had killed. Another story detailed the insanity that Anderson displayed in his life as it was told that he would sometimes cry and frothed at the mouth during battle.

This man was seriously out of touch and needed to be stopped. No longer to the Union was Anderson an enemy; he was public enemy number one. On October 27th, 1864 Anderson would find himself with his guard down and that one moment of loss of attention would cost him his life.

In the town of Orrick, Missouri Captain S.P. Cox discovered Anderson and attacked vehemently. Anderson was shot dead in his saddle with over 25 holes in his body and was taken to Richmond, Virginia. The Union would have their revenge as Bloody Bill Anderson's body was decapitated and drug around town. To demonstrate what the fate of any other murderous barbarians would be.

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