Before the first shots of the Civil War were ever fired, a Border War had been in progress for six years between Missouri and Kansas. Their debate over slavery and "southern rights" issues influenced political parties and political administrations and contributed significantly to bringing about the Civil War.

The Border War began and 1854 with the Kansas-Nebraska act, which allowed for the opening of the two territories, leaving it up to the voters in each state to decide rather slavery would be legal or prohibited. Most Kansans settlers favored slavery at this time and were more concerned with settling the territory then arguing over slavery issues. The majority of Missourians were made up of individuals loyal to Federal government who approved of slavery but wanted some compromise to be found that would keep the southern states in the Union. If Kansas entered the Union as a free state, then Missouri would be bordered on the east, west and north by states that prohibited slavery, giving abolitionists the opportunity to liberate slaves and also make it easier for slaves to escape from Missouri. Even though the number of slave owners in Missouri was small, Southerners largely populated the state, making up about 75% of the total population. Most of the slave owners owned just a few slaves and the types of crops they raised did not require a large number of slaves to plant and cultivate. Most of the residents worked small farms.

When the Kansas-Nebraska act came into play, most of the southern state senators counted on Nebraska joining as a free state and Kansas joining as a slave state, however Easter abolitionists had different ideas. They raised money to assist those who wished to settle in Kansas territory and over 700 emigrants arrived in Kansas during the summer of 1854 with the intentions of abolishing slavery in that state.

Many of the New Englanders settled around Lawrence, Kansas and it became known as "The Boston Colony" and "Yankee Town." It became the headquarters for a group of citizens who became known as jayhawkers. They were a group of guerillas who raided nearby pro-slavery settlements, pillaging and murdering along the way.

In the Kansas election of November 1854, thousands of Missourians crossed the border to vote for a delegate to Congress. They felt they had as much right to vote in the election as the newly arrived New Englanders. It was also their impression that the New Englanders were hired to sway the vote in favor of anti-slavery delegates.

Again, in the summer of 1855, many more emigrants arrived from the East Coast but instead of bringing their families and farm implements, they brought with them rifles. Many rumors abounded and Missourians became worried about the new inhabitants and their intentions. Crates of rifles and some cannons were shipped to Kansas under disguised labels and it appeared that Kansas was preparing for war. Also arriving in Kansas in the summer of 1855, were John Brown and Jim Lane. John Brown was well known for his antics against slave owners and his desire to war against them. Jim Lane was a politician and was looking for political opportunities but at the time had no qualms over slavery. Seeing political opportunity, he switched sides and became a free-soil advocate. In 1856, he led pillage and burn raids in eastern Kansas and western Missouri, freeing numerous slaves, but also in the mean time, he passed a "Black Law" in Kansas, which prohibited residency to all Negroes. Kansas was politically and residentially being set up to be a free-soil state and their new residents (jayhawkers) were conducting raids against pro-slavery residents and establishments on both sides of the border. Thus began, the Border War and Missourians began fighting back.

Along with the jayhawkers and Missouri bushwhackers, "border ruffians" who had no interest in Missouri and Kansas politics inhabited the border. Their sole intention of inhabiting the area was for the sport of pillaging and murder. This added to the conflict as often times, either side was blamed for their crimes.

There are many political events that occurred over the years prior to the Civil War in Kansas, but those are too lengthy to cover in this article, so I will focus on some of the murders and massacres that occurred during this time.

· Between November 1, 1855 and December 1, 1856, an estimated 200 people lost their lives and the amount of property destroyed was valued at 2 million dollars.

· After the town of Lawrence was raided by "Border Ruffians" in 1856, jayhawkers hunted down the raiding party and killed 3 men. While on their hunt, they raided a Missourian’s store, taking over $4000 worth of merchandise and set fire to several pro-slavery cabins.

· A few nights after the Lawrence raid in 1856, John Brown, his sons and several of his followers used double-edged artillery cutlasses to hack to death five men. They were accused of being pro-slavery ruffians and were dragged from their cabins despite the pleas of their wives and children. Three of these men were a father and his two sons. Their bodies were found the next morning by their kin in various stages of mutilation that included cut throats, multiple stab wounds and fingers, arms and legs chopped off. This became known as the "Pottawatomie Massacre".

· Missourians crossed the border looking for Brown and found one of his sons. They turned him over to federal authorities who chained him to a tent pole and beat him with rifle butts and fists. Brown launched a pre-dawn attack to rescue his son, killing four and wounding several others. When approached by a US deputy Marshall under a flag of truce, Brown held a pistol to the deputy’s head and demanded the company’s unconditional surrender.

· In the spring of 1858, James Montgomery (a preacher from Ohio) and his band of jayhawkers drove a group of proslavery partisans out of Fort Scott, Kansas and across the Missouri border. This group of proslavery partisans joined with a man named Charles A Hamilton who led them back across the Kansas line. They rode to a trading post and seized 11 men and led them to a gulch near the Marais des Cygnes River. Hamilton ordered that the men to be lined up and then Hamilton and his men opened fire. Two men died in the initial attack. Hamilton and his men went down into the gulch and repeatedly kicked their victims to be sure that they were dead. The survivors tried to play possum but three of the wounded were discovered. One was shot in the mouth; one through the head and the other was shot twice. Of the other 6 men, 5 were wounded and another miraculously escaped injury and detection because he was covered with the blood of his comrades. This incident became know as the Marias des Cygnes massacre.

· In December of 1858, John Brown and his jayhawkers raided a Missourian named David Cruise. When Cruise tried to resist, he was murdered. This is just one example of the many murders that occurred during the Border War.

· In November 1869, James Montgomery vowed that he would drive every man in favor of slavery out of the territory, then invade Missouri to free the slaves, kill their masters and destroy their masters’ property.

· Missourian, Russell Hinds made the mistake of crossing the Kansas line to visit his mother. Hinds was accused of having caught a fugitive slave and hauling him back to Missouri. Charles Jennison, (a militiaman sent to restore peace to the border) held a vigilante trial. Hinds was found guilty and hanged.

· A week later, Jennison held another vigilante trial for a named Samuel Scott of Linn County, Kansas who was accused of participating in the lynching of two free-state men. He was found guilty and hanged. Another man named Lester D Moore was also accused of the lynching and knowing the fate of Hinds and Scott, refused to surrender and was killed.

· Jennison and his company of Redlegs, attacked Morristown in July of 1861, plundering the village. They took 7 men as prisoners. They were court martialed and sentenced to death. Their graves were dug and they were forced to kneel down beside them. They were blindfolded and shot. The graves were covered and Jennison and his men rode off.

· In September 1861, Jennison raided Independence, Missouri. The male residents were herded to the Town Square where they were prodded with points of sabers and bayonets while Jennison's Redlegs threatened to kill them.

· Jennison’s routes were marked with burning buildings, pillage and death. After complaints were received over and over about Jennison and his company of Redlegs (7^th Volunteer Regiment) they were ordered to go to New Mexico. Upon receiving the orders, Jennison gave a speech to incite desertion; he was arrested and jailed. Powerful abolitionists in Washington DC secured his release and he and his regiment were sent to Kentucky instead.

· Many citizens were murdered by Union troops. Men were called to their doors at night by militia and shot dead or were taken from their homes and hung. My great-great-great grandfather was one of those men. He and his two eldest sons were removed from their home one night by Union soldiers and were all three shot in the head. The eldest son had just finished up his service with the Union army and returned home, when they were accused of being southern sympathizers.

These are just some of the most noteworthy events that occurred during the six years of the Border War. Burning, pillaging, looting and murder were common occurrences for the residents who lived along the border. Both Kansans and Missourians participated in crimes against each other. The breakout of the Civil War only led to increased criminal activity along the Missouri-Kansas border and by this time, many Missourian’s who were neutral about slave issues, were fed up and ready to take up arms to protect themselves from any further destruction. Jennison’s activities did not help their views toward the Federal government and Jennison’s example was the reason that many along the border counties lent their support to the Confederacy and/or the Missouri guerillas.

Jim Lane although not mentioned much in pre-Civil war history became deeply involved in the border activities after the war began and was a constant threat to Missourians. He was a target for assassination during the Lawrence massacre in 1863. Some of the acts he committed led to the destruction of his political career. In the "Order #11" painting by George Caleb Bingham, his image is depicted as the man riding the far-left horse.