| Sacking of Osceola | |
|---|---|
| Part ofAmerican Civil War | |
 Interactive map of Sacking of Osceola | |
| Location | Osceola, Missouri |
| Date | September 23, 1861 |
| Target | Citizens of Osceola |
Attack type | Arson, Looting |
| Deaths | 9[1] |
| Perpetrators | Pro-UnionJayhawkers |
Thesacking of Osceola was a KansasJayhawker initiative on September 23, 1861, to push out pro-slavery Southerners atOsceola, Missouri. It was not authorized by Union military authorities but was the work of an informal group of anti-slavery Kansas "Jayhawkers".[2] The town of 2,077 people was plundered and burned to the ground, 200 slaves were freed and nine local citizens were court-martialed and executed.[3]
FollowingSterling Price'sMissouri State Guard victory over GeneralNathaniel Lyon's Union army at theBattle of Wilson's Creek, Price continued to push North through Western Missouri.
Lyon moved to intercept the Missouri State Guard, but was defeated by Price at theBattle of Dry Wood Creek. Lyon retreated and Price continued his offensive further into Missouri to theSiege of Lexington.
While Price moved North, Lane launched an attack behind him. After crossing the Missouri border atTrading Post, Kansas on September 10, Lane began an offensive moving East onButler,Harrisonville,Osceola andClinton, Missouri.
The climax of the campaign was on September 23, 1861, at Osceola, where Lane's forces drove off a small Southern force and then looted and burned the town. Anartillery battery under Capt.Thomas Moonlight shelled theSt. Clair County courthouse.[4] According to reports, many of the Kansans got so drunk that when it came time to leave they were unable to march and had to ride in wagons and carriages. They carried off with them a tremendous load of plunder, including as Lane's personal share a piano and a quantity of silk dresses. Lane led hundreds of slaves to Kansas and freedom. The troops moved northwest and arrived atKansas City, Missouri, on September 29, to pursue Price as he retreated south through the state.
Osceola was captured and then plundered, with Lane's men freeing 200 slaves and taking 350 horses, 400 cattle, 3,000 bags of flour, and quantities of supplies from all the town shops and stores as well as carriages and wagons. Nine local men were rounded up, given a quickdrumhead court-martial trial, and executed. All but three of the town's 800 buildings burned; the town never fully recovered.[2][5]
Lane's raid stirred hatred that led toWilliam Quantrill'sraid on Lawrence, Kansas,[6] leading in turn to the depopulation of four counties of western Missouri underGeneral Order No. 11.[7]
The massacre is depicted in the movieThe Outlaw Josey Wales.[8]
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38°2′47″N93°41′58″W / 38.04639°N 93.69944°W /38.04639; -93.69944
