What is a Confederate Bushwhacker?

The “bushwhackers” were Missourians who fled to the rugged backcountry and forests to live in hiding and resist the Union occupation of the border counties. They fought Union patrols, typically by ambush, in countless small skirmishes, and hit-and-run engagements.

Where did the term bushwhacker come from?

In Missouri and other Border States of the Western Theater, guerilla fighters — regardless of which side they favored — were commonly called “bushwhackers,” although pro-Union partisans were also known as “jayhawkers,” a term that had originated during the pre-war Bleeding Kansas period.

What does it mean to bushwhacker someone?

Definition of bushwhack

1 transitive : to attack (someone) by surprise from a hidden place : ambush … the American banditti robbed trains and bushwhacked stagecoaches and settlers' caravans with equal enthusiasm for fistic violence and gunplay.—

What did the Jayhawkers do?

In the,a jayhawker was a Kansas abolitionist, who would cross the border to raid Missouri, usually in revenge of a raid by Missourians called bushwhackers. Later the term would apply to most Kansas fighting men and eventually anything to do with Kansas.

What was a Bushwacker in the 1800s?

Bushwhacking was a form of guerrilla warfare common during the American Revolutionary War, War of 1812, American Civil War and other conflicts in which there were large areas of contested land and few governmental resources to control these tracts.

Missouri's Civil War Bushwhackers

What were red legs in the Civil War?

The Red Legs were a somewhat secretive organization of about 50 to 100 ardent abolitionists who were hand selected for harsh duties along the border. Membership in the group was fluid and some of the men went on to serve in the 7th Kansas Cavalry or other regular army commands and state militias.

What happened to the Bushwhackers after the Civil War?

The order's result was theft, widespread arson, and visible scars upon the land that, for years after the war, distinguished Jackson, Cass, Bates, and Vernon counties as “The Burnt District.” Most bushwhackers were displaced from the border region, and without the support of the community, those few who remained were ...

Why are Kansas called Jayhawkers?

The name combines two birds–the blue jay, a noisy, quarrelsome thing known to rob other nests, and the sparrow hawk, a quiet, stealthy hunter. The message here: Don't turn your back on this bird. During the 1850's, the Kansas Territory was filled with such Jayhawks.

Who did the Jayhawkers fight?

Jayhawkers is a term that came into use just before the American Civil War in Bleeding Kansas. It was adopted by militant bands of Free-Staters. These bands, known as "Jayhawkers", were guerrilla fighters who often clashed with pro-slavery groups from Missouri known at the time as "Border Ruffians".

What did Jayhawkers do during the Civil War?

Jennison led the “Independent Mounted Kansas Jayhawkers,” also known as the Seventh Kansas Volunteer Cavalry, into Jackson County, where they sustained themselves by looting and stealing from Missourians, indiscriminate of their loyalty to the Union or opinions on slavery.

What is a Bushwacker in the Old West?

“Bushwhacker” was a Civil War term that designated the lowest and meanest type of guerrilla fighter, particularly the Confederates, who often hid in inaccessible places and ambushed lone or small groups of Union troops. The name lived on in the Old West to describe an assassin who killed from a hiding spot.

Are bushwackers from Australia?

The Bushwackers Band, often simply the Bushwackers, is an Australian folk and country music band or Bush band founded at La Trobe University in Melbourne in 1971.

What were Copperheads in the Civil War?

Copperhead, also called Peace Democrat, during the American Civil War, pejoratively, any citizen in the North who opposed the war policy and advocated restoration of the Union through a negotiated settlement with the South.

Are the Bushwackers still alive?

Luke lives in the United States and Butch lives in New Zealand. Butch retired from wrestling in 2001 after suffering a neck injury and moved back to his home country in 2003. Luke is still active among fans here in the United States by touring, doing appearances, and now, because of COVID-19, doing virtual signings.

What does the term jayhawker mean?

Definition of jayhawker

1 capitalized : a native or resident of Kansas —used as a nickname. 2a often capitalized : a member of a band of antislavery guerrillas in Kansas and Missouri before and during the American Civil War. b : bandit.

Was Missouri a Confederate state?

During and after the war

Acting on the ordinance passed by the Jackson government, the Confederate Congress admitted Missouri as the 12th confederate state on November 28, 1861.

What state are the Jayhawkers from?

Today, the term “Jayhawk” most often refers to a mythical bird of Kansas. It is utilized as the University of Kansas' mascot and often applied to anyone from the state.

Was Kansas a free state?

On January 29, 1861, Kansas is admitted to the Union as free state. It was the 34th state to join the Union.

What does Rock Chalk Champs mean?

"Rock Chalk, Jayhawk" (a.k.a. the "Rock Chalk" chant) is a chant used at University of Kansas Jayhawks sporting events. The chant is made up of the phrase "Rock chalk, Jayhawk, KU".

What does the term Rock Chalk mean?

At first, their version was "Rah, Rah, Jayhawk, KU" repeated three times. Later, in place of the rahs, an English professor suggested "Rock Chalk," a transposition of chalk rock, the name for the limestone outcropping found on Mount Oread, site of the Lawrence campus.

Is a Jayhawk an actual bird?

“The 'Jayhawk' is a myth. It has no historical use. It is neither beast, fish nor fowl,” he wrote. The name is a combination of two real birds: the blue jay, a noisy bird known to rob nests, and the sparrow hawk, a stealthy hunter.

Who were the Bushwhackers WWE?

The Bushwhackers consisted of Butch Miller and Luke Williams while the Sheepherders also included Jonathan Boyd and Rip Morgan as members at times. Williams and Miller were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2015, and the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum in 2020.

Why was the North opposed to going to war?

Some northerners opposed the war because they opposed using force to keep the South in the Union. The North did not like the draft law either. How did the blockade affect the southern economy? It created shortages in the South.

What was the estimated death toll of the Civil War?

For more than a century, the most-accepted estimate was about 620,000 dead. A specific figure of 618,222 is often cited, with 360,222 Union deaths and 258,000 Confederate deaths.