William C. Anderson also called in Texas Colonel Bill and by some in Missouri, Bloody Bill was born in Moniteau Co. MO the 7th of  February 1840. He was brother to John Henry Anderson my Great Grandfather.

When my husband Dave and I began researching family genealogy, I had never heard of William C. then one day my cousin Vada Otendorf gave me a clipping from a Kansas City newspaper, it was as reprint from and earlier article in a Texas paper.  She said the thought it was our relative and I should check it out. After finding out we indeed had a William C. Anderson we went to Brownwood, Texas to learn more.

I suppose the story should start with the family and the civil war, a very uncivil war in southern Missouri, I have read that the average population of these counties went from 6000 to less the 300 during  the course of the war. You could not tell where a strangers loyalties might lie, regardless of appearances. Men and young sons took to hiding and sleeping out in the brush with the stock, as women generally would not be harmed, but of course any provisions that could be found would be taken. The raids that started in the late 1850’s in the border counties of Missouri and Kansas may have been about slavery at first, but there were few slave holders in Stone County. I think many were in it for excitement and the booty that could be taken. Many of the raiders seemed to have animosity for the Dutch for some reason, I have read accounts of the raiders ambushing Dutch or German farmers when they came to work their fields.

The Anderson’s were Benton Democrats, the older ones from South Carolina, and resented the Federal take over of the constitutionally  elected state government  in 1860. William M. was a Justice of the Peace, He and Isaac Bledsoe, a minister were outpoken Secessonist. John Henry, my Great Grandfather, joined the Stone County Home Guards and later the Union 7th Militia, he ran for county Judge on the Republican ticket and was elected during the war, but could not serve because of his duties in the war. David Q. sold his lands and moved to Brown County, Texas in 1858, near his wife’s family at Byrd, Texas. Francis M. who had a blacksmithy south of the Short Cemetery near Spring Creek, also went to Brown Co. Texas in 1860 or 61.

Parsedda (Parsy) married Phillip Trammell from Arkansas, they went to eastern Texas.

Martha Ann married Hiram Leath a Union man who died on his way home from the war.

Polly and her husband David Parker a merchant in Galena, stayed here. The youngest child of William, Elizabeth married J.C.C. Simpson in 1860, she was listed on the census at home after marriage in 1860, I suppose he husband was away in the war, which side and what happened to them I haven’t a clue.

That leaves William C. and his older brother James Noble ( his grandfather’s name was Noble) William M. and James went to Wise County, Texas.

Before the battle at Wilson creek the Rebel army was camped near the Wire Road where it crossed Crane creek north of Crane. They were there for some time while the scouts were out. Many camp followers were along, although it was against orders. I believe this is where William C. and James first became aquatinted with William Quantrill, who lead an Indian unit. They were young farm boys bound to be attracted by the activity.

Bill said that he and James rode with Quantrill’s raiders during the war, he claimed to be at the raid on Lawrence, Kansas and Centralia, Missouri. He said he took the opportunity to leave when another man, who was riding his horse was shot in the face, this man died and was mistaken for Bill. Guess we just have to take his word for it.

Anyway, this 20 year old laborer on the family farm in 1860 turns up on Brown Co. 1863 Tax Rolls with considerable property. Many if not most of Quantrill’s raiders wintered in Texas and rode back each spring to begin again. Historians seem to be much confused about the activities of Bloody Bill Anderson, I think it’s because they were actually two of them.

Bill was like by his Texas neighbors, and his past seemed to have been known, a story told in Brownwood tells how one time he was alone and to sick to get out of bed. To get help he fired two different caliber pistols out the window. The neighbors thinking the Feds had come after Bill, came running to help him out. His grandchildren told me he would have liked to come back to visit in Missouri, but thought he was wanted here. They said he was often visited by his former comrades.

Two weeks after the battle at Wilson Creek the Rebels made a raid on Galena to suppress union activity there. Several members of Company E of the home guards were captured along with John Cox and his two sons by “citizens of the county” and taken to the commander of  the rebel forces, who ordered them taken to Springfield, instead they were marched up a side draw of McCullah branch and after releasing John Cox’s sons because of his age, the rest were shot. The sons, James H. and William B. Cox and Sam Davis who survived, all named William Anderson as one of the shooters. It could have been the older William but I believe it was William C.  Read these stories in the first Stone County History, published by the Stone County Historical Society.

The Andersons are Scotch-Irish, outgoing and fun-loving, but it’s been said the a Scot is never happier than when in a fight. And it seems my family does like to fight, some more than others, but I’ve known very few who would run. They are mostly folks you would want on your side.  Maybe fighting was the only entertainment they could afford. Our corncob fights seemed to always turned in rocks fights that continued until somebody got hurt.
 
Brownwood in on Pecan Bayou, Bill’s homestead was six miles North on Salt Creek a tributary. It’s on the edge of the hill country, and was just being settled in the late 1850’s. Bill’s brother David and his Uncle Moses had recently moved there. Bill married his cousin Elizabeth, a widow, and raised ten children. He, his wife, his mother and other of the family are buried in Staley Cemetery north of Brownwood. His father William died at Fort Griffin, Texas.