William Gregg's Civil War

During the Civil War, William H. Gregg served as William Clarke Quantrills de facto adjutant from December 1861 until the spring of 1864, making him one of the closest people to the Confederate guerrilla leader. Quantrills raiders were a partisan ranger outfit best known for their brutal guerrilla tactics, which made use of Native American field skills. Whether it was the origins of Quantrills band, the early warfare along the border, the planning and execution of the raid on Lawrence, Kansas, the Battle of Baxter Springs, or the dissolution of the company in early 1864, Gregg was there as a participant and observer. This book includes his personal account of that era. The book also includes correspondence between Gregg and William E. Connelley, a historian. Connelley was deeply affected by the war and was a staunch Unionist and Republican. Even as much of the country was focusing on reunification, Connelley refused to forgive the South and felt little if any empathy for his Southern peers. Connelleys relationship with Gregg was complicated and exploitive. Their bond appeared mutually beneficial, but Connelley manipulated an old, weak, and nave Gregg, offering to help him publish his memoir in exchange for Greggs inside information for a biography of Quantrill.