Most of what you have read about Quantrill's raid on "the sleepy little town" of Lawrence, Kansas, on 21 August, 1863, are outright lies that were fabricated by Kansas newspapers at the time, then repeated over and over up to the present day. Their purpose was to fire up Union support and to create outrage against Missourians.  In the few months preceding Quantrill's raid, Kansas troops and civilian Jayhawkers had made a large number of raids from Lawrence into Jackson, Johnson and Cass Counties, Missouri, murdering hundreds of people and burning homes and fields, plus stealing anything of value that they could sell on the streets of Lawrence. Quantrill's raid was intended to stop these raids. The facts are: 1. Lawrence was an armed camp, headquarters to many of the troops who had burned thousands of Missouri homes and killed thousands of Missouri farmers. 2. The town had five well built forts with artillery, located throughout the main streets. 3. Trenches and earthworks surrounded its perimeter. 4. Companies of armed pickets were constantly on patrol in the streets. 5. When the guerrillas arrived, most of the soldiers ran and hid. 6. There were about 300 buildings, of which 86 were burned, most by collateral damage. 7. The guerrillas searched for and killed, known Jayhawkers and anyone who resisted. 8. No women or children were harmed in any way. 9. The Partisans found about forty shacks near a ravine across from Massachusetts Street, which were filled to capacity with stolen goods from Missouri. Included were expensive rugs, mahogany furniture, and several pianos valued at over $1,000 each. The Partisans reluctantly put them to the torch. Quantrill's raid was considered good military tactics : "To kill a snake...cut off its head". Quantrill's tactics are still studied at West Point, today.