Ken Spurgeon, Filmmaker
By: Ken Spurgeon 08/01/2009
William Quantrill makes me angry and curious. A part of me roots against him and wishes for his demise. Another part of me is incredibly curious as to what made him tick. Did he really care about the cause, or was he simply a manipulator who found an audience? How did an Ohio farm boy and school teacher lead 450 Missouri bushwhackers to raid and practice irregular guerrilla warfare? Equally as intriguing was how long he could keep a lid on many of the brutal men he led.
I am a true descendant of a Union soldier, Joseph M. Spurgeon, who pursued Quantrill immediately after the Lawrence raid. I’m fortunate to also own his carbine.
The difference between Bloody Dawn and other docu-dramas is its effort to understand both sides of this tragic story. What motivated the raiders is essential in understanding this tragic event, but it should not take anything away from the horrific trial that the citizens endured. Rather than dumb down the material, we tried to present it in a way that allowed viewers to draw their own conclusions.
Ride with the Devil excellently conveyed the intensity of people living in the Kansas-Missouri border during the Civil War. One particular scene captured that tension best. Inside the Eldridge (Free State) hotel, one nasty raider is killing unarmed, surrendering citizens. An older man begs for his life. Tobey Maguire’s character Jake Roedel, also a bushwhacker, intervenes and backs down the more bloodthirsty raider. The old man thanks Maguire, who curses at the man and essentially says “get away from me old man.” The scene depicts the delicate line the raiders walked if they did the unexpected. If they were motivated by reasons of kindness, they dare not broadcast it. Good movie.
Historian Thomas Goodrich's book, Bloody Dawn, absolutely inspired me and helped me to become friends with the characters in this story. Because of the way Tom writes, I felt as if I was in the struggle for life with them, rooting for the survival of the citizens of Lawrence.
Gunsmoke veteran Buck Taylor and I share a love of the West and of a great story. It was a great pleasure to have him on the set, and we discussed books and art a lot.
The inventor of basketball, James Naismith, died in Lawrence, near where I coach high school basketball. My ancestor played football for KU in the 1920s. His coach was Forrest C. “Phog” Allen, who took over the reins from Naismith.
My father taught me the value of hard work and impressed upon me that every moment that I was not working was a moment that someone else was. “You’re burning daylight” was often heard in my childhood home. My mother impressed upon me the value of grace and perseverance. She taught me that everyone has value and that it was important to treat people with kindness.
Comments (2)
If you haven't read Goodrich's book- Black Flag, I recommend it. There were so many competing motivations for men on both sides of the border. Quantrill was in his twenties and so many of his "men" were teenagers who were ill prepared for the blood and fire they endured. Bloody Bill was 19 at the start of the war, his dad was killed, mom died of snakebite while he was on the run for avenging dad's death, and one of his sisters was killed in the jail collapse in KC (and another maimed) all before the attack on Lawrence. No grief counseling, and a price on their head, not a great surprise that many of these young men turned out bad.
What about the Redlegs and Jayhawkers that robbed, plundered, raped and killed boys as young as 11 and old men. I suggest you read the book by Paul R. Peterson Quantrill of Missouri. Remember history is written by the victor so the truth is usually not written..
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