William Clarke Quantrill, a feared Missouri bushwhacker, leads a guerrilla force of about 400 men in a destructive surprise raid on the Free-State bastion of Lawrence, Kansas. Quantrill’s men kill between 160-190 men and boys and destroy about 185 buildings, causing about $1.5 million of property damage. Quantrill’s forces soon cross back to Cass County, Missouri, escaping Kansas federal troops led by General James H. Lane.