For career criminal William Clarke Quantrill, the American Civil War was an opportunity to practice legitimately what he loved most: theft, destruction, and murder. He rampaged freely as a military hero, slaughtering hundreds, fighting under the flag of the Confederate Army.

Quantrill's War recounts the guerrilla raids William Quantrill carried out with dash and daring -- the lightning ambushes he led on horseback, reins in his teeth, navy colt revolvers blazing in each hand. The climax of this disturbing book deals with Quantrill's bloodiest battle, the four-hour sacking of Lawrence, Kansas, where he ordered the massacre of 185 men and boys, killing "every man old enough to carry a gun!"

Thoroughly researched and documented, this is the first major biography of Quantrill in nearly 40 years. A riveting story of murder and revenge, Quantrill's War is a richly drawn study of the most unlikely "hero" in our nation's history.