Bloody Bill Anderson

Bloody Bill Anderson

"Bill Anderson!" William Clarke Quantrill commands. "Bring Lieutenant Coleman to me."

As I walk the few yards to where the captive is held, the men look from me to the Union man wondering what is happening. I motion for the Lieutenant to rise. He calmly looks at me, takes a sip of his coffee and discards the last remnant. Carefully setting the cup down, he rises, brushes himself off and straightens his uniform. Placing his hat squarely on his head, he nods and follows me to the Captain.

The Lieutenant stands smartly before the Captain, each eyeing the other quietly. For a few moments neither speaks until the Captain leans toward me without taking his eyes from the Union soldier. "Kill him." he orders quietly.

Did I hear him correctly? The startled expression on the Lieutenant's face confirms Quantrill had said; "Kill him." The command was spoken quietly with no emotion. I mentally repeat the command and hear it as if from a barrel, a hollow distant quality about the sound.

Time stopped; no sound except the ringing in my ears. My hand grasps the forty-four caliber Colt and moves slowly upward, the Lieutenant's eyes widen and mouth opens as the weapon moves toward him. How can all this happen so slowly? I see men speaking, their mouths move with no sound emitted. They slowly, but with the appearance of haste, disperse from the immediate area. The Lieutenant's chin drops, his mouth forming the work 'no', but I do not hear it. His hands move slowly from his side reaching outward and upward to protect his face. His right leg begins to reach backward as if to run.

I feel the recoil of the pistol and see the smoke. I imagine (or do I actually see) the bullet entering his left eye. His eye winces as the projectile travels through the eyeball into his brain, exploding out the top of his head. Patches of hair and scalp splay out into the air, momentarily frozen against the backdrop of the surrounding trees. All is quiet, no sound or motion except the object in front of me. The Lieutenant reacts in extreme slow motion to the impact of my bullet. His head snaps back, then forward and back again. His hands rise slowly over his head as he falls backward twisting slightly to his right, falling slowly. I am sure I could catch him before he hits the ground. The dead captive bounces twice before sound and motion return to normal. The sound of my weapon reverberates as it echoes against the trees.

The lifeless form of the Union officer comes to rest on the ground, blood spilling out the top of his head. A new sensation is felt, is it revulsion? No... I don't think so. I have killed men before, but this was an execution. The man was unarmed standing a scant few feet in front of me, looking at me. No. It isn't revulsion. I quickly acted upon Captain Quantrill's order to kill without question, and am not sickened by it. Am I excited? Yes! Am I pleased? Well... yes!