The prospect of catching the routed guerrillas was indeed good; on February 10, a Union captain in Danville reported that troops ‘just brought in three of Clarke’s men, captured in the woods after Bridgewater’s fight.’ The following day Federal scouts reported that they had ‘captured another of Clarke’s men but in bringing him in this morning he attempted to escape, and was shot dead on the spot.’ This unnamed guerrilla was probably executed by the Federal scouts. Many remembered General Fry’s order to allow no quarter.

Although Bridgewater had dispersed Quantrill’s men, the bushwhackers soon reorganized and resumed terrorizing citizens and Federal troops. On February 27, the bushwhackers raided the town of Hickman. Entering the town at 10 a.m., the guerrillas plundered stores and homes and abused and beat citizens–women and children included–shooting at them, compelling them to give up their money and setting fire to the buildings. According to a Union lieutenant in Hickman, who possibly exaggerated the guerrillas’ depredations to ensure a stronger Union presence there, Quantrill’s men left after ‘the appearance of the [U.S. steamer] Hastings coming up the river. They carried with them a large amount of money, supplies, and whisky….I have been informed that whenever the gun-boat is absent there are always from five to thirty-five rebels in the town.’ The nervous lieutenant was practically begging his commander to keep gunboats there permanently.

Two days later, Quantrill relaxed at the home of Jim Dawson, near Taylorsville. As the guerrilla chieftain was visiting, his host’s young daughter asked Quantrill to write in her autograph book. For a moment, the schoolteacher in Quantrill emerged once again. He scribbled four stanzas of a poem, one verse of which read:

‘Though the cannon’s roar around me
Yet it shall still bear me on
Though dark clouds are above me<
It hath springs which may be won.’

According to McCorkle, who portrayed his leader as a Robin Hood and failed to mention the Bradfordsville fight as well as Bridgewater’s attack, the guerrilla band stayed in Nelson and Spencer counties for several weeks, hiding out and socializing with prominent Southern families. The scout related that a Union deserter known as Major Metz was robbing local citizens, physically abusing them and telling his victims he was from Missouri. According to McCorkle, Quantrill refused to see the good name of Missouri dragged through the mud. He ordered McCorkle to find the major. When he did, ‘We led the Major into the woods and he was soon deprived of all desire to steal and rob and had abused and mistreated his last man.’

Following the demise of Metz, Quantrill led the band between Louisville and Taylorsville, where they encountered a regiment of black infantry. The bushwhackers, McCorkle said, ‘rode into the woods and would ride up to the edge of the timber, fire into them, and dash back into the woods.’ The guerrillas, experts at hit-and-run warfare, continued this harassing fire until the exhausted troops finally reached Taylorsville.

By March 1865, Kentucky guerrillas were finding that their luck was running out. On the 12th, Sue Mundy was captured in Brandenberg. Another infamous guerrilla who had roamed the Bluegrass State, ‘One Arm’ Sam Berry, was captured, found guilty of 11 murders and sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment. The fearsome Champ Ferguson, tried by Union authorities for more than 50 murders, received a death sentence.

Quantrill, however, managed to remain free. On April 13 he allied with a guerrilla named Billy Marion and skirmished with Federal troops near Bloomfield. One Northern soldier was killed and three wounded in the fight, but five guerrillas became casualties in the brief action. Troops under the command of Union Captain Edwin Terrell claimed to have found Marion and killed him, but Quantrill again escaped.

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