Order Number 11

By Kathleen Walls

Bingham's famous painting, Order No.11

The famous painting, Order No. 11 was never meant to be just a picture. When artist George Caleb Bingham painted it, he was sending a message. The story he told was a sad one. It showed utter desolation and cruelty caused by General Thomas Ewing, Commander of the District of the Border, which comprised Kansas and western Missouri , when he issued the infamous Order No.11. In effect the order commanded all residents of the Clay, Jackson, Vernon and parts of Bates counties to leave their homes within fourteen days with only what they could carry with them. Homes, farms and all other possessions left behind would become property of the Federal Government and would either be confiscated or burned.

Citizens in sympathy with the Confederacy would have to leave Missouri while those loyal to the Union would be allowed to take refuge in towns garrisoned by Federal forces. A rider passing through those counties after the order was carried out would encounter no inhabitants, no houses or barns, no crops or domestic animals. Just charred sticks and stubble and hundreds of blackened brick chimneys marking where once a home had stood.

The canvas left side portrays a mixed group of figures. A Union soldier is just holstering his gun after shooting a young Missourian. The victim's wife weeps over his body while the young man's white-haired father protests the actions of the Union soldiers. His daughter and grandson attempt to restrain him. The victim's mother has fainted into the arms of a black slave. Another young woman pleads with soldiers for her family. Behind this grouping, looters aided by the Federal soldiers throw the furnishing from the victim's house into waiting carts.

The father's outstretched arm points to the right side of the canvas, where other refugees' wagons drive away with the few possessions they are able to salvage. A signpost lets the viewer know they are headed toward Lexington, in central Missouri. Behind them, another procession of soldiers drive wagons filled with stolen items in the opposite direction, toward Kansas. In the background, General Ewing is portrayed sitting astride his horse watching the havoc his order has wrought. In the right bottom corner, a slave father is shielding his son and fleeing the carnage. The horizon is filled with the smoke from burning farms.

George Caleb Bingham's former home. Photo Credit Independence Tourism

Bingham and his family moved to Independence, Missouri shortly before the outbreak of the war . Then Independence was within Jackson County (today it had grown to overlap into Clay County). He sided with the Union during the War Between the States. First he served as a captain in the U.S. Volunteer Reserve Corps. Then he worked as state treasurer in the provisional government in Jefferson City from 1862 to 1865. He also was involved in an incident leading indirectly to the issuance of the odious order. Thus, Bingham had a front seat view of both the circumstances leading up to the infamous order and its results

From 1862 onward, Jackson County was the main refuge of Quantrill's Partisan Rangers. Depending on your politics, he was either your savior or your worst nightmare. With the onset of a declared war, Jayhawkers now were federal militia. They rode with impunity from Kansas and raided Missouri's border counties. Quantrill's raiders returned the favor and terrified Union sympathizers in Missouri and also raided into Kansas. His most notorious raid being the raid on Lawrence.

Historic 1859 Jail in Independence. Photo Credit Independence Tourism

Undermining Quantrill and other guerillas was the main reason Ewing issued Order No. 11. The events had accelerated with violence on both sides. Directly leading up to the order, about 17 women relatives of the guerrillas, including Cole Younger's sister, Frank and Jesse James' sister, three of Bloody Bill Anderson's sisters and others, were imprisoned. The building in Kansas City where they were imprisoned had belonged to Bingham's father-in-law, now deceased. It had passed into Bingham's hands. The building was commandeered without informing Bingham. Then the building collapsed killing five of the women and injuring many others. Rumors abounded that the foundations had been deliberately undermined to crash. Whether there was any truth to the accusation or not has never been proven but one storekeeper seemed to have advance knowledge of the disaster. He was located directly below the women and moved all his stock out the day before to protect it.

Whatever the reason for the crash, the enraged guerillas believed it was deliberately done as revenge for their activities. They decided on a bold revenge of their own. The invasion and destruction of Lawrence as the stronghold of the Jayhawkers had long been considered but most of the guerrillas felt it was too risky. Lawrence was believed to be well defended and lay about 40 miles inside Kansas. With the jail crash fresh in their minds they decided to attempt the attack on Lawrence to avenge the women.

With all of these events fresh in his mind, Bingham felt to continue with accelerated acts of revenge only made things worse. He begged Ewing to reconsider. When Ewing refused and went ahead with the order, Bingham set out to destroy Ewing's career by publicizing the results of Order Number 11.

Independence, Missouri is one place every person interested in the history of the War Between the States should visit if you want to understand the war in the west. Bingham's home, now known as the Bingham-Waggoner Estate, is a good place to start.

For visitors to Independence coming to visit from April 1 through October 31, you can take a guided tour of the estate which was Bingham's home and studio. Just a five minute drive from the estate, more Bingham connections can be explored at the 1859 Jail and Marshal's Home, 217 N. Main Street. You can take a self-guided tour of the historic two story red brick federal style building and the adjoining limestone cell block that served as the County Jail from 1859 to 1933; and, it saw a lot of action during the Civil War. . There were several other people involved with Order Number 11. William Clarke Quantrill was incarcerated in the jail for taking part in a raid on a local plantation, Morgan Walker's home was the target of the raid by jayhawkers of whom Quantrill was a part (he later claimed he had infiltrated the jayhawkers for revenge). Quantrill warned Walker before the raid and helped him kill the other jayhawkers. After the event, Quantrill was briefly imprisoned until Walker had him released.

The Old Jail alley Photo Credit Independence Tourism

According to an online source, two of the women prisoners, Molly Anderson, 17, sister of Bill Anderson and Sallie Younger, 16, Cole Younger's sister, were temporarily housed there in 1863 before being sent on to Kansas City. Bingham visited the Jail just after the War in 1866 to capture the likeness of his friend, Reverend Abner Holton Dean, who was imprisoned for his refusal to sign an oath that he as a minister had never transgressed against the Union. Bingham painted his portrait to shed light to the unconstitutional oath. And, in 1882, Frank James surrendered to the Governor of Missouri and was held there for nearly four months; visitors can see his cell, which has been re-created from contemporary descriptions. Much more about this site and its colorful history may be found in a commemorative souvenir booklet, LOCK DOWN: Outlaws, Lawmen and Frontier Justice in Jackson County, Missouri , available at http://store.jchs.org/moreinfo.cfm?Product_ID=1001

The Burnt District Monument in neighboring Cass County depicts what was left in the counties included in Order No. 11. Photo Credit Kathleen Walls

Two major battles took place within the City of Independence and Jackson County, Missouri, including the First Battle of Independence (August 11, 1862) one of the first urban battles of the Civil War; and the Second Battle of Independence/Battle of the Little Blue (October 21-22, 1864) when 15,000 forces of the Union and Confederate armies fought along the Little Blue River in Eastern Jackson County. A Civil War walking/driving tour brochure which highlights 15 sites of the 1 st and 2 nd battle of Independence is available by request online at www.visitindependence.com . ("things to do".)  Other Civil War links.

Quantrill's Raiders captured the jail during the first battle of Independence and were able to free some of their friends who were incarcerated there. In later years, Frank James was imprisoned there.

Pioneer Trails Adventures' covered wagon in front of the Bingham-Waggoner Estate. Photo Credit Independence Tourism

Pioneer Trails Adventures, a covered wagon historical tour which operates from the Square during spring, summer and fall, also offers stories of the times, including tales of the battles of Independence and Order No. 11. The wagon drives past through the grounds of the Bingham-Waggoner Estate Catch a ride outside the 1859 Jail at 217 N. Main.

Other place you will want to visit in Independence include The Frontier Trails Museum, The Truman Library and Truman's home.

For more Info: www.visitindependence.com

Frontier Trails Museum www.frontiertrailsmuseum.org ,

Truman Library www.trumanlibrary.org

Truman Home www.nps.gov/hstr

Other Civil War sites:

http://www.mocivilwar.org/index.htmll ,

http://www.mocivilwar150.com  

http://www.freedomsfrontier.org  , 

http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/abpp/battles/bystate.htm#mo