Jesse James Rides Again

Jesse James Rides Again! History books say that Jesse Woodson James was killed on April 3, 1882, but others believe differently. (Hall) I believe Jesse James died in 1951 in Grandbury, Texas at the age of 103. Between 1882 and 1948 he went by many different names but mainly went by J. Frank Dalton. From the Civil War to Jesse James supposed death in 1882, Jesse was a major outlaw. After 1882 Jesse led a normal life and had many different professions.

Jesse Woodson James was born on September 5, 1847 in Western Missouri. Jesse’s father, a Baptist minister, Robert Salle James and his mother Zerelda Cole. Jesse had one whole brother Frank James and other half and step siblings. Jesse’s father died when he was a young boy and his mother remarried more than once. When Jesse was 17 he married a young girl, who was also his first cousin, named Zerelda Mimms. They had 2 children, Jesse Jr. and Mary. (O’Brien)

When Jesse was 14 years old, his brother Frank went off to fight in the war and joined the Quantrill’s Guerrillas. The Quantrill’s Guerrillas was a group of men from Missouri that formed a company of the Confederate Army. These men would hide in the bushes and woods and then ambush Union soldiers. The name bushwhackers came from these men. One day while Jesse was doing his farm work, many Union soldiers came to Jesse’s house. They tore up his house and attempted to hang his step-father, Dr. Samuels to try to get information out of them about the Quantrill’s Guerrillas. Jesse and his family didn’t tell where they were so the soldiers left. This made Jesse very angry. He went and found Frank and the Guerrillas and talked them in to letting him join at the age of 14. He rode

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with the Guerrillas through many battles until they surrender at the end of the Civil War. He was wounded more than once while riding with the Guerrillas. Jesse rode with many different outlaws while with the Guerrillas, such as Bloody Bill Anderson, his cousins the Younger brothers, and many other men. (O’Brien)

After the Civil War, Jesse was an Outlaw. He rode with Frank, his cousins the Younger brothers, and many other men such as Bob and Charlie Ford, Jesse’s supposed killers.