Talk with Jesse James

Jesse James was a famous American outlaw, bank and train robber, guerrilla, and leader of the James–Younger Gang. He was born on September 5, 1847, in Kearney, Missouri, United States. Raised in the "Little Dixie" area of western Missouri, James and his family maintained strong Southern sympathies. He and his brother Frank James joined pro-Confederate guerrillas known as "bushwhackers" operating in Missouri and Kansas during the American Civil War.

After the war, as members of various gangs, they robbed banks, stagecoaches, and trains. James was most famous for his activities as a guerrilla Confederate soldier and later as an outlaw in the Wild West in the late 1800s. James was assassinated by Robert Ford, a member of his own gang, on April 3, 1882.

Jesse James continues to be a controversial symbol, one who can be portrayed in popular culture as both a ruthless killer and a folk hero.

Jesse James was deeply influenced by the socio-political circumstances of his time. Born and raised in Missouri, a border state during the American Civil War, he was exposed to great conflict and tension from a young age. His family had strong southern ties, and they supported the Confederacy.

When the Union forces pushed towards Missouri, they targeted known southern sympathizers, and one of those loyalties was that of the James family. Jesse's stepfather, Dr. Reuben Samuel, was brutally mistreated by Union soldiers seeking to discover the whereabouts of the family's Confederate sons. It is said that witnessing this mistreatment contributed to Jesse's decision to join the Quantrill's Raiders, a notorious guerrilla band led by William Clarke Quantrill, to fight against Union forces.

The antipathy that formed in Jesse James during these years of war was a profound contributing factor motivating him to join the Quantrill's Raiders. The group was known for its guerrilla tactics and it is through these that Jesse honed his skills, which would later be utilized in his infamous criminal career.

Jesse James was born on September 5, 1847, in Kearney, Missouri, USA. He was the third of four children born to Robert James and Zerelda Cole James. His father, Robert, was a commercial hemp farmer and Baptist minister, but he died in 1850, when Jesse was just three years old. This meant that his mother, Zerelda, brought up Jesse and his siblings primarily on her own.

Jesse's family had strong southern loyalties, which is seen as one of the factors contributing to his later life as an outlaw. After his father's death, his mother married twice. Her third husband was Doctor Reuben Samuel, who remained a father figure for Jesse throughout his life.

Jesse himself got married to his cousin, Zerelda Mimms, in 1874, after a nine-year engagement. They named their firstborn son Jesse Edward James and he also had twins Gould and Montgomery, and a daughter named Mary. His twins died at a young age. It is reported that Jesse was a devoted father and a loving husband.

Overall, Jesse James's family life was colored by the turbulent societal and economic changes of the mid-19th century America, the absence of his biological father, and his life as an outlaw.

Jesse James's legacy is layered and complex. On one side, he is remembered as an infamous outlaw who committed multiple robberies and crimes during the late 19th century. He has become a legendary figure in the narrative of the "Wild West," romanticized in films, literature, and popular culture due to his exploits, daring escapes, and untimely death.

Descriptions of James often characterize him as a Robin Hood-like figure, reputedly robbing from the rich and helping the poor. However, historical evidence to substantiate these claims is limited, and such depictions may be attributed more to posthumous mythologising than factual history.

On another side, Jesse James is seen as a symptom of the turbulent times in which he lived. His life and crimes were intricately linked to the broader historical context of the American Civil War and the tumultuous Reconstruction era that followed, during which violence and lawlessness were widespread. Some view him as a former Confederate guerrilla who continued his resistance against the Union by other means, transforming his story into a symbol of protest against Northern oppression in certain narratives.

Thus, Jesse James's legacy is multifaceted: he is both remembered as an infamous criminal and romanticized as a rebellious folk hero.

Jesse James, along with his brother Frank, was a leading figure in a gang known as the James-Younger gang. They were notorious for their bank and train robberies, escalating their criminal career into murder if deemed necessary. Here are some of their most infamous deeds:

1. Liberty, Missouri Bank Robbery (1866): The James-Younger gang made national headlines with the robbery of Clay County Savings Association in Liberty, Missouri. It resulted in the death of an innocent bystander and is generally considered the first daylight peacetime bank robbery in U.S. history.

2. Gallatin, Missouri Bank Robbery (1869): Jesse James shot and killed the cashier of the Daviess County Savings Association, mistakenly believing he was killing Samuel P. Cox, the man who had killed guerrilla leader "Bloody Bill" Anderson during the Civil War. This murder marked the level of violence Jesse was willing to use, reportedly for revenge as well as for robbery.

3. Rock Island Train Robbery (1873): This was the first successful train robbery in the West. The James-Younger gang attacked a Rock Island Railroad train in Adair, Iowa, taking $3,000 and leaving the engineer and a passenger shot. One gang member was recognized during the robbery and this led to increased pursuit of the gang.

4. Northfield, Minnesota Bank Robbery (1876): The famed Northfield Bank robbery was a failed attempt that resulted in the capture or death of most members of the James-Younger gang. The townspeople resisted, and two townspeople were killed in the fight. The James brothers escaped, but their gang was never the same.

While these are only some examples, the sheer audacity and violence that the James-Younger gang used in conducting these crimes made Jesse James a significant figure in the history of American crime.

Jesse James committed most of his crimes in the American Midwest, specifically in states like Missouri, Kentucky, Iowa, and Kansas, among others. He was part of the James-Younger Gang, notorious for their bank and train robberies in these territories. A former Confederate guerrilla, James turned to a life of crime after the American Civil War, becoming one of the most infamous outlaws of the era.

Jesse James was buried following his death, just as it is common practice for many cultures around the world to bury their dead as a sign of respect and remembrance. Jesse James, a notorious outlaw and bank robber from the American Wild West, was shot and killed in his own home by Robert Ford, a member of his own gang, on April 3, 1882. He was originally buried in his family's yard in Kearney, Missouri. His body was later reinterred in Mount Olivet Cemetery. His gravestone carries the epitaph, "Jesse W James, Died April 3, 1882, Aged 34 years, 6 months, 28 days, Murdered by a traitor and coward whose name is not worthy to appear here."

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