Yankee Banks Yankee Trains

Jessie and Frank James ran with Bob and Cole Younger for some time, pulling robberies from Kentucky to Texas.
The Youngers got the idea to rob the Northfield First National Bank in Northfield Minnesota, not because it was stuffed with cash but because they believed that Adelhert Ames, Reconstruction Governor of Mississippi had interests there. Their belief was also that Ame's father-in-law, former Union General Benj. Butler had interests there. Both were hated by southerners. Butler had occupied New Orleans during the war and acted with such cruelty that he was transferred only to loose two battles and be replaced. Of course he wound up in Congress where many losers have found themselves.
As most of you know, the Minnesota raid was a failure. Two bankers were killed and two of the James Gang with others wounded. Butler had no investment in the bank. (Sandra Bullock was not a suspect)
Hatred had boiled over years before when Kansas became a free state. Raids, killings, and burning of homes were so frequent on both sides of the border between Kansas and Missouri that it finally came to a head when Wm. Quantrill rode into Lawrence Kansas with what he considered payback for what the Jayhawkers and Red Legs had done to Missouri.
Days later, Order # 11 was issued by Union General Ewing and approved by Ole Abe himself removing most of the disloyal citizens from the four boarder counties of Missouri, (Jackson, Cass, Bates, and part of Vernon) Though Missouri never left the union, hundreds of Irish joined the Confederacy while the Germans remained with the Union.