Casey,

You can make a strong case that Confederate Captain William Marchbanks of Vernon County and his guerrilla band DID join Quantrill's amalgamated command in the Lawrence raid. Quantrill evidently sent riders out to bring together as many guerrillas and small bushwhacker bands as possible. Also, Quantrill's band spent some time with Bill Marchbanks' band on their way north in April 1863, and men from both bands at that time went hunting some of Marchbanks' old enemies together. Quantrill managed to pull together as many as 293 riders at the outset of the raid, according to his adjutant, Bill Gregg. There is a strong possibility Quantrill's band specifically summoned Bill Marchbanks and his men for this raid. Some serious sources estimate that Quantrill reached Lawrence with as many as 350 men, but it is hard to come up with an exact figure. A Confederate recruiting command on their way south with recruits from Ray and Clay County north of the Missouri River happened upon the raiders and added their 104 men, too. I cannot prove that Marchbanks and his men went to Lawrence with the others, nor can I disprove it. If you can find that some of Marchbanks' band said they went or that they "rode with Quantrill," other than in April 1863, that might help the argument that they went along.

Bruce Nichols