Thanks, Matt, I was not aware of the assassination attempt. I see he was wounded in three places but survived. This would have been about the time or maybe a little before Ransom sued Missouri Conservative George Caleb Bingham for damages for allegedly telling audiences that Ransom was a murderer and thief who had accumulated lots of plunder on his forays into Jackson County.

My interest is in the command of Col. Wm Penick of the 5th MSM, who was offended by Ransom's bragging about all the guerrillas his men and Red Legs supposedly killed. Penick (or someone writing for him as "Fifth Cavalry" in the KC Journal of Commerce) denounced the Red Legs, a rare point of agreement he found with Governor Gamble. I believe you have that article on your interesting blog!

Tom Jones