ORDER NUMBER 11 AND ME

http://www.civilwaronthewesternborder.org/encyclopedia/general-order-no-11 A huge replica of this famous painting by George Caleb Bingham hung for years in the Cass County, Circuit Court in Harrisonville, Missouri, that was prominently placed to be seen by all. Yet, each time that I inquired about it, no one seemed to know what was being depicted. Later, I learned that it depicted the forced evacuation of 4 western Missouri counties by Gen.. Ewing in General Order No.11, after Lawrence, Kansas, was burned down in August 1863 by William Quantrill and his gang of Confederate irregulars, whose support and troops were drawn largely from these western Missouri counties that General Ewing ordered evacuated 1 week later, after 200 abolitionist men were killed in Lawrence. Cass, Bates, Jackson, Clay were the counties that were evacuated, which is masterfully depicted herein.