Jesse James: Last Rebel of the Civil War

T.J. Stiles

Oct 2010 · Sold by Vintage

About this eBook

In this brilliant biography T. J. Stiles offers a new understanding of the legendary outlaw Jesse James. Although he has often been portrayed as a Robin Hood of the old west, in this ground-breaking work Stiles places James within the context of the bloody conflicts of the Civil War to reveal a much more complicated and significant figure.

"Carries the reader scrupulously through James’s violent, violent life.... When [Stiles]… calls Jesse James the ‘last rebel of the Civil War; he correctly defines the theme that ruled Jesse’s life." —Larry McMurtry, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Lonesome Dove via The New Republic

Raised in a fiercely pro-slavery household in bitterly divided Missouri, at age sixteen James became a bushwhacker, one of the savage Confederate guerrillas that terrorized the border states. After the end of the war, James continued his campaign of robbery and murder into the brutal era of reconstruction, when his reckless daring, his partisan pronouncements, and his alliance with the sympathetic editor John Newman Edwards placed him squarely at the forefront of the former Confederates’ bid to recapture political power.

With meticulous research and vivid accounts of the dramatic adventures of the famous gunman, T. J. Stiles shows how he resembles not the apolitical hero of legend, but rather a figure ready to use violence to command attention for a political cause—in many ways, a forerunner of the modern terrorist.

Ratings and reviews

One of the best books about Jesse James ever written. Don't be put off by the first 150 pages, which go into extensive detail about Bleeding Kansas and the Civil War history of the Kansas City area. YOU CANNOT UNDERSTAND THE REAL JESSE JAMES UNLESS YOU UNDERSTAND THIS CIVIL WAR HISTORY. Jesse was born into a brutal war zone, and this history is what made Jesse James Jesse James. This biography is brilliant.

I just finished this book. Mr. Stiles did a great job, in my opinion. Growing up in Missouri, of stock probably similar to his own, he's still in high regard. What I knew of Jesse James amounts to hagiography compared to his true motivations and opinions. They say never meet your heroes. I imagine Mr Stiles accomplished this as much as possible, because that adage is ringing true for me right now. Then again, what the hell does this old prune picker know anyways?

It's nice to read about your history. So many people claim they are related to me it's a joke. I have proof of my relation.

About the author

A native of rural Benton County, Minnesota, T.J. Stiles studied history at Carleton College and Columbia University, where he received two graduate degrees. His writings about American history include articles in Smithsonian, essays in the Los Angeles Times and the Denver Post, and a five-volume series of primary-source anthologies. He lives in New York.