Civil Government: Magistracy, Authority, and Romans 13: Christian & Civil Government

Exploits & Death of Riley Crawford

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Civil Government

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2008-11-30

Synopsis: John Weaver uses the story of Riley Crawford, a young Confederate guerrilla, to illustrate the destructive consequences of 'hemlock justice'—a perversion of true biblical justice by civil government. He argues that the injustices perpetrated by Union forces in Missouri during the Civil War, including the murder of Crawford's father and sisters, turned a 13-year-old boy into a hardened killer, demonstrating that wicked rulers produce only death and societal breakdown. The message serves as a warning about the direction of modern America if injustice continues.

[John Weaver] Hebrews chapter 11, beginning there with verse 32. Now, I'm going to do a little explaining before I even start the message today. And let me tell you the title, and I think you will understand why I'm preaching this message today in light of what I taught last Sunday. But the message is on the exploits and death of Riley Crawford. Watch Hebrews 11 verse 32, And what shall I more say?

[John Weaver] For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, and of Sapson, and of Jephthah, of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets, who through faith subdued kingdoms wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stop the mouths of lions, quench the violence of fire, escape the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again, and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance that they might obtain a better resurrection. And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourging, jail over bonds and imprisonment, They were stoned, they were sold asunder, were tempted, were slain with a sword.

[John Weaver] They wondered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented, of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains and dens and caves of the earth." And then he says,"...and these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise."

[John Weaver] Now, let me begin today by giving you an explanation because the message is going to be a historical message and hopefully will explain not only biblical principles from last week, but show you where we're headed in our country as well on the present situation. You often heard me in historical messages talk about Yankees. Let me explain something about the term Yankee. The term Yankee does not refer just simply to everyone who was ever born, who has ever lived in the North. The term Yankee is used specifically for a certain group of people who have an unbiblical and ungodly attitude toward everything, not only the world, but life and God, the Bible, the South. There were plenty of people in the North who supported the South during the War of Northern Aggression, and these people were hated by the Yankees, and they were referred to as Copperheads. And the reason they were called Copperheads is because a Copperhead is an extremely poisonous snake that can bite without warning. A rattlesnake, at least, will give you warning before he strikes.

[John Weaver] So there were plenty of people in the North who held Southern ideas and were Southern sympathizers. What you are discovering in this day and time is that there are Southern Yankees as well. In other words, there are people who were born and raised in the South but have a Yankee mentality because of Reconstruction. And Reconstruction did not stop in 1876 or 1879. Reconstruction is still going on today. So let me give you two definitions of a Yankee, and I want you to understand this. When I use the word Yankee, this is what I'm talking about.

[John Weaver] The first definition comes from Chaplain Nicholas Davis. He was originally from Limestone, Alabama. He was a member of the 4th Texas Volunteers, Confederate States of America. So here was a chaplain who was a Confederate soldier And here is how he defined Yankees. Listen carefully. Yankee. The popular name for the citizens of New England. That is what Webster says it means. A name for the people of New England.

[John Weaver] And their history is well known to the civilized world. The whole world will understand us. The word extends to all their 10,000 schemes of deception and fraud and comprehends their every act of lying and stealing from the days of Washington till the present hour in all their political, legislative, executive, commercial, civil, moral, literary, sacred, profane, theological, and diabolical history. The word Yankee, when thus applied, means meddlesome, impudent, insolent, pompous, boastful, unkind, ungrateful, unjust, knavish, false, deceitful, cowardly, swindling, thieving, robbing, brutal and murderous. This Yankee country has given birth to socialism, Mormonism, spiritualism and abolitionism and every other devilism that has cursed the nation of unionism.

[John Weaver] The only thing I can say is if he had been just a little more explicit, we could have understood what he meant. So you see what he's saying. He's saying not everybody in the North is a Yankee, but a Yankee is someone who has this mentality. And particularly, it originated with the folks from New England. Now, Professor Clyde Wilson continues to define the term Yankee, and he is a present day Author? What is he? Professor at Chapel Hill University of North Carolina, I think. Well, retired now, but he was a professor of Arab history. And here's how he uses the term Yankees. He says, the term Yankees is used to designate that peculiar ethnic group descended from New Englanders who can be easily recognized by their arrogance, hypocrisy, greed, lack of congeniality, and penchant for ordering people around.

[John Weaver] Puritans long ago abandoned anything that might be good in their religion, but have never given up on the notion that they are the chosen saints whose mission is to make America and the world into the perfection of their own image. Can you think of Clinton's? Can you think of Charles Schumer? Can you think of That political crowd who indeed are what you and I would call real Yankees. So when you hear the term Yankee, don't just think of a northerner because it's not just a northerner. A Yankee is someone with these attitudes and these dispositions who hold everything that's contrary to Scripture.

[John Weaver] And want to ruin and rule the lives of other people. So, in order to begin today, I want to remind you of the message that I preached last week from Amos 6 and verse 12 on hemlock justice. And I've dealt with that verse where God said that the civil rulers had turned judgment or justice into gall and the fruits of righteousness into hemlock. So hemlock justice is not really justice. Hemlock justice is a perversion. It is an injustice. It is a fraud. It is a corruption. It produces only death.

[John Weaver] Now, I made this statement last week that if we knew from where we had come and where we were at the present, then we would have a pretty good idea as to where we were headed. And I did not mean that statement to be taken just simply individually, but I wanted it to be understood nationally as well. It was Karl Marx who said that a people deprived of their history are easily persuaded.

[John Weaver] And certainly that is true. Again, if you don't know where you have come from, you certainly do not know where you are going.

[John Weaver] Now, I want to give you an illustration today of the type of society that hemlock justice produces. Our Lord said it very plainly in Proverbs 8 in verse 36. He said, all they that hate me love death. Hemlock justice can only produce a society and a culture of death. Now, as I share with you today, the exploits and death of Riley Crawford, I could ask this question. Who has ever heard of Riley Crawford?

[John Weaver] And by the way, Let me tell you, I've had this message basically prepared, I don't know, for a year or more, maybe longer. Just never knew when I was going to preach it until I preached last week the message on hemlock justice, and I thought, here's a perfect illustration of the truth of hemlock justice. But who has ever heard of Raleigh Crawford? We've heard of a host of other Confederate heroes. We've heard of Lee, and Jackson, and Ewell, and Quantrell, and Stewart. We've heard of a host of Biblical heroes. We've heard of Abraham, and Isaac, and Noah, and Daniel, Shammel, Samuel, Jephthah, Samson, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego. We've heard of a host of these people. But who in the world has ever heard of Riley Crawford?

[John Weaver] Now, I want to point something out in the passage that I read. Look in Hebrews 11 in verse 36. If you were to read down through the book of Hebrews chapter 11, you will find that Abraham is mentioned, that Moses is mentioned, Daniel, my goodness, Samuel, Jephthah, Barak, Gideon, David, all of these are mentioned by name. But when you look at verse 36, the Scripture says this, and others.

[John Weaver] had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, mulver of bonds and imprisonments." Now notice those words and others. In other words, not all Biblical heroes are listed in Hebrews chapter 11. There were a multitude of others. Likewise, not all Confederate heroes are known today. Not all of them have gone down in history because of their exploits in their deeds. Let me put it to you like this. Most real heroes, whether you consider Biblical heroes or Confederate heroes or Southern heroes, ever how you want to say it, most real heroes are the others.

[John Weaver] That is, they're unnamed, unknown, and basically unremembered. Yet in spite of their lack of rewards, in spite of their lack of recognition, They were faithful, they were loyal, sacrificial, and dedicated. Riley Crawford was the son of Jephthah Crawford and Elizabeth Harris. The Crawfords had nine children, the youngest of which was only five years of age. Jephthah Crawford was a farmer, and while he was indeed a Southern sympathizer, he had never personally taken up arms against the federal government. The very fact, however, that he was a Southerner who lived in Missouri was a sufficient reason for the government to seek his destruction. He was never charged with any crime. He was never indicted for any reason. Yet, simply because of orders that had been issued by the federal commanders in that area, he was hunted down and murdered in a most hateful and despicable manner. Riley Crawford was from Missouri. His parents were from Missouri. Missouri suffered greatly during the war.

[John Weaver] In all my studies that I've done on the war of northern aggression, and I know When you read about the burning in the sack of Columbia, South Carolina, when you read about Sherman's march through Georgia, I know how awful and how wicked it was. But let me tell you something, when you read the history of Missouri, I don't believe that any state really suffered the way Missouri suffered. In fact, the war actually began 10 years earlier in Missouri. It actually lasted about 20 years. Because it began about ten years earlier, then the five years during the war, and then there were still five years of cleansing after the war was over. So Missouri suffered greatly. Missouri experienced a history of hate, usurpation, tyranny, and despotism. as evidenced by all of the orders of the Union commanders who were in Missouri.

[John Weaver] For instance, as early as August the 30th, 1861, General John C. Fremont, the Union commander of the West, declared martial law in Missouri, and he stated that no quarter was to be given to Southerners. Here are part of his orders. Here's what he said, I do hereby extend and declare martial law throughout the state of Missouri. all persons who shall be taken in arms against the Union government will be shot. The property, real and personal, of all persons in the state of Missouri who shall take up arms against the United States, or who shall be directly proven to have taken an active part with their enemies in the field, is declared to be confiscated." Now, if one disagreed with General Vermont, Or if one disagreed with any of the Union commanders, he not only lost his life, he lost his property as well. You're going to find that General Fremont and General Ewing and a whole host of other Union commanders, in their usurpation, in their tyranny, and in their hatred for the South, and especially Missourians, only consolidated Southern sympathy and determination in Missouri.

[John Weaver] Let me give you an illustration, and I'm not going to tell you who said this until I give you the illustration, and I'm giving a direct quote. Now listen carefully. They, the Kansas Federal Red Legs, we're talking about United States troops, okay? They, the Kansas Federal Red Legs, tried to make my Uncle Harrison into an informer, but he wouldn't do it. He was only a boy. They tried to hang him. Time and again they tried it.

[John Weaver] Stretching his neck, they called it. But he didn't say anything. I think he'd have died before he said anything. He's the one that I'm named after. And I'm happy to say that there were people around at that time who said I took after him. Harry S. Truman, President. Speaking about what the Kansas Red Legs did to his uncle at age 13 during the War of Northern Aggression. So here they are stretching up a 13-year-old boy by the neck, releasing him, stretching him up, releasing him, stretching him, trying to make him into an informer and trying to make him talk. Thirteen years of age.

[John Weaver] Quantrell said, the most direct factor contributing to the great insurrection which took place on the western border in 1861 lay in the abuses visited upon the civil population by the Union military forces. The population which was created to support guerrilla warfare against the Union had grown larger and larger during the winter of 1861 to 1862 because of the outrageous perpetrated against the people of Missouri by the occupational forces. We're talking about federal soldiers. Now I've told you before about the General Orders that was issued from Union headquarters by Union General Thomas Ewing.

[John Weaver] Now, I told you about those orders when I preached on the world in times of Jesse James and also the message the unions wore against women and children. But however, as I bring this message, I want to refresh your mind about those orders again to show you what the civilian population of Missouri was going through. And I want you to understand how government forces then could come after innocent and harmless men and women and how they can do the same time anytime they so desire.

[John Weaver] The order that was issued from the Union headquarters on January 20, 1863 says this, listen carefully, all persons who shall knowingly harbor, conceal, aid or abet by furnishing food, clothing, information, protection, or any assistance, whatever, to any emissary, confederate officer, or soldier, partisan ranger, bushwhacker, robber, or thief shall be promptly executed." So, let me ask you a question. If you were a mother and your confederate son comes in hungry and cold, what are you going to do? If your husband happens to be a Confederate soldier and he comes home wounded and sick, what are you going to do? In other words, if you give any food, if you give any clothing, if you give any comfort, if you give any aid, no matter who you are, man, woman, boy or girl, you're to be promptly executed according to the orders issued by the Union commanders. Those orders were further defined on April 22, 1863, and listen to what is said in this order, a person dwelling within a district under military occupation and giving information to the enemies universally treated as a spy, a spy of a peculiarly dangerous character, whosoever shall be convicted of holding correspondence with or giving

[John Weaver] information to the enemy, either directly or indirectly, shall suffer or such other punishment as shall be ordered by the sentence of a court-martial." Persons engaged in carrying such correspondence will be held liable to the same punishment as the correspondence themselves. So you could not even write to your Confederate husband, to your Confederate son. You could not carry letters to Confederate soldiers. If you did, you were treated as an absolute spy, and thus you were indeed to be promptly executed.

[John Weaver] Now, General Ewing gave his order further enforcing what has been written, which is known as General Orders No. 10 on August 18, 1863. And here's what he's declared in this order. Such officers will arrest and send to the district provost marshal for punishment all men and all women, not just heads of family, who willfully aid and encourage guerrillas. The wives and children of non-guerrillas and also women who are heads of families and are willfully engaged in aiding guerrillas will be notified by such officers to move out of this district and out of the state of Missouri forthwith." Now watch what happens. There's not only orders issued to kill everyone, now here comes an order that orders all of these Southerners basically to get out of their homes, to get out of the county, to get out of the state. Not only was that order to be enforced, but also General Orders Number 11, which was issued August the 25th, 1863, listen, gave the population until September the 9th, 1863, merely two weeks, to leave the area.

[John Weaver] In other words, Southerners were literally driven from their homes simply because they were Southerners. Here's part of the order. Here's what General Ewing ordered. All persons living in Jackson, Cass, and Bates Counties, Missouri, and in that part of Vernon included in this district are hereby ordered to remove from their present places of residence within 15 days hereof. So you had two weeks. to pack your bags and get out of town. And please remember, there were no automobiles in those days. Let me show you the effect of this order. The population of Cass County before General Ewing's order was 9,794 people. After his order was executed, there was less than 600 people left in Cass County.

[John Weaver] In order to bolster General Orler's Number 10, General Orler's Number 11 were issued, and they read thus, the provisions of General Orler Number 10 from these headquarters will at once be vigorously executed by officers commanded in the parts of the district. And here's what he said, you either get out or you get killed. We will kill anyone who does not leave. Author and historian Albert Tastell wrote this concerning General Wars No. 11. He said, Order No.

[John Weaver] 11 was the most drastic and repressive military measures directed against civilians by the Union Army during the Civil War. In fact, it stands as the harshest treatment ever imposed on United States citizens under the plea of military necessity in our nation's history. He says there's nothing like General Order Number 11. One of the Union colonels, Basil F. Lazier, wrote his wife and described the scene when some of these southern families were trying to get out of these counties or be murdered by federal soldiers. Colonel Lazier wrote this to his wife.

[John Weaver] You ought to have been with me coming down from Kansas City and saw the sea-sash women and children and the few men with them fleeing from the raft to come. They were all from Jackson County and were leaving in accordance with General Ewing's order. It is heart-sickening to see what I have seen. A desolated country and many women and children, some of them almost naked and some on foot and some in old wagons. Oh, God help us.

[John Weaver] The federal commanders who believed that gorillas were in the neighborhood were authorized to shoot anyone who did not report the gorillas or report contact with the gorillas within 48 hours to Union officers. So then if Phil knew that he was a group of gorillas over here camping two miles from his farm, If he didn't report that encampment, he was killed. His family was killed. So they're now authorized to kill all who know about the guerrillas. Not just who helped them, but who know about them. One such Union officer who was extremely vigorous in following those orders was Colonel William Bill Penning. Here's what he wrote. It is impossible to fight these gorillas on their own ground in the brush where they have every advantage over us.

[John Weaver] We must make it unhealthy for the neighborhoods where they harbor them. It is my intention whenever I find a camp of bushwhackers to take some revenge on those who I have satisfactory reason to believe have knowledge of the existence of such a camp and did not report it. So he said, I'm not just interested in killing the guerrillas. I'm going to kill anybody and everybody whom I suspect had knowledge of their whereabouts and did not report it.

[John Weaver] Now, as a sidelight, Company V, which had earlier been commanded by Colonel Pinnock, was known as Pinnock's thieves. Pinnock was known to assassinate anyone that he suspected of being a Southern sympathizer or anyone who even had any knowledge of any of the guerrillas. He hanged Sam Kimberling, a 51-year-old farmer with six kids, from a rafter in Kimberling's own barn. Kimberling had never taken sides during the war.

[John Weaver] There was no charges against him. He had never taken up arms against the Union. Colonel Pinnock hanged him from a rafter in his own barn just simply because he didn't want him, didn't like him, thought he was a Southern sympathizer. Pinnock was known as a rough and uneducated man. He was a radical unionist who placed bounties on the heads of Southern soldiers. He offered $1,000 for the head of Cole Younger. He also offered $500 for either of the McCorkle brothers. And he also placed the $100 bounty on the head of any guerrilla. He stated, here's what Colonel Pinnick believed, he stated that he believed the guerrilla problem could be wiped out if fire, hemp, and gunpowder were freely used. In other words, his resolution to the problem of Southerners was just to kill them all.

[John Weaver] And he practiced what he preached. For in late January of 1863, he burned down 13 homes of Southern sympathizers along with the Baptist Church building in Oak Grove, Missouri. Penick pillaged, burned, and murdered without remorse. It was this same Union commander, Colonel Bill Penick, on or about 18th of February, 1863, while he was stationed at Independence, Missouri, sent out a group of scouts, around 75 men, and they all went to the house of Colonel Jim Sanders. When they reached the house of Colonel Jim Sanders, they divided. One part stayed at Colonel Sanders' house and the other headed for Uncle Jephthah Crawford's house. Now let me show you the absolute wickedness of these Union soldiers. And on the other hand, the kindness and the hospitality of the Southerners. Mrs. Saunders, when this group of Federal soldiers came to her house, she and her daughter prepared dinner for all of the soldiers who were there. Colonel Sanders, or Saunders was his name, Colonel Saunders provided food for all of their horses. And everything went well until dinner was over.

[John Weaver] Now listen, this was around the 18th of February, 1863. It was winter. Snow was 14 inches deep. It was 10 below zero. After dinner, Colonel Saunders was placed under guard. The house was then burned to the ground. And the women and children were not even allowed to get a bonnet or a shawl.

[John Weaver] Now, the Southerners had just fed these men, provided for their horses. And so they arrest Colonel Saunders, burn his house to the ground, And they say to Mrs. Saunders that they're going to take Colonel Saunders to Independence and make him take the oath. That is the oath of allegiance. On their way to Independence, they stopped at the house of James Burris. They dismounted Colonel Saunders and shot him to death. Here's a southern family that just provided food and nourishment for them.

[John Weaver] And they reward them by burning down their home and murdering an old man. Now, it did not fare well at the Crawford house either. No one was given an opportunity to either take or refuse the oath. You've got to remember in those days. If you did not take the oath of loyalty, then you were immediately face the death penalty. Here's the account of an eyewitness that saw what transpired at the Crawford Farm. In fact, William H. Gregg, who was one of the lieutenants of Quantrell, was not only a fierce fighter, but he was an excellent writer and an author. And this is taken from his little dab of history without embellishment from an eyewitness that was there. Here's what the eyewitness said. Mr. Crawford, an old man with a large family of children, was a Southern sympathizer, but had never taken up arms against the government. He went to the mill one day with a sack of corn to have it ground to make bread for his wife and children. He left home early in the morning and was to be back by noon.

[John Weaver] Noon came. The wife had prepared dinner as best she could, but was waiting for her husband to return so she could have bread for their dinner. Two o'clock came and the husband was still absent. The children were hungry, crying for something to eat. The mother would say, Papa will soon be here, then my darling shall have something to eat. Three o'clock came and the mother saw a company of soldiers approaching.

[John Weaver] They rode up to the door. The mother looked out and saw her husband, a prisoner in their midst. He was told to dismount. After he did so. Then they shot him down before the eyes of his wife and children, shot him down like a wild beast. The mother was told to get out of the house with her children as they were going to burn the house. She asked them to let her give her little children something to eat as they had nothing to eat since early morning.

[John Weaver] In answer to her appeal, one of them snatched a bran from the fire and struck it to a straw bed. Everything was soon in flames. The mother hastened from the house, snatching up a few things as she went. Her husband killed, her house burned, she and her children turned out in the cold world, homeless and destitute. The witness went on to say, oh, how strange that men made in the image of God could be so cruel and heartless. Mrs. Crawford and her children were thrown out in the freezing weather without food and without proper clothing.

[John Weaver] You've got to remember, 14 inches of snow, 10 degrees below zero. They were deprived of all their necessities. The only thing left them was an absolute burning hatred for anyone and anything that wore a blue uniform. Thankfully, a kind, caring, gracious Christian and Southern family took in the Crawfords regardless of the orders from General Ewing. Mrs. Crawford heard that Quantrell was in a camp nearby. She took her four sons, William, who was 22, the twins, Marshall and Marion, who were 15, and Riley, of whom this message is about, to Quantrell and said to Quantrell, these are all I have left.

[John Weaver] Take them and make soldiers out of them. Riley, of whom we are speaking, was not only the youngest of Quantrell's soldiers, he was also one of the fiercest fighters. Any and all of Quantrell's men were great fighters. They knew their enemy and they knew exactly what to do when they were confronted by their enemies. Confederate General E. Kirby Smith said this concerning Quantrill's men. He said, No better force could be employed than that of Quantrill's Missourians. They are bold, fearless men composed of the very best class of Missourians.

[John Weaver] They have suffered every outrage in their person and their families at the hands of the Federals, and being outlawed and their lives forfeited, have waged a war of no quarter whenever they have come into contact with the enemy. So what did Kirby Smith say? These men knew what outrages were not only personally but in their families. Riley Crawford was no exception. Riley Crawford learned quickly and became adept at killing Yankee soldiers. He had learned he had to either kill or be killed. He had to either kill or let his enemies kill him.

[John Weaver] Union General Curtis had issued General Orders No. 30, which not only defined a gorilla, but also gave the punishment for a gorilla. Here's what General Orders No. 30 said. Whosoever shall be convicted as a gorilla shall suffer death. They deserve no quarters, no terms of civilized warfare, pursue, strike, and destroy the reptiles. So if you were a Confederate gorilla, you were considered a reptile who was to be pursued and destroyed.

[John Weaver] Quantrell took his men along with the Crawford brothers and ambushed a group of federal soldiers waiting for a patrol from Independence, Missouri. Quantrell and his lieutenant, George Todd, shot five federal soldiers from their saddles instantly and then killed four more as they tried to retreat. Quantrell then took the dead Union soldiers, put them in a wagon, and sent them back to Independence, and attached a note for Colonel Pinnock, and it said the same fate awaited all Federal soldiers who ventured into Quantrell country. On one occasion when Quantrell and his men had whipped Union General Blunt, they were plundering the Federal wagons, and you're going to understand this in just a few moments. They were plundering the Federal wagons when young Riley Crawford was playfully shouting commands to fallen Union soldiers. To one prostrate Union soldier, he yelled, Get up, you Federal SOB! To everyone's amazement, the Federal soldier stood up, thinking that young Riley had found him feigning death. As he stood up, He did not have to pretend any longer because young Riley quickly dispatched him.

[John Weaver] Now, in order to understand the driving force behind Riley Crawford, you have to recall the message that I preached several years ago on the Union's war against women and children. In that message, I told you about a number of Southern women, especially younger women, who had been arrested by General Ewing for no other reason than the fact that they were Southerners, espoused Southern sentiments, and some of them were related, indeed, to Quantrell soldiers. And so what General Ewing was trying to do was to hold these women as hostage and use them as pawns and as bargaining chips against Quantrell and his men. You remember these women were later placed into a building. The building was undermined by federal soldiers. Many believe at the orders of General Ewing. Five of those women were murdered, crushed to death in the falling building when that building was deliberately undermined. Two of those young women who were killed were Susan Crawford Vandiver and Arminia Crawford Selvey, two sisters of Riley Crawford. After his sisters were killed so viciously. Riley Crawford was never known to spare a Union soldier.

[John Weaver] In a newspaper article dated November 11, 1911, Elizabeth Harris, the sister of Nannie Harris, who was one of the captured girls, wrote this. I was a girl of eleven at the time as I remembered that the Union men sent three caskets containing my cousins to Little Blue. With the caskets was a satchel of trinkets and dry goods that my sister and Charity had gone to town to buy.

[John Weaver] The dead were buried in the Old Smith Cemetery near Raytown. We didn't have much time for funerals in those days, and the three were buried in one grave. A little after the guardhouse fell, Order No. 11 was issued and our house at Little Blue was burned. We went down near Glasgow and my sister Nanny, listen to this, she was one of the girls, my sister Nanny walked there after she got away from the Union guardhouse almost a hundred miles. After the guardhouse fell, the remaining women were taken to some hotel and kept for a period of time. Can you imagine walking a hundred miles?

[John Weaver] But after the murder of his two sisters, Riley refused to take federal prisoners. He just killed every Union soldier that fell into his hands. He had reason enough to hate the federal soldiers because of the murder of his father, the destruction of his family home, and the burden they placed upon his mother. Now he had two additional reasons. Riley became as efficient in killing Union soldiers as did Bloody Bill Anderson. You remember when Bloody Bill Anderson was killed, he had a silk kerchief that he kept that had 54 knots in it, one for each Union soldier that he'd killed. Riley Crawford was with Quantrell.

[John Weaver] as they raided Lawrence, Kansas. You must remember that Lawrence, Kansas was commonly known as the Citadel of Stolen Goods. In other words, all of the raids into Missouri by the Red Legs and other Union soldiers, when all of the goods were stolen from Missouri, they were taken to Lawrence, Kansas and there they were auctioned off or they were sold. A lot of Southerners were killed, murdered, when they went to Lawrence, Kansas to try to get back their goods that had been stolen from them.

[John Weaver] And by the way, I despise what Hollywood does to history. If you will watch The Hollywood movie, Ride with the Devil, which is supposed to be one of Quantrell's raid into Lawrence, Kansas. You'll see women being shot. No, no. There were no women shot. Quantrell gave the order, kill every federal soldier that you see. And then he had a list of men and only men who were to be killed. Quantrell said, kill no woman and child. He said, harm no woman and child. He said, anyone that harms a woman and child will answer to me. So, young Riley was with Quantrell when they rode into Lawrence, Kansas. After the attack on Lawrence, Kansas, on their way back to Missouri, they stopped at the home of Lanthrop Bulleen, and food was prepared for the Confederate soldiers. Now, listen, it doesn't matter if you're a Yankee and you have a hundred Confederate soldiers who ask for food, I'm sure you're going to get it. If you're a southerner and you have a hundred federal soldiers asking for food, you're going to give it.

[John Weaver] You basically have no choice in the matter in what says the word. But they stopped at this home of Lanthrop Bulleen, and Riley specifically asked for food, and food was given to these Confederate soldiers. The woman of the house was from Wisconsin. And she voiced her opinion, and here's what she said. She believed it was outrageous that men had been shot down in the streets of Lawrence.

[John Weaver] When she said that, young Raleigh Crawford fiercely replied, I had two sisters arrested in Kansas City by Union men for entertaining Southern sentiments. They were imprisoned in a building used as a guardhouse. The building was known to be unsafe and beside, it was undermined. One night that building fell and my two sisters and three other ladies were crushed to death. Raleigh paused for a moment and then said, Jenison has laid waste our homes and your red legs have perpetrated unheard of crimes.

[John Weaver] I'm here for revenge and I've got it. Notice, if you would, Gung Reilly is admitting that the raid on Lawrence, Kansas was precipitated by what the Union soldiers had done to the women and children when they undermined that building. Reilly fought tooth and nail against the Union army. After his sister was killed, again, he never spared a Yankee. He was an intrepid, courageous, and valiant warrior. Now listen to this. His last battle was fought in Cooper County, Missouri. He was riding with George Todd when they encountered Union troops. Young Riley was leading the charge when he was shot from his saddle with a load of buck and ball, that's buck shot in a big ball, fired by a Yankee soldier who was hidden in ambush behind a fence corner. His death was lamented by his comrades, but in revenge they fought furiously and won a victory with 114 federal troops killed, 80 horses captured, 50 recruits gathered up, and a half a million dollars of federal property destroyed.

[John Weaver] Now I want to get to something that you probably never thought of. As I told you earlier, you remember I told you that after his father, Jephthah Crawford, was murdered by the federal troops, after his home was burned down, his mother and children put out in the cold without anything. He remembers Mrs. Crawford who took her sons, four sons, to Quantrell and ask him to make soldiers out of them.

[John Weaver] Her oldest son, William, was 22. The twins, Marshall and Marion, were 15. Young Riley was 13 years of age. Young Riley was a hardened, intrepid, courageous, and extremely dangerous combat veteran when he was shot down at the age of 16. There are a few researchers that list his age at 17. But in the book, James Simeon Whitsett, Quantrell Rader, a man who wrote with Quantrell. Whitsett said that young Riley did not live to see his 17th birthday.

[John Weaver] I want you to listen. Hemlock justice. Injustice. whether done by individuals, groups, or governments, always lead to reprisals. When one is denied justice, he will either seek it by overthrowing those who refuse to give it, or by personal revenge. Either way, the results are catastrophic. Governments composed of wicked men cannot and will not issue true justice. Remember, I told you last week that true justice is biblical justice, and it's based upon the precepts laid down in God's law. When the wicked are justified and the righteous are condemned, according to Proverbs 17, verse 1, both are an abomination to God. Such wicked rulings Only serve to harden the determination of others to seek real justice. You know what the Bible says in Proverbs 29 verse 2? Listen to this. When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked bear rule, the righteous mourn. Why? Because there is no justice. Here's another application.

[John Weaver] This is something we need to think about, folks. Children are just as easily and just as quickly affected by injustice as are adults. When you consider that a 13-year-old boy can become a hardened combat veteran and be killed in battle fighting for what he believes is real justice at the age of 16, You've got to understand, yes, injustice does affect everyone. It should open our eyes to the results of a wicked, ungodly civil government that is not interested in justice.

[John Weaver] Thirdly, I want you to remember this. God ordained civil government. Why did God ordain civil government? He tells you in Romans chapter 13, he said, for he, the civil ruler, is God's minister of thee for good. How is he to be God's minister for us for good? If you read in Romans 13 in verse four, the role of civil government is twofold. On the one hand, they're to punish the wicked and on the other hand, they're to protect the righteous. That's it. God instituted civil government so that civil government may protect the righteous and punish the wicked.

[John Weaver] Let me ask you a question. Who determines what righteousness is? Who determines what wickedness is? The answer is it's God. It's given us in his word. The civil government is bound to be biblical, obligated to be biblical, not only because God ordained it, and not only because it's answerable and accountable to him, but it can only render true justice as it renders biblical justice. Do you realize that one of the most potent reasons to fight against injustice is self-preservation? You don't have to fight for your life, but your family, your home, your friends. Protection of life. One of these days, if God allows me to live long enough and gives me the time, I'm going to bring a message. On outlaws. And I'm going to show you all of the famous or you want to use the term infamous outlaws in this country. Were made so by government when it refused to give true justice.

[John Weaver] I wonder, in light of present day circumstances, where we're going in this country. And what is going to happen when the people get fed up with the wickedness, the corruption, the fraud and the injustice that's being perpetrated upon us? If you know where you've come from, if you know where you are, You probably have a pretty good idea where you're going. Let's pray. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we ask for your grace, for your mercy, for your goodness, for your kindness. We pray, Lord, that you would teach us, open our eyes, make us aware, make us alert. And may we understand our times, Lord, that we may prepare our hearts and our lives and be more holy and more godly and more obedient. In the name of Jesus Christ we ask and pray, Amen.

Exploits & Death of Riley Crawford

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	33109182463
Subject	Civil Government
Course	Civil Government: Magistracy, Authority, and Romans 13: Christian & Civil Government
Genre	Sermon
Date	2008-11-30
Dictation Name
Book	Book 008: Civil Government: Magistracy, Authority, and Romans 13 — Chapter 11
Source Timed Segments	62

Formatted Transcript

Introduction: Defining 'Yankee' and Hemlock Justice

Weaver clarifies that 'Yankee' refers not to all Northerners but to those with an ungodly, arrogant, and oppressive mentality, originating in New England. He connects this to last week's message on hemlock justice from Amos 6:12, where civil rulers pervert justice into poison.

Hebrews chapter 11, beginning there with verse 32. Now, I'm going to do a little explaining before I even start the message today. And let me tell you the title, and I think you will understand why I'm preaching this message today in light of what I taught last Sunday. But the message is on the exploits and death of Riley Crawford. Watch Hebrews 11 verse 32,

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 11:32-38

"And what shall I more say?" "For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthah, of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets, who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again, and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea moreover of bonds and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with a sword." "They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented, of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains and dens and caves of the earth."

And then he says, "...and these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise." Now, let me begin today by giving you an explanation because the message is going to be a historical message and hopefully will explain not only biblical principles from last week, but show you where we're headed in our country as well on the present situation. You often heard me in historical messages talk about Yankees. Let me explain something about the term Yankee. The term Yankee does not refer just simply to everyone who was ever born, who has ever lived in the North. The term Yankee is used specifically for a certain group of people who have an unbiblical and ungodly attitude toward everything, not only the world, but life and God, the Bible, the South. There were plenty of people in the North who supported the South during the War of Northern Aggression, and these people were hated by the Yankees, and they were referred to as Copperheads. And the reason they were called Copperheads is because a Copperhead is an extremely poisonous snake that can bite without warning. A rattlesnake, at least, will give you warning before he strikes.

So there were plenty of people in the North who held Southern ideas and were Southern sympathizers. What you are discovering in this day and time is that there are Southern Yankees as well. In other words, there are people who were born and raised in the South but have a Yankee mentality because of Reconstruction. And Reconstruction did not stop in 1876 or 1879. Reconstruction is still going on today. So let me give you two definitions of a Yankee, and I want you to understand this. When I use the word Yankee, this is what I'm talking about.

The first definition comes from Chaplain Nicholas Davis. He was originally from Limestone, Alabama. He was a member of the 4th Texas Volunteers, Confederate States of America. So here was a chaplain who was a Confederate soldier. And here is how he defined Yankees. Listen carefully. "Yankee. The popular name for the citizens of New England." That is what Webster says it means. A name for the people of New England.

"And their history is well known to the civilized world. The whole world will understand us. The word extends to all their 10,000 schemes of deception and fraud and comprehends their every act of lying and stealing from the days of Washington till the present hour in all their political, legislative, executive, commercial, civil, moral, literary, sacred, profane, theological, and diabolical history. The word Yankee, when thus applied, means meddlesome, impudent, insolent, pompous, boastful, unkind, ungrateful, unjust, knavish, false, deceitful, cowardly, swindling, thieving, robbing, brutal and murderous. This Yankee country has given birth to socialism, Mormonism, spiritualism and abolitionism and every other devilism that has cursed the nation of unionism." The only thing I can say is if he had been just a little more explicit, we could have understood what he meant. So you see what he's saying. He's saying not everybody in the North is a Yankee, but a Yankee is someone who has this mentality. And particularly, it originated with the folks from New England. Now, Professor Clyde Wilson continues to define the term Yankee, and he is a present day author. What is he? Professor at Chapel Hill, University of North Carolina, I think. Well, retired now, but he was a professor of American history. And here's how he uses the term Yankees. He says, "The term Yankees is used to designate that peculiar ethnic group descended from New Englanders who can be easily recognized by their arrogance, hypocrisy, greed, lack of congeniality, and penchant for ordering people around."

Scripture Reading — Amos 6:12

"Puritans long ago abandoned anything that might be good in their religion, but have never given up on the notion that they are the chosen saints whose mission is to make America and the world into the perfection of their own image." Can you think of Clintons? Can you think of Chuck Schumer? Can you think of that political crowd who indeed are what you and I would call real Yankees? So when you hear the term Yankee, don't just think of a northerner because it's not just a northerner. A Yankee is someone with these attitudes and these dispositions who hold everything that's contrary to Scripture. And want to ruin and rule the lives of other people. So, in order to begin today, I want to remind you of the message that I preached last week from Amos 6 and verse 12 on hemlock justice. And I've dealt with that verse where God said that the civil rulers had turned judgment or justice into gall and the fruits of righteousness into hemlock. So hemlock justice is not really justice. Hemlock justice is a perversion. It is an injustice. It is a fraud. It is a corruption. It produces only death.

Now, I made this statement last week that if we knew from where we had come and where we were at the present, then we would have a pretty good idea as to where we were headed. And I did not mean that statement to be taken just simply individually, but I wanted it to be understood nationally as well. It was Karl Marx who said that a people deprived of their history are easily persuaded.

The Importance of Knowing History

Weaver emphasizes that knowing where we come from helps us understand where we are going, quoting Karl Marx's statement that a people deprived of their history are easily persuaded.

And certainly that is true. Again, if you don't know where you have come from, you certainly do not know where you are going. Now, I want to give you an illustration today of the type of society that hemlock justice produces. Our Lord said it very plainly in Proverbs 8 and verse 36. He said,

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 8:36

"All they that hate me love death."

Hemlock justice can only produce a society and a culture of death. Now, as I share with you today, the exploits and death of Riley Crawford, I could ask this question. Who has ever heard of Riley Crawford?

Introducing Riley Crawford: An 'Other' Hero

Weaver introduces Riley Crawford as an example of the 'others' mentioned in Hebrews 11:36—unnamed, unknown heroes who remained faithful despite lack of recognition. Crawford was a young Confederate guerrilla from Missouri.

And by the way, let me tell you, I've had this message basically prepared, I don't know, for a year or more, maybe longer. Just never knew when I was going to preach it until I preached last week the message on hemlock justice, and I thought, here's a perfect illustration of the truth of hemlock justice. But who has ever heard of Riley Crawford? We've heard of a host of other Confederate heroes. We've heard of Lee, and Jackson, and Ewell, and Quantrill, and Stuart. We've heard of a host of Biblical heroes. We've heard of Abraham, and Isaac, and Noah, and Daniel, Samuel, Jephthah, Samson, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego. We've heard of a host of these people. But who in the world has ever heard of Riley Crawford?

Now, I want to point something out in the passage that I read. Look in Hebrews 11 in verse 36. If you were to read down through the book of Hebrews chapter 11, you will find that Abraham is mentioned, that Moses is mentioned, Daniel, my goodness, Samuel, Jephthah, Barak, Gideon, David, all of these are mentioned by name. But when you look at verse 36, the Scripture says this, "and others." "had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea moreover of bonds and imprisonments." Now notice those words "and others." In other words, not all Biblical heroes are listed in Hebrews chapter 11. There were a multitude of others. Likewise, not all Confederate heroes are known today. Not all of them have gone down in history because of their exploits in their deeds. Let me put it to you like this. Most real heroes, whether you consider Biblical heroes or Confederate heroes or Southern heroes, ever how you want to say it, most real heroes are the others.

That is, they're unnamed, unknown, and basically unremembered. Yet in spite of their lack of rewards, in spite of their lack of recognition, they were faithful, they were loyal, sacrificial, and dedicated. Riley Crawford was the son of Jephthah Crawford and Elizabeth Harris. The Crawfords had nine children, the youngest of which was only five years of age. Jephthah Crawford was a farmer, and while he was indeed a Southern sympathizer, he had never personally taken up arms against the federal government. The very fact, however, that he was a Southerner who lived in Missouri was a sufficient reason for the government to seek his destruction. He was never charged with any crime. He was never indicted for any reason. Yet, simply because of orders that had been issued by the federal commanders in that area, he was hunted down and murdered in a most hateful and despicable manner. Riley Crawford was from Missouri. His parents were from Missouri. Missouri suffered greatly during the war.

The Injustice Against the Crawford Family

Weaver details the murder of Jephthah Crawford by Union soldiers, the burning of the family home, and the destitution of his widow and children, all without any charges or trial.

In all my studies that I've done on the war of northern aggression, and I know when you read about the burning in the sack of Columbia, South Carolina, when you read about Sherman's march through Georgia, I know how awful and how wicked it was. But let me tell you something, when you read the history of Missouri, I don't believe that any state really suffered the way Missouri suffered. In fact, the war actually began 10 years earlier in Missouri. It actually lasted about 20 years. Because it began about ten years earlier, then the five years during the war, and then there were still five years of cleansing after the war was over. So Missouri suffered greatly. Missouri experienced a history of hate, usurpation, tyranny, and despotism, as evidenced by all of the orders of the Union commanders who were in Missouri.

For instance, as early as August the 30th, 1861, General John C. Frémont, the Union commander of the West, declared martial law in Missouri, and he stated that no quarter was to be given to Southerners. Here are part of his orders. Here's what he said, "I do hereby extend and declare martial law throughout the state of Missouri. All persons who shall be taken in arms against the Union government will be shot. The property, real and personal, of all persons in the state of Missouri who shall take up arms against the United States, or who shall be directly proven to have taken an active part with their enemies in the field, is declared to be confiscated." Now, if one disagreed with General Frémont, or if one disagreed with any of the Union commanders, he not only lost his life, he lost his property as well. You're going to find that General Frémont and General Ewing and a whole host of other Union commanders, in their usurpation, in their tyranny, and in their hatred for the South, and especially Missourians, only consolidated Southern sympathy and determination in Missouri.

Let me give you an illustration, and I'm not going to tell you who said this until I give you the illustration, and I'm giving a direct quote. Now listen carefully. "They, the Kansas Federal Red Legs," we're talking about United States troops, okay? "They, the Kansas Federal Red Legs, tried to make my Uncle Harrison into an informer, but he wouldn't do it. He was only a boy. They tried to hang him. Time and again they tried it."

"Stretching his neck, they called it. But he didn't say anything. I think he'd have died before he said anything. He's the one that I'm named after. And I'm happy to say that there were people around at that time who said I took after him." Harry S. Truman, President. Speaking about what the Kansas Red Legs did to his uncle at age 13 during the War of Northern Aggression. So here they are stretching up a 13-year-old boy by the neck, releasing him, stretching him up, releasing him, stretching him, trying to make him into an informer and trying to make him talk. Thirteen years of age.

Quantrill said, "The most direct factor contributing to the great insurrection which took place on the western border in 1861 lay in the abuses visited upon the civil population by the Union military forces. The population which was created to support guerrilla warfare against the Union had grown larger and larger during the winter of 1861 to 1862 because of the outrages perpetrated against the people of Missouri by the occupational forces." We're talking about federal soldiers. Now I've told you before about the General Orders that was issued from Union headquarters by Union General Thomas Ewing. Now, I told you about those orders when I preached on the world in times of Jesse James and also the message the unions wore against women and children. But however, as I bring this message, I want to refresh your mind about those orders again to show you what the civilian population of Missouri was going through. And I want you to understand how government forces then could come after innocent and harmless men and women and how they can do the same time anytime they so desire.

The order that was issued from the Union headquarters on January 20, 1863 says this, listen carefully, "All persons who shall knowingly harbor, conceal, aid or abet by furnishing food, clothing, information, protection, or any assistance, whatever, to any emissary, confederate officer, or soldier, partisan ranger, bushwhacker, robber, or thief shall be promptly executed." So, let me ask you a question. If you were a mother and your confederate son comes in hungry and cold, what are you going to do? If your husband happens to be a Confederate soldier and he comes home wounded and sick, what are you going to do? In other words, if you give any food, if you give any clothing, if you give any comfort, if you give any aid, no matter who you are, man, woman, boy or girl, you're to be promptly executed according to the orders issued by the Union commanders. Those orders were further defined on April 22, 1863, and listen to what is said in this order, "a person dwelling within a district under military occupation and giving information to the enemies universally treated as a spy, a spy of a peculiarly dangerous character, whosoever shall be convicted of holding correspondence with or giving

information to the enemy, either directly or indirectly, shall suffer or such other punishment as shall be ordered by the sentence of a court-martial." Persons engaged in carrying such correspondence will be held liable to the same punishment as the correspondence themselves. So you could not even write to your Confederate husband, to your Confederate son. You could not carry letters to Confederate soldiers. If you did, you were treated as an absolute spy, and thus you were indeed to be promptly executed.

Now, General Ewing gave his order further enforcing what has been written, which is known as General Orders No. 10 on August 18, 1863. And here's what he's declared in this order. "Such officers will arrest and send to the district provost marshal for punishment all men and all women, not just heads of family, who willfully aid and encourage guerrillas. The wives and children of non-guerrillas and also women who are heads of families and are willfully engaged in aiding guerrillas will be notified by such officers to move out of this district and out of the state of Missouri forthwith." Now watch what happens. There's not only orders issued to kill everyone, now here comes an order that orders all of these Southerners basically to get out of their homes, to get out of the county, to get out of the state. Not only was that order to be enforced, but also General Orders Number 11, which was issued August the 25th, 1863, listen, gave the population until September the 9th, 1863, merely two weeks, to leave the area.

In other words, Southerners were literally driven from their homes simply because they were Southerners. Here's part of the order. Here's what General Ewing ordered. "All persons living in Jackson, Cass, and Bates Counties, Missouri, and in that part of Vernon included in this district are hereby ordered to remove from their present places of residence within 15 days hereof." So you had two weeks to pack your bags and get out of town. And please remember, there were no automobiles in those days. Let me show you the effect of this order. The population of Cass County before General Ewing's order was 9,794 people. After his order was executed, there was less than 600 people left in Cass County.

In order to bolster General Order Number 10, General Order Number 11 were issued, and they read thus, "The provisions of General Order Number 10 from these headquarters will at once be vigorously executed by officers commanded in the parts of the district." And here's what he said, you either get out or you get killed. We will kill anyone who does not leave. Author and historian Albert Castel wrote this concerning General Order No. 11. He said, "Order No. 11 was the most drastic and repressive military measures directed against civilians by the Union Army during the Civil War. In fact, it stands as the harshest treatment ever imposed on United States citizens under the plea of military necessity in our nation's history." He says there's nothing like General Order Number 11. One of the Union colonels, Basil F. Lazier, wrote his wife and described the scene when some of these southern families were trying to get out of these counties or be murdered by federal soldiers. Colonel Lazier wrote this to his wife.

"You ought to have been with me coming down from Kansas City and saw the secesh women and children and the few men with them fleeing from the raft to come. They were all from Jackson County and were leaving in accordance with General Ewing's order. It is heart-sickening to see what I have seen. A desolated country and many women and children, some of them almost naked and some on foot and some in old wagons. Oh, God help us." The federal commanders who believed that guerrillas were in the neighborhood were authorized to shoot anyone who did not report the guerrillas or report contact with the guerrillas within 48 hours to Union officers. So then if Phil knew that he was a group of guerrillas over here camping two miles from his farm, if he didn't report that encampment, he was killed. His family was killed. So they're now authorized to kill all who know about the guerrillas. Not just who helped them, but who know about them. One such Union officer who was extremely vigorous in following those orders was Colonel William Bill Penick. Here's what he wrote. "It is impossible to fight these guerrillas on their own ground in the brush where they have every advantage over us.

We must make it unhealthy for the neighborhoods where they harbor them. It is my intention whenever I find a camp of bushwhackers to take some revenge on those who I have satisfactory reason to believe have knowledge of the existence of such a camp and did not report it." So he said, I'm not just interested in killing the guerrillas. I'm going to kill anybody and everybody whom I suspect had knowledge of their whereabouts and did not report it. Now, as a sidelight, Company V, which had earlier been commanded by Colonel Penick, was known as Penick's thieves. Penick was known to assassinate anyone that he suspected of being a Southern sympathizer or anyone who even had any knowledge of any of the guerrillas. He hanged Sam Kimberling, a 51-year-old farmer with six kids, from a rafter in Kimberling's own barn. Kimberling had never taken sides during the war.

There was no charges against him. He had never taken up arms against the Union. Colonel Penick hanged him from a rafter in his own barn just simply because he didn't want him, didn't like him, thought he was a Southern sympathizer. Penick was known as a rough and uneducated man. He was a radical unionist who placed bounties on the heads of Southern soldiers. He offered $1,000 for the head of Cole Younger. He also offered $500 for either of the McCorkle brothers. And he also placed the $100 bounty on the head of any guerrilla. He stated, here's what Colonel Penick believed, he stated that he believed the guerrilla problem could be wiped out if fire, hemp, and gunpowder were freely used. In other words, his resolution to the problem of Southerners was just to kill them all.

And he practiced what he preached. For in late January of 1863, he burned down 13 homes of Southern sympathizers along with the Baptist Church building in Oak Grove, Missouri. Penick pillaged, burned, and murdered without remorse. It was this same Union commander, Colonel Bill Penick, on or about 18th of February, 1863, while he was stationed at Independence, Missouri, sent out a group of scouts, around 75 men, and they all went to the house of Colonel Jim Sanders. When they reached the house of Colonel Jim Sanders, they divided. One part stayed at Colonel Sanders' house and the other headed for Uncle Jephthah Crawford's house. Now let me show you the absolute wickedness of these Union soldiers. And on the other hand, the kindness and the hospitality of the Southerners. Mrs. Saunders, when this group of Federal soldiers came to her house, she and her daughter prepared dinner for all of the soldiers who were there. Colonel Sanders, or Saunders was his name, Colonel Saunders provided food for all of their horses. And everything went well until dinner was over.

Now listen, this was around the 18th of February, 1863. It was winter. Snow was 14 inches deep. It was 10 below zero. After dinner, Colonel Saunders was placed under guard. The house was then burned to the ground. And the women and children were not even allowed to get a bonnet or a shawl.

Now, the Southerners had just fed these men, provided for their horses. And so they arrest Colonel Saunders, burn his house to the ground, and they say to Mrs. Saunders that they're going to take Colonel Saunders to Independence and make him take the oath. That is the oath of allegiance. On their way to Independence, they stopped at the house of James Burris. They dismounted Colonel Saunders and shot him to death. Here's a southern family that just provided food and nourishment for them.

And they reward them by burning down their home and murdering an old man. Now, it did not fare well at the Crawford house either. No one was given an opportunity to either take or refuse the oath. You've got to remember in those days. If you did not take the oath of loyalty, then you were immediately face the death penalty. Here's the account of an eyewitness that saw what transpired at the Crawford Farm. In fact, William H. Gregg, who was one of the lieutenants of Quantrill, was not only a fierce fighter, but he was an excellent writer and an author. And this is taken from his little dab of history without embellishment from an eyewitness that was there. Here's what the eyewitness said. "Mr. Crawford, an old man with a large family of children, was a Southern sympathizer, but had never taken up arms against the government. He went to the mill one day with a sack of corn to have it ground to make bread for his wife and children. He left home early in the morning and was to be back by noon.

Noon came. The wife had prepared dinner as best she could, but was waiting for her husband to return so she could have bread for their dinner. Two o'clock came and the husband was still absent. The children were hungry, crying for something to eat. The mother would say, 'Papa will soon be here, then my darling shall have something to eat.' Three o'clock came and the mother saw a company of soldiers approaching. They rode up to the door. The mother looked out and saw her husband, a prisoner in their midst. He was told to dismount. After he did so, then they shot him down before the eyes of his wife and children, shot him down like a wild beast. The mother was told to get out of the house with her children as they were going to burn the house. She asked them to let her give her little children something to eat as they had nothing to eat since early morning.

In answer to her appeal, one of them snatched a brand from the fire and struck it to a straw bed. Everything was soon in flames. The mother hastened from the house, snatching up a few things as she went. Her husband killed, her house burned, she and her children turned out in the cold world, homeless and destitute. The witness went on to say, 'Oh, how strange that men made in the image of God could be so cruel and heartless.' Mrs. Crawford and her children were thrown out in the freezing weather without food and without proper clothing. You've got to remember, 14 inches of snow, 10 degrees below zero. They were deprived of all their necessities. The only thing left them was an absolute burning hatred for anyone and anything that wore a blue uniform. Thankfully, a kind, caring, gracious Christian and Southern family took in the Crawfords regardless of the orders from General Ewing. Mrs. Crawford heard that Quantrill was in a camp nearby. She took her four sons, William, who was 22, the twins, Marshall and Marion, who were 15, and Riley, of whom this message is about, to Quantrill and said to Quantrill, "These are all I have left.

Riley Crawford's Transformation into a Guerrilla Fighter

After his father's murder, Riley's mother took her sons to Quantrill, asking him to make soldiers of them. Riley became one of the youngest and fiercest fighters, driven by a desire for revenge.

Take them and make soldiers out of them." Riley, of whom we are speaking, was not only the youngest of Quantrill's soldiers, he was also one of the fiercest fighters. Any and all of Quantrill's men were great fighters. They knew their enemy and they knew exactly what to do when they were confronted by their enemies. Confederate General E. Kirby Smith said this concerning Quantrill's men. He said, "No better force could be employed than that of Quantrill's Missourians. They are bold, fearless men composed of the very best class of Missourians.

They have suffered every outrage in their person and their families at the hands of the Federals, and being outlawed and their lives forfeited, have waged a war of no quarter whenever they have come into contact with the enemy." So what did Kirby Smith say? These men knew what outrages were not only personally but in their families. Riley Crawford was no exception. Riley Crawford learned quickly and became adept at killing Yankee soldiers. He had learned he had to either kill or be killed. He had to either kill or let his enemies kill him. Union General Curtis had issued General Orders No. 30, which not only defined a guerrilla, but also gave the punishment for a guerrilla. Here's what General Orders No. 30 said. "Whosoever shall be convicted as a guerrilla shall suffer death. They deserve no quarters, no terms of civilized warfare, pursue, strike, and destroy the reptiles." So if you were a Confederate guerrilla, you were considered a reptile who was to be pursued and destroyed.

Quantrill took his men along with the Crawford brothers and ambushed a group of federal soldiers waiting for a patrol from Independence, Missouri. Quantrill and his lieutenant, George Todd, shot five federal soldiers from their saddles instantly and then killed four more as they tried to retreat. Quantrill then took the dead Union soldiers, put them in a wagon, and sent them back to Independence, and attached a note for Colonel Penick, and it said the same fate awaited all Federal soldiers who ventured into Quantrill country. On one occasion when Quantrill and his men had whipped Union General Blunt, they were plundering the Federal wagons, and you're going to understand this in just a few moments. They were plundering the Federal wagons when young Riley Crawford was playfully shouting commands to fallen Union soldiers. To one prostrate Union soldier, he yelled, "Get up, you Federal SOB!" To everyone's amazement, the Federal soldier stood up, thinking that young Riley had found him feigning death. As he stood up, he did not have to pretend any longer because young Riley quickly dispatched him.

Now, in order to understand the driving force behind Riley Crawford, you have to recall the message that I preached several years ago on the Union's war against women and children. In that message, I told you about a number of Southern women, especially younger women, who had been arrested by General Ewing for no other reason than the fact that they were Southerners, espoused Southern sentiments, and some of them were related, indeed, to Quantrill soldiers. And so what General Ewing was trying to do was to hold these women as hostage and use them as pawns and as bargaining chips against Quantrill and his men. You remember these women were later placed into a building. The building was undermined by federal soldiers. Many believe at the orders of General Ewing. Five of those women were murdered, crushed to death in the falling building when that building was deliberately undermined. Two of those young women who were killed were Susan Crawford Vandiver and Arminia Crawford Selvey, two sisters of Riley Crawford. After his sisters were killed so viciously, Riley Crawford was never known to spare a Union soldier.

The Murder of Riley's Sisters and Its Aftermath

Weaver recounts how Riley's two sisters were killed when a Union guardhouse was deliberately undermined, after which Riley never spared a Union soldier. This event fueled his participation in the raid on Lawrence, Kansas.

In a newspaper article dated November 11, 1911, Elizabeth Harris, the sister of Nannie Harris, who was one of the captured girls, wrote this. "I was a girl of eleven at the time as I remembered that the Union men sent three caskets containing my cousins to Little Blue. With the caskets was a satchel of trinkets and dry goods that my sister and Charity had gone to town to buy." "The dead were buried in the Old Smith Cemetery near Raytown. We didn't have much time for funerals in those days, and the three were buried in one grave. A little after the guardhouse fell, Order No. 11 was issued and our house at Little Blue was burned. We went down near Glasgow and my sister Nanny," listen to this, she was one of the girls, "my sister Nanny walked there after she got away from the Union guardhouse almost a hundred miles." After the guardhouse fell, the remaining women were taken to some hotel and kept for a period of time. Can you imagine walking a hundred miles?

But after the murder of his two sisters, Riley refused to take federal prisoners. He just killed every Union soldier that fell into his hands. He had reason enough to hate the federal soldiers because of the murder of his father, the destruction of his family home, and the burden they placed upon his mother. Now he had two additional reasons. Riley became as efficient in killing Union soldiers as did Bloody Bill Anderson. You remember when Bloody Bill Anderson was killed, he had a silk kerchief that he kept that had 54 knots in it, one for each Union soldier that he'd killed. Riley Crawford was with Quantrill.

as they raided Lawrence, Kansas. You must remember that Lawrence, Kansas was commonly known as the Citadel of Stolen Goods. In other words, all of the raids into Missouri by the Red Legs and other Union soldiers, when all of the goods were stolen from Missouri, they were taken to Lawrence, Kansas and there they were auctioned off or they were sold. A lot of Southerners were killed, murdered, when they went to Lawrence, Kansas to try to get back their goods that had been stolen from them. And by the way, I despise what Hollywood does to history. If you will watch the Hollywood movie, Ride with the Devil, which is supposed to be one of Quantrill's raid into Lawrence, Kansas. You'll see women being shot. No, no. There were no women shot. Quantrill gave the order, kill every federal soldier that you see. And then he had a list of men and only men who were to be killed. Quantrill said, kill no woman and child. He said, harm no woman and child. He said, anyone that harms a woman and child will answer to me. So, young Riley was with Quantrill when they rode into Lawrence, Kansas. After the attack on Lawrence, Kansas, on their way back to Missouri, they stopped at the home of Lathrop Bullene, and food was prepared for the Confederate soldiers. Now, listen, it doesn't matter if you're a Yankee and you have a hundred Confederate soldiers who ask for food, I'm sure you're going to get it. If you're a southerner and you have a hundred federal soldiers asking for food, you're going to give it.

You basically have no choice in the matter in what says the word. But they stopped at this home of Lathrop Bullene, and Riley specifically asked for food, and food was given to these Confederate soldiers. The woman of the house was from Wisconsin. And she voiced her opinion, and here's what she said. She believed it was outrageous that men had been shot down in the streets of Lawrence.

When she said that, young Riley Crawford fiercely replied, "I had two sisters arrested in Kansas City by Union men for entertaining Southern sentiments. They were imprisoned in a building used as a guardhouse. The building was known to be unsafe and beside, it was undermined. One night that building fell and my two sisters and three other ladies were crushed to death." Riley paused for a moment and then said, "Jennison has laid waste our homes and your red legs have perpetrated unheard of crimes. I'm here for revenge and I've got it." Notice, if you would, young Riley is admitting that the raid on Lawrence, Kansas was precipitated by what the Union soldiers had done to the women and children when they undermined that building. Riley fought tooth and nail against the Union army. After his sister was killed, again, he never spared a Yankee. He was an intrepid, courageous, and valiant warrior. Now listen to this. His last battle was fought in Cooper County, Missouri. He was riding with George Todd when they encountered Union troops. Young Riley was leading the charge when he was shot from his saddle with a load of buck and ball, that's buckshot in a big ball, fired by a Yankee soldier who was hidden in ambush behind a fence corner. His death was lamented by his comrades, but in revenge they fought furiously and won a victory with 114 federal troops killed, 80 horses captured, 50 recruits gathered up, and a half a million dollars of federal property destroyed.

Riley Crawford's Death and Legacy

Riley was killed in battle at age 16, leading a charge against Union troops. His comrades avenged him by inflicting heavy casualties. Weaver notes that Riley was a hardened combat veteran by that young age.

Now I want to get to something that you probably never thought of. As I told you earlier, you remember I told you that after his father, Jephthah Crawford, was murdered by the federal troops, after his home was burned down, his mother and children put out in the cold without anything. He remembers Mrs. Crawford who took her sons, four sons, to Quantrill and ask him to make soldiers out of them. Her oldest son, William, was 22. The twins, Marshall and Marion, were 15. Young Riley was 13 years of age. Young Riley was a hardened, intrepid, courageous, and extremely dangerous combat veteran when he was shot down at the age of 16. There are a few researchers that list his age at 17. But in the book, James Simeon Whitsett, Quantrill Raider, a man who wrote with Quantrill. Whitsett said that young Riley did not live to see his 17th birthday.

I want you to listen. Hemlock justice. Injustice. whether done by individuals, groups, or governments, always lead to reprisals. When one is denied justice, he will either seek it by overthrowing those who refuse to give it, or by personal revenge. Either way, the results are catastrophic. Governments composed of wicked men cannot and will not issue true justice. Remember, I told you last week that true justice is biblical justice, and it's based upon the precepts laid down in God's law. When the wicked are justified and the righteous are condemned, according to Proverbs 17, verse 1, both are an abomination to God. Such wicked rulings only serve to harden the determination of others to seek real justice. You know what the Bible says in Proverbs 29 verse 2? Listen to this. "When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked bear rule, the righteous mourn." Why? Because there is no justice. Here's another application.

Applications: The Consequences of Hemlock Justice

Weaver draws lessons: injustice leads to reprisals; children are deeply affected by injustice; civil government must administer biblical justice by punishing the wicked and protecting the righteous; and self-preservation is a potent reason to fight injustice.

This is something we need to think about, folks. Children are just as easily and just as quickly affected by injustice as are adults. When you consider that a 13-year-old boy can become a hardened combat veteran and be killed in battle fighting for what he believes is real justice at the age of 16, you've got to understand, yes, injustice does affect everyone. It should open our eyes to the results of a wicked, ungodly civil government that is not interested in justice. Thirdly, I want you to remember this. God ordained civil government. Why did God ordain civil government? He tells you in Romans chapter 13, he said, "for he," the civil ruler, "is God's minister of thee for good." How is he to be God's minister for us for good? If you read in Romans 13 in verse four, the role of civil government is twofold. On the one hand, they're to punish the wicked and on the other hand, they're to protect the righteous. That's it. God instituted civil government so that civil government may protect the righteous and punish the wicked.

Let me ask you a question. Who determines what righteousness is? Who determines what wickedness is? The answer is it's God. It's given us in his word. The civil government is bound to be biblical, obligated to be biblical, not only because God ordained it, and not only because it's answerable and accountable to him, but it can only render true justice as it renders biblical justice. Do you realize that one of the most potent reasons to fight against injustice is self-preservation? You don't have to fight for your life, but your family, your home, your friends. Protection of life. One of these days, if God allows me to live long enough and gives me the time, I'm going to bring a message on outlaws. And I'm going to show you all of the famous or you want to use the term infamous outlaws in this country were made so by government when it refused to give true justice.

Conclusion: A Warning for Modern America

Weaver warns that if present-day injustice continues, the people may rise up. He urges the congregation to understand the times and prepare their hearts through holiness and obedience.

I wonder, in light of present day circumstances, where we're going in this country. And what is going to happen when the people get fed up with the wickedness, the corruption, the fraud and the injustice that's being perpetrated upon us? If you know where you've come from, if you know where you are, you probably have a pretty good idea where you're going. Let's pray. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we ask for your grace, for your mercy, for your goodness, for your kindness. We pray, Lord, that you would teach us, open our eyes, make us aware, make us alert. And may we understand our times, Lord, that we may prepare our hearts and our lives and be more holy and more godly and more obedient. In the name of Jesus Christ we ask and pray, Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Hemlock Justice

Summary: The perversion of true justice by civil rulers, producing only death and societal decay, as described in Amos 6:12.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'Hemlock justice is not really justice. Hemlock justice is a perversion. It is an injustice. It is a fraud. It is a corruption. It produces only death.'

The Nature of a Yankee

Summary: A 'Yankee' is defined not by geography but by an ungodly, arrogant, oppressive mentality originating in New England.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Chaplain Nicholas Davis: 'The word Yankee, when thus applied, means meddlesome, impudent, insolent...' and Professor Clyde Wilson's definition.

The Importance of History

Summary: Knowing history is essential to understanding the present and future; a people deprived of their history are easily persuaded.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'If you don't know where you have come from, you certainly do not know where you are going,' and quotes Karl Marx.

Unnamed Heroes

Summary: Most real heroes are the 'others'—unnamed, unknown, and unremembered—who remain faithful despite lack of recognition, as in Hebrews 11:36.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'Most real heroes, whether you consider Biblical heroes or Confederate heroes... most real heroes are the others.'

Injustice Breeds Violence

Summary: When individuals or groups are denied justice, they will seek it through reprisals or personal revenge, leading to catastrophic results.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'Hemlock justice... always lead to reprisals. When one is denied justice, he will either seek it by overthrowing those who refuse to give it, or by personal revenge.'

The Role of Civil Government

Summary: God ordained civil government to punish the wicked and protect the righteous, and it must administer biblical justice to fulfill its purpose.

Evidence: Weaver cites Romans 13:4 and says, 'The civil government is bound to be biblical, obligated to be biblical... it can only render true justice as it renders biblical justice.'

The Impact of Injustice on Children

Summary: Children are as quickly and deeply affected by injustice as adults, as seen in Riley Crawford's transformation from a 13-year-old to a hardened killer.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'Children are just as easily and just as quickly affected by injustice as are adults.'

Key Arguments

Hemlock justice produces a culture of death

Summary: Weaver argues that when civil rulers pervert justice, as in Amos 6:12, the result is a society that loves death, exemplified by the Union's treatment of Missourians.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'Our Lord said it very plainly in Proverbs 8 and verse 36. He said, "All they that hate me love death." Hemlock justice can only produce a society and a culture of death.'

Union orders in Missouri were tyrannical and murderous

Summary: Weaver details General Orders No. 10 and 11, and other directives, to show that Union commanders authorized the execution of civilians, confiscation of property, and forced displacement, creating widespread suffering.

Evidence: Weaver quotes General Ewing's order: 'All persons living in Jackson, Cass, and Bates Counties... are hereby ordered to remove from their present places of residence within 15 days hereof.'

The Crawford family suffered extreme injustice without cause

Summary: Jephthah Crawford was murdered, his home burned, and his family left destitute, despite never taking up arms against the government, illustrating the arbitrary cruelty of hemlock justice.

Evidence: Weaver recounts the eyewitness account: 'Mr. Crawford... was a Southern sympathizer, but had never taken up arms against the government... they shot him down before the eyes of his wife and children.'

Personal tragedy transformed Riley Crawford into a relentless killer

Summary: After the murder of his father and sisters, Riley Crawford became a fierce guerrilla who never spared Union soldiers, demonstrating how injustice hardens individuals.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'After his sisters were killed so viciously, Riley Crawford was never known to spare a Union soldier.'

The raid on Lawrence, Kansas, was a reprisal for Union atrocities

Summary: Weaver argues that Quantrill's raid was motivated by the murder of Southern women in the guardhouse collapse, not wanton violence, and that no women were killed during the raid.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Riley Crawford: 'I'm here for revenge and I've got it.'

Biblical civil government must punish the wicked and protect the righteous

Summary: Weaver asserts that the only legitimate role of civil government is to execute biblical justice, and when it fails, it becomes an abomination to God.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'When the wicked are justified and the righteous are condemned, according to Proverbs 17, verse 1, both are an abomination to God.'

Injustice can radicalize even the young

Summary: Riley Crawford's story shows that a 13-year-old can become a hardened combat veteran when subjected to extreme injustice, warning that children are not immune to its effects.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'When you consider that a 13-year-old boy can become a hardened combat veteran and be killed in battle fighting for what he believes is real justice at the age of 16, you've got to understand, yes, injustice does affect everyone.'

Modern America is on a similar path of injustice

Summary: Weaver implies that the present-day corruption and injustice in the U.S. government will lead to similar catastrophic results if not corrected.

Evidence: Weaver asks, 'I wonder, in light of present day circumstances, where we're going in this country. And what is going to happen when the people get fed up with the wickedness, the corruption, the fraud and the injustice that's being perpetrated upon us?'

Scripture References

Hebrews 11:32-38

Context: Weaver reads this passage to introduce the concept of unnamed heroes ('others') and to parallel the faith and suffering of biblical figures with Confederate guerrillas.

Amos 6:12

Context: Weaver references last week's message on hemlock justice, where God condemns civil rulers for turning justice into gall and righteousness into hemlock.

Proverbs 8:36

Context: Weaver quotes this verse to support the idea that hemlock justice produces a culture of death: 'All they that hate me love death.'

Proverbs 17:1

Context: Weaver cites this verse to argue that justifying the wicked and condemning the righteous is an abomination to God.

Proverbs 29:2

Context: Weaver quotes this verse to show that when the wicked rule, the righteous mourn because there is no justice.

Romans 13:4

Context: Weaver references this verse to define the God-ordained role of civil government: to punish the wicked and protect the righteous.

Historical References

General John C. Frémont's martial law declaration (August 30, 1861)

Context: Weaver cites Frémont's order to show early Union tyranny in Missouri, including execution of armed Southerners and confiscation of property.

General Thomas Ewing's General Orders No. 10 and 11 (1863)

Context: Weaver details these orders to illustrate the forced displacement and execution of civilians in Missouri, calling Order No. 11 the harshest treatment of U.S. citizens under military necessity.

Colonel William 'Bill' Penick's actions

Context: Weaver describes Penick as a radical Unionist who hanged innocent farmers, burned homes, and placed bounties on guerrillas, exemplifying the brutality of Union forces.

Murder of Jephthah Crawford (February 1863)

Context: Weaver recounts the specific injustice against Riley Crawford's father, who was shot in front of his family and his home burned, despite never taking up arms.

Collapse of the Union guardhouse in Kansas City (1863)

Context: Weaver describes how the building where Southern women were held was undermined, killing five, including Riley Crawford's two sisters, fueling his desire for revenge.

Quantrill's raid on Lawrence, Kansas (1863)

Context: Weaver mentions Riley Crawford's participation in the raid, portraying it as a reprisal for Union atrocities and noting that Quantrill ordered no harm to women and children.

Harry S. Truman's account of his uncle's treatment by Kansas Red Legs

Context: Weaver quotes Truman to illustrate the brutality of Union forces, who tried to hang a 13-year-old boy to make him an informer.

General Orders No. 30 by Union General Curtis

Context: Weaver cites this order to show that guerrillas were to be treated as reptiles and given no quarter, justifying the harsh treatment of Southern fighters.

Albert Castel's assessment of General Order No. 11

Context: Weaver quotes historian Castel to emphasize that Order No. 11 was the most drastic military measure against civilians in U.S. history.

Colonel Basil F. Lazier's letter describing the suffering of displaced Southern families

Context: Weaver quotes Lazier's heart-sickening description of women and children fleeing their homes in accordance with Ewing's order.

Important Quotes

Hemlock justice is not really justice. Hemlock justice is a perversion. It is an injustice. It is a fraud. It is a corruption. It produces only death.

Significance: This quote encapsulates Weaver's central thesis that perverted justice leads to societal death, setting the stage for the historical illustration.

Most real heroes, whether you consider Biblical heroes or Confederate heroes or Southern heroes, ever how you want to say it, most real heroes are the others.

Significance: Weaver uses this to elevate the story of Riley Crawford as an example of an unnamed, faithful hero, paralleling Hebrews 11:36.

They, the Kansas Federal Red Legs, tried to make my Uncle Harrison into an informer, but he wouldn't do it. He was only a boy. They tried to hang him. Time and again they tried it.

Significance: This quote from Harry S. Truman illustrates the brutality of Union forces against civilians, even children, supporting Weaver's argument about systemic injustice.

It is heart-sickening to see what I have seen. A desolated country and many women and children, some of them almost naked and some on foot and some in old wagons. Oh, God help us.

Significance: A Union colonel's own words confirm the devastating human cost of General Order No. 11, lending credibility to Weaver's portrayal of Union cruelty.

After his sisters were killed so viciously, Riley Crawford was never known to spare a Union soldier.

Significance: This marks the turning point in Riley's life, showing how personal tragedy fueled his relentless violence, a direct result of hemlock justice.

I'm here for revenge and I've got it.

Significance: Riley's own words during the Lawrence raid explicitly state his motive, reinforcing Weaver's argument that injustice breeds reprisals.

When the wicked are justified and the righteous are condemned, according to Proverbs 17, verse 1, both are an abomination to God.

Significance: Weaver uses this biblical principle to condemn the Union's actions and, by extension, any government that perverts justice.

Children are just as easily and just as quickly affected by injustice as are adults.

Significance: This application highlights the long-term societal damage of injustice, as seen in Riley Crawford's transformation from a 13-year-old to a killer.

Discussion Questions

How does the biblical concept of 'hemlock justice' from Amos 6:12 apply to the historical events described in this message?

Context: Weaver introduces hemlock justice as a perversion of true justice that produces death, and uses the Crawford story as an illustration.

In what ways does the story of Riley Crawford exemplify the 'others' mentioned in Hebrews 11:36?

Context: Weaver draws a parallel between unnamed biblical heroes and unknown Confederate figures like Crawford.

What does Weaver's definition of a 'Yankee' reveal about his view of the spiritual and moral roots of injustice?

Context: Weaver defines Yankee not geographically but as a mindset of arrogance, greed, and oppression, originating in New England Puritanism.

How did the Union military orders in Missouri violate the biblical role of civil government as described in Romans 13?

Context: Weaver argues that civil government is to punish the wicked and protect the righteous, but the Union orders did the opposite.

What lessons can we draw from the fact that Riley Crawford became a hardened fighter by age 16?

Context: Weaver emphasizes that children are deeply affected by injustice, and this should warn us about the long-term consequences of societal wickedness.

According to Weaver, what is the relationship between personal revenge and the failure of civil government to provide justice?

Context: Weaver states that when justice is denied, people will seek it through reprisals or personal revenge, leading to catastrophic results.

How does Weaver use the quote from Karl Marx ('a people deprived of their history are easily persuaded') to support his message?

Context: Weaver stresses the importance of knowing history to understand the present and future, and to resist manipulation.

What parallels does Weaver imply between the injustices of the Civil War era and the present-day United States?

Context: Weaver concludes by asking where the country is headed given current wickedness and corruption, suggesting a similar trajectory of reprisal.

Applications

Recognize the destructive nature of perverted justice

Summary: Believers should understand that when civil government abandons biblical justice, it produces a culture of death and societal breakdown.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'Hemlock justice can only produce a society and a culture of death.'

Study history to discern the times

Summary: Christians must know their history—both biblical and national—to avoid being deceived and to understand the direction of their society.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'If you don't know where you have come from, you certainly do not know where you are going,' and quotes Marx on the danger of historical ignorance.

Understand the impact of injustice on the next generation

Summary: Parents and leaders should recognize that children are deeply affected by injustice, and a society that tolerates it risks radicalizing its youth.

Evidence: Weaver points to Riley Crawford's transformation: 'Children are just as easily and just as quickly affected by injustice as are adults.'

Advocate for biblical justice in civil government

Summary: Believers should insist that civil rulers fulfill their God-ordained role of punishing the wicked and protecting the righteous, based on God's law.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'The civil government is bound to be biblical, obligated to be biblical... it can only render true justice as it renders biblical justice.'

Prepare for potential societal upheaval through personal holiness

Summary: In light of increasing injustice, Christians should prepare their hearts by growing in holiness, godliness, and obedience to God.

Evidence: Weaver prays, 'May we understand our times, Lord, that we may prepare our hearts and our lives and be more holy and more godly and more obedient.'

Value the 'others'—the unnamed faithful

Summary: Believers should honor and emulate the faithfulness of unknown heroes who remain loyal and sacrificial without recognition.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'Most real heroes are the others... they were faithful, they were loyal, sacrificial, and dedicated.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T12:27:22Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-05T21:01:24Z

Clean Transcript

Exploits & Death of Riley Crawford

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

Hebrews chapter 11, beginning there with verse 32. Now, I'm going to do a little explaining before I even start the message today. And let me tell you the title, and I think you will understand why I'm preaching this message today in light of what I taught last Sunday. But the message is on the exploits and death of Riley Crawford. Watch Hebrews 11 verse 32, "And what shall I more say?"
#1 | 0:02 to 0:42 | cleaned
"For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthah, of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets, who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again, and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea moreover of bonds and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with a sword."
#2 | 0:42 to 1:25 | cleaned
"They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented, of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains and dens and caves of the earth." And then he says, "...and these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise."
#3 | 1:26 to 1:45 | cleaned
Now, let me begin today by giving you an explanation because the message is going to be a historical message and hopefully will explain not only biblical principles from last week, but show you where we're headed in our country as well on the present situation. You often heard me in historical messages talk about Yankees. Let me explain something about the term Yankee. The term Yankee does not refer just simply to everyone who was ever born, who has ever lived in the North. The term Yankee is used specifically for a certain group of people who have an unbiblical and ungodly attitude toward everything, not only the world, but life and God, the Bible, the South. There were plenty of people in the North who supported the South during the War of Northern Aggression, and these people were hated by the Yankees, and they were referred to as Copperheads. And the reason they were called Copperheads is because a Copperhead is an extremely poisonous snake that can bite without warning. A rattlesnake, at least, will give you warning before he strikes.
#4 | 1:46 to 3:05 | cleaned
So there were plenty of people in the North who held Southern ideas and were Southern sympathizers. What you are discovering in this day and time is that there are Southern Yankees as well. In other words, there are people who were born and raised in the South but have a Yankee mentality because of Reconstruction. And Reconstruction did not stop in 1876 or 1879. Reconstruction is still going on today. So let me give you two definitions of a Yankee, and I want you to understand this. When I use the word Yankee, this is what I'm talking about.
#5 | 3:06 to 3:50 | cleaned
The first definition comes from Chaplain Nicholas Davis. He was originally from Limestone, Alabama. He was a member of the 4th Texas Volunteers, Confederate States of America. So here was a chaplain who was a Confederate soldier. And here is how he defined Yankees. Listen carefully. "Yankee. The popular name for the citizens of New England." That is what Webster says it means. A name for the people of New England.
#6 | 3:51 to 4:22 | cleaned
"And their history is well known to the civilized world. The whole world will understand us. The word extends to all their 10,000 schemes of deception and fraud and comprehends their every act of lying and stealing from the days of Washington till the present hour in all their political, legislative, executive, commercial, civil, moral, literary, sacred, profane, theological, and diabolical history. The word Yankee, when thus applied, means meddlesome, impudent, insolent, pompous, boastful, unkind, ungrateful, unjust, knavish, false, deceitful, cowardly, swindling, thieving, robbing, brutal and murderous. This Yankee country has given birth to socialism, Mormonism, spiritualism and abolitionism and every other devilism that has cursed the nation of unionism."
#7 | 4:24 to 5:21 | cleaned
The only thing I can say is if he had been just a little more explicit, we could have understood what he meant. So you see what he's saying. He's saying not everybody in the North is a Yankee, but a Yankee is someone who has this mentality. And particularly, it originated with the folks from New England. Now, Professor Clyde Wilson continues to define the term Yankee, and he is a present day author. What is he? Professor at Chapel Hill, University of North Carolina, I think. Well, retired now, but he was a professor of American history. And here's how he uses the term Yankees. He says, "The term Yankees is used to designate that peculiar ethnic group descended from New Englanders who can be easily recognized by their arrogance, hypocrisy, greed, lack of congeniality, and penchant for ordering people around."
#8 | 5:23 to 6:26 | cleaned
"Puritans long ago abandoned anything that might be good in their religion, but have never given up on the notion that they are the chosen saints whose mission is to make America and the world into the perfection of their own image." Can you think of Clintons? Can you think of Chuck Schumer? Can you think of that political crowd who indeed are what you and I would call real Yankees? So when you hear the term Yankee, don't just think of a northerner because it's not just a northerner. A Yankee is someone with these attitudes and these dispositions who hold everything that's contrary to Scripture.
#9 | 6:27 to 7:11 | cleaned
And want to ruin and rule the lives of other people. So, in order to begin today, I want to remind you of the message that I preached last week from Amos 6 and verse 12 on hemlock justice. And I've dealt with that verse where God said that the civil rulers had turned judgment or justice into gall and the fruits of righteousness into hemlock. So hemlock justice is not really justice. Hemlock justice is a perversion. It is an injustice. It is a fraud. It is a corruption. It produces only death.
#10 | 7:15 to 7:54 | cleaned
Now, I made this statement last week that if we knew from where we had come and where we were at the present, then we would have a pretty good idea as to where we were headed. And I did not mean that statement to be taken just simply individually, but I wanted it to be understood nationally as well. It was Karl Marx who said that a people deprived of their history are easily persuaded.
#11 | 7:55 to 8:23 | cleaned
And certainly that is true. Again, if you don't know where you have come from, you certainly do not know where you are going.
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Now, I want to give you an illustration today of the type of society that hemlock justice produces. Our Lord said it very plainly in Proverbs 8 and verse 36. He said, "All they that hate me love death." Hemlock justice can only produce a society and a culture of death. Now, as I share with you today, the exploits and death of Riley Crawford, I could ask this question. Who has ever heard of Riley Crawford?
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And by the way, let me tell you, I've had this message basically prepared, I don't know, for a year or more, maybe longer. Just never knew when I was going to preach it until I preached last week the message on hemlock justice, and I thought, here's a perfect illustration of the truth of hemlock justice. But who has ever heard of Riley Crawford? We've heard of a host of other Confederate heroes. We've heard of Lee, and Jackson, and Ewell, and Quantrill, and Stuart. We've heard of a host of Biblical heroes. We've heard of Abraham, and Isaac, and Noah, and Daniel, Samuel, Jephthah, Samson, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego. We've heard of a host of these people. But who in the world has ever heard of Riley Crawford?
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Now, I want to point something out in the passage that I read. Look in Hebrews 11 in verse 36. If you were to read down through the book of Hebrews chapter 11, you will find that Abraham is mentioned, that Moses is mentioned, Daniel, my goodness, Samuel, Jephthah, Barak, Gideon, David, all of these are mentioned by name. But when you look at verse 36, the Scripture says this, "and others."
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"had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea moreover of bonds and imprisonments." Now notice those words "and others." In other words, not all Biblical heroes are listed in Hebrews chapter 11. There were a multitude of others. Likewise, not all Confederate heroes are known today. Not all of them have gone down in history because of their exploits in their deeds. Let me put it to you like this. Most real heroes, whether you consider Biblical heroes or Confederate heroes or Southern heroes, ever how you want to say it, most real heroes are the others.
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That is, they're unnamed, unknown, and basically unremembered. Yet in spite of their lack of rewards, in spite of their lack of recognition, they were faithful, they were loyal, sacrificial, and dedicated. Riley Crawford was the son of Jephthah Crawford and Elizabeth Harris. The Crawfords had nine children, the youngest of which was only five years of age. Jephthah Crawford was a farmer, and while he was indeed a Southern sympathizer, he had never personally taken up arms against the federal government. The very fact, however, that he was a Southerner who lived in Missouri was a sufficient reason for the government to seek his destruction. He was never charged with any crime. He was never indicted for any reason. Yet, simply because of orders that had been issued by the federal commanders in that area, he was hunted down and murdered in a most hateful and despicable manner. Riley Crawford was from Missouri. His parents were from Missouri. Missouri suffered greatly during the war.
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In all my studies that I've done on the war of northern aggression, and I know when you read about the burning in the sack of Columbia, South Carolina, when you read about Sherman's march through Georgia, I know how awful and how wicked it was. But let me tell you something, when you read the history of Missouri, I don't believe that any state really suffered the way Missouri suffered. In fact, the war actually began 10 years earlier in Missouri. It actually lasted about 20 years. Because it began about ten years earlier, then the five years during the war, and then there were still five years of cleansing after the war was over. So Missouri suffered greatly. Missouri experienced a history of hate, usurpation, tyranny, and despotism, as evidenced by all of the orders of the Union commanders who were in Missouri.
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For instance, as early as August the 30th, 1861, General John C. Frémont, the Union commander of the West, declared martial law in Missouri, and he stated that no quarter was to be given to Southerners. Here are part of his orders. Here's what he said, "I do hereby extend and declare martial law throughout the state of Missouri. All persons who shall be taken in arms against the Union government will be shot. The property, real and personal, of all persons in the state of Missouri who shall take up arms against the United States, or who shall be directly proven to have taken an active part with their enemies in the field, is declared to be confiscated." Now, if one disagreed with General Frémont, or if one disagreed with any of the Union commanders, he not only lost his life, he lost his property as well. You're going to find that General Frémont and General Ewing and a whole host of other Union commanders, in their usurpation, in their tyranny, and in their hatred for the South, and especially Missourians, only consolidated Southern sympathy and determination in Missouri.
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Let me give you an illustration, and I'm not going to tell you who said this until I give you the illustration, and I'm giving a direct quote. Now listen carefully. "They, the Kansas Federal Red Legs," we're talking about United States troops, okay? "They, the Kansas Federal Red Legs, tried to make my Uncle Harrison into an informer, but he wouldn't do it. He was only a boy. They tried to hang him. Time and again they tried it."
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"Stretching his neck, they called it. But he didn't say anything. I think he'd have died before he said anything. He's the one that I'm named after. And I'm happy to say that there were people around at that time who said I took after him." Harry S. Truman, President. Speaking about what the Kansas Red Legs did to his uncle at age 13 during the War of Northern Aggression. So here they are stretching up a 13-year-old boy by the neck, releasing him, stretching him up, releasing him, stretching him, trying to make him into an informer and trying to make him talk. Thirteen years of age.
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Quantrill said, "The most direct factor contributing to the great insurrection which took place on the western border in 1861 lay in the abuses visited upon the civil population by the Union military forces. The population which was created to support guerrilla warfare against the Union had grown larger and larger during the winter of 1861 to 1862 because of the outrages perpetrated against the people of Missouri by the occupational forces." We're talking about federal soldiers. Now I've told you before about the General Orders that was issued from Union headquarters by Union General Thomas Ewing.
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Now, I told you about those orders when I preached on the world in times of Jesse James and also the message the unions wore against women and children. But however, as I bring this message, I want to refresh your mind about those orders again to show you what the civilian population of Missouri was going through. And I want you to understand how government forces then could come after innocent and harmless men and women and how they can do the same time anytime they so desire.
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The order that was issued from the Union headquarters on January 20, 1863 says this, listen carefully, "All persons who shall knowingly harbor, conceal, aid or abet by furnishing food, clothing, information, protection, or any assistance, whatever, to any emissary, confederate officer, or soldier, partisan ranger, bushwhacker, robber, or thief shall be promptly executed." So, let me ask you a question. If you were a mother and your confederate son comes in hungry and cold, what are you going to do? If your husband happens to be a Confederate soldier and he comes home wounded and sick, what are you going to do? In other words, if you give any food, if you give any clothing, if you give any comfort, if you give any aid, no matter who you are, man, woman, boy or girl, you're to be promptly executed according to the orders issued by the Union commanders. Those orders were further defined on April 22, 1863, and listen to what is said in this order, "a person dwelling within a district under military occupation and giving information to the enemies universally treated as a spy, a spy of a peculiarly dangerous character, whosoever shall be convicted of holding correspondence with or giving
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information to the enemy, either directly or indirectly, shall suffer or such other punishment as shall be ordered by the sentence of a court-martial." Persons engaged in carrying such correspondence will be held liable to the same punishment as the correspondence themselves. So you could not even write to your Confederate husband, to your Confederate son. You could not carry letters to Confederate soldiers. If you did, you were treated as an absolute spy, and thus you were indeed to be promptly executed.
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Now, General Ewing gave his order further enforcing what has been written, which is known as General Orders No. 10 on August 18, 1863. And here's what he's declared in this order. "Such officers will arrest and send to the district provost marshal for punishment all men and all women, not just heads of family, who willfully aid and encourage guerrillas. The wives and children of non-guerrillas and also women who are heads of families and are willfully engaged in aiding guerrillas will be notified by such officers to move out of this district and out of the state of Missouri forthwith." Now watch what happens. There's not only orders issued to kill everyone, now here comes an order that orders all of these Southerners basically to get out of their homes, to get out of the county, to get out of the state. Not only was that order to be enforced, but also General Orders Number 11, which was issued August the 25th, 1863, listen, gave the population until September the 9th, 1863, merely two weeks, to leave the area.
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In other words, Southerners were literally driven from their homes simply because they were Southerners. Here's part of the order. Here's what General Ewing ordered. "All persons living in Jackson, Cass, and Bates Counties, Missouri, and in that part of Vernon included in this district are hereby ordered to remove from their present places of residence within 15 days hereof." So you had two weeks to pack your bags and get out of town. And please remember, there were no automobiles in those days. Let me show you the effect of this order. The population of Cass County before General Ewing's order was 9,794 people. After his order was executed, there was less than 600 people left in Cass County.
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In order to bolster General Order Number 10, General Order Number 11 were issued, and they read thus, "The provisions of General Order Number 10 from these headquarters will at once be vigorously executed by officers commanded in the parts of the district." And here's what he said, you either get out or you get killed. We will kill anyone who does not leave. Author and historian Albert Castel wrote this concerning General Order No. 11. He said, "Order No.
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11 was the most drastic and repressive military measures directed against civilians by the Union Army during the Civil War. In fact, it stands as the harshest treatment ever imposed on United States citizens under the plea of military necessity in our nation's history." He says there's nothing like General Order Number 11. One of the Union colonels, Basil F. Lazier, wrote his wife and described the scene when some of these southern families were trying to get out of these counties or be murdered by federal soldiers. Colonel Lazier wrote this to his wife.
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"You ought to have been with me coming down from Kansas City and saw the secesh women and children and the few men with them fleeing from the raft to come. They were all from Jackson County and were leaving in accordance with General Ewing's order. It is heart-sickening to see what I have seen. A desolated country and many women and children, some of them almost naked and some on foot and some in old wagons. Oh, God help us."
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The federal commanders who believed that guerrillas were in the neighborhood were authorized to shoot anyone who did not report the guerrillas or report contact with the guerrillas within 48 hours to Union officers. So then if Phil knew that he was a group of guerrillas over here camping two miles from his farm, if he didn't report that encampment, he was killed. His family was killed. So they're now authorized to kill all who know about the guerrillas. Not just who helped them, but who know about them. One such Union officer who was extremely vigorous in following those orders was Colonel William Bill Penick. Here's what he wrote. "It is impossible to fight these guerrillas on their own ground in the brush where they have every advantage over us.
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We must make it unhealthy for the neighborhoods where they harbor them. It is my intention whenever I find a camp of bushwhackers to take some revenge on those who I have satisfactory reason to believe have knowledge of the existence of such a camp and did not report it." So he said, I'm not just interested in killing the guerrillas. I'm going to kill anybody and everybody whom I suspect had knowledge of their whereabouts and did not report it.
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Now, as a sidelight, Company V, which had earlier been commanded by Colonel Penick, was known as Penick's thieves. Penick was known to assassinate anyone that he suspected of being a Southern sympathizer or anyone who even had any knowledge of any of the guerrillas. He hanged Sam Kimberling, a 51-year-old farmer with six kids, from a rafter in Kimberling's own barn. Kimberling had never taken sides during the war.
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There was no charges against him. He had never taken up arms against the Union. Colonel Penick hanged him from a rafter in his own barn just simply because he didn't want him, didn't like him, thought he was a Southern sympathizer. Penick was known as a rough and uneducated man. He was a radical unionist who placed bounties on the heads of Southern soldiers. He offered $1,000 for the head of Cole Younger. He also offered $500 for either of the McCorkle brothers. And he also placed the $100 bounty on the head of any guerrilla. He stated, here's what Colonel Penick believed, he stated that he believed the guerrilla problem could be wiped out if fire, hemp, and gunpowder were freely used. In other words, his resolution to the problem of Southerners was just to kill them all.
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And he practiced what he preached. For in late January of 1863, he burned down 13 homes of Southern sympathizers along with the Baptist Church building in Oak Grove, Missouri. Penick pillaged, burned, and murdered without remorse. It was this same Union commander, Colonel Bill Penick, on or about 18th of February, 1863, while he was stationed at Independence, Missouri, sent out a group of scouts, around 75 men, and they all went to the house of Colonel Jim Sanders. When they reached the house of Colonel Jim Sanders, they divided. One part stayed at Colonel Sanders' house and the other headed for Uncle Jephthah Crawford's house. Now let me show you the absolute wickedness of these Union soldiers. And on the other hand, the kindness and the hospitality of the Southerners. Mrs. Saunders, when this group of Federal soldiers came to her house, she and her daughter prepared dinner for all of the soldiers who were there. Colonel Sanders, or Saunders was his name, Colonel Saunders provided food for all of their horses. And everything went well until dinner was over.
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Now listen, this was around the 18th of February, 1863. It was winter. Snow was 14 inches deep. It was 10 below zero. After dinner, Colonel Saunders was placed under guard. The house was then burned to the ground. And the women and children were not even allowed to get a bonnet or a shawl.
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Now, the Southerners had just fed these men, provided for their horses. And so they arrest Colonel Saunders, burn his house to the ground, and they say to Mrs. Saunders that they're going to take Colonel Saunders to Independence and make him take the oath. That is the oath of allegiance. On their way to Independence, they stopped at the house of James Burris. They dismounted Colonel Saunders and shot him to death. Here's a southern family that just provided food and nourishment for them.
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And they reward them by burning down their home and murdering an old man. Now, it did not fare well at the Crawford house either. No one was given an opportunity to either take or refuse the oath. You've got to remember in those days. If you did not take the oath of loyalty, then you were immediately face the death penalty. Here's the account of an eyewitness that saw what transpired at the Crawford Farm. In fact, William H. Gregg, who was one of the lieutenants of Quantrill, was not only a fierce fighter, but he was an excellent writer and an author. And this is taken from his little dab of history without embellishment from an eyewitness that was there. Here's what the eyewitness said. "Mr. Crawford, an old man with a large family of children, was a Southern sympathizer, but had never taken up arms against the government. He went to the mill one day with a sack of corn to have it ground to make bread for his wife and children. He left home early in the morning and was to be back by noon.
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Noon came. The wife had prepared dinner as best she could, but was waiting for her husband to return so she could have bread for their dinner. Two o'clock came and the husband was still absent. The children were hungry, crying for something to eat. The mother would say, 'Papa will soon be here, then my darling shall have something to eat.' Three o'clock came and the mother saw a company of soldiers approaching.
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They rode up to the door. The mother looked out and saw her husband, a prisoner in their midst. He was told to dismount. After he did so, then they shot him down before the eyes of his wife and children, shot him down like a wild beast. The mother was told to get out of the house with her children as they were going to burn the house. She asked them to let her give her little children something to eat as they had nothing to eat since early morning.
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In answer to her appeal, one of them snatched a brand from the fire and struck it to a straw bed. Everything was soon in flames. The mother hastened from the house, snatching up a few things as she went. Her husband killed, her house burned, she and her children turned out in the cold world, homeless and destitute. The witness went on to say, 'Oh, how strange that men made in the image of God could be so cruel and heartless.' Mrs. Crawford and her children were thrown out in the freezing weather without food and without proper clothing.
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You've got to remember, 14 inches of snow, 10 degrees below zero. They were deprived of all their necessities. The only thing left them was an absolute burning hatred for anyone and anything that wore a blue uniform. Thankfully, a kind, caring, gracious Christian and Southern family took in the Crawfords regardless of the orders from General Ewing. Mrs. Crawford heard that Quantrill was in a camp nearby. She took her four sons, William, who was 22, the twins, Marshall and Marion, who were 15, and Riley, of whom this message is about, to Quantrill and said to Quantrill, "These are all I have left.
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Take them and make soldiers out of them." Riley, of whom we are speaking, was not only the youngest of Quantrill's soldiers, he was also one of the fiercest fighters. Any and all of Quantrill's men were great fighters. They knew their enemy and they knew exactly what to do when they were confronted by their enemies. Confederate General E. Kirby Smith said this concerning Quantrill's men. He said, "No better force could be employed than that of Quantrill's Missourians. They are bold, fearless men composed of the very best class of Missourians.
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They have suffered every outrage in their person and their families at the hands of the Federals, and being outlawed and their lives forfeited, have waged a war of no quarter whenever they have come into contact with the enemy." So what did Kirby Smith say? These men knew what outrages were not only personally but in their families. Riley Crawford was no exception. Riley Crawford learned quickly and became adept at killing Yankee soldiers. He had learned he had to either kill or be killed. He had to either kill or let his enemies kill him.
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Union General Curtis had issued General Orders No. 30, which not only defined a guerrilla, but also gave the punishment for a guerrilla. Here's what General Orders No. 30 said. "Whosoever shall be convicted as a guerrilla shall suffer death. They deserve no quarters, no terms of civilized warfare, pursue, strike, and destroy the reptiles." So if you were a Confederate guerrilla, you were considered a reptile who was to be pursued and destroyed.
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Quantrill took his men along with the Crawford brothers and ambushed a group of federal soldiers waiting for a patrol from Independence, Missouri. Quantrill and his lieutenant, George Todd, shot five federal soldiers from their saddles instantly and then killed four more as they tried to retreat. Quantrill then took the dead Union soldiers, put them in a wagon, and sent them back to Independence, and attached a note for Colonel Penick, and it said the same fate awaited all Federal soldiers who ventured into Quantrill country. On one occasion when Quantrill and his men had whipped Union General Blunt, they were plundering the Federal wagons, and you're going to understand this in just a few moments. They were plundering the Federal wagons when young Riley Crawford was playfully shouting commands to fallen Union soldiers. To one prostrate Union soldier, he yelled, "Get up, you Federal SOB!" To everyone's amazement, the Federal soldier stood up, thinking that young Riley had found him feigning death. As he stood up, he did not have to pretend any longer because young Riley quickly dispatched him.
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Now, in order to understand the driving force behind Riley Crawford, you have to recall the message that I preached several years ago on the Union's war against women and children. In that message, I told you about a number of Southern women, especially younger women, who had been arrested by General Ewing for no other reason than the fact that they were Southerners, espoused Southern sentiments, and some of them were related, indeed, to Quantrill soldiers. And so what General Ewing was trying to do was to hold these women as hostage and use them as pawns and as bargaining chips against Quantrill and his men. You remember these women were later placed into a building. The building was undermined by federal soldiers. Many believe at the orders of General Ewing. Five of those women were murdered, crushed to death in the falling building when that building was deliberately undermined. Two of those young women who were killed were Susan Crawford Vandiver and Arminia Crawford Selvey, two sisters of Riley Crawford. After his sisters were killed so viciously, Riley Crawford was never known to spare a Union soldier.
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In a newspaper article dated November 11, 1911, Elizabeth Harris, the sister of Nannie Harris, who was one of the captured girls, wrote this. "I was a girl of eleven at the time as I remembered that the Union men sent three caskets containing my cousins to Little Blue. With the caskets was a satchel of trinkets and dry goods that my sister and Charity had gone to town to buy."
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"The dead were buried in the Old Smith Cemetery near Raytown. We didn't have much time for funerals in those days, and the three were buried in one grave. A little after the guardhouse fell, Order No. 11 was issued and our house at Little Blue was burned. We went down near Glasgow and my sister Nanny," listen to this, she was one of the girls, "my sister Nanny walked there after she got away from the Union guardhouse almost a hundred miles." After the guardhouse fell, the remaining women were taken to some hotel and kept for a period of time. Can you imagine walking a hundred miles?
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But after the murder of his two sisters, Riley refused to take federal prisoners. He just killed every Union soldier that fell into his hands. He had reason enough to hate the federal soldiers because of the murder of his father, the destruction of his family home, and the burden they placed upon his mother. Now he had two additional reasons. Riley became as efficient in killing Union soldiers as did Bloody Bill Anderson. You remember when Bloody Bill Anderson was killed, he had a silk kerchief that he kept that had 54 knots in it, one for each Union soldier that he'd killed. Riley Crawford was with Quantrill.
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as they raided Lawrence, Kansas. You must remember that Lawrence, Kansas was commonly known as the Citadel of Stolen Goods. In other words, all of the raids into Missouri by the Red Legs and other Union soldiers, when all of the goods were stolen from Missouri, they were taken to Lawrence, Kansas and there they were auctioned off or they were sold. A lot of Southerners were killed, murdered, when they went to Lawrence, Kansas to try to get back their goods that had been stolen from them.
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And by the way, I despise what Hollywood does to history. If you will watch the Hollywood movie, Ride with the Devil, which is supposed to be one of Quantrill's raid into Lawrence, Kansas. You'll see women being shot. No, no. There were no women shot. Quantrill gave the order, kill every federal soldier that you see. And then he had a list of men and only men who were to be killed. Quantrill said, kill no woman and child. He said, harm no woman and child. He said, anyone that harms a woman and child will answer to me. So, young Riley was with Quantrill when they rode into Lawrence, Kansas. After the attack on Lawrence, Kansas, on their way back to Missouri, they stopped at the home of Lathrop Bullene, and food was prepared for the Confederate soldiers. Now, listen, it doesn't matter if you're a Yankee and you have a hundred Confederate soldiers who ask for food, I'm sure you're going to get it. If you're a southerner and you have a hundred federal soldiers asking for food, you're going to give it.
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You basically have no choice in the matter in what says the word. But they stopped at this home of Lathrop Bullene, and Riley specifically asked for food, and food was given to these Confederate soldiers. The woman of the house was from Wisconsin. And she voiced her opinion, and here's what she said. She believed it was outrageous that men had been shot down in the streets of Lawrence.
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When she said that, young Riley Crawford fiercely replied, "I had two sisters arrested in Kansas City by Union men for entertaining Southern sentiments. They were imprisoned in a building used as a guardhouse. The building was known to be unsafe and beside, it was undermined. One night that building fell and my two sisters and three other ladies were crushed to death." Riley paused for a moment and then said, "Jennison has laid waste our homes and your red legs have perpetrated unheard of crimes.
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I'm here for revenge and I've got it." Notice, if you would, young Riley is admitting that the raid on Lawrence, Kansas was precipitated by what the Union soldiers had done to the women and children when they undermined that building. Riley fought tooth and nail against the Union army. After his sister was killed, again, he never spared a Yankee. He was an intrepid, courageous, and valiant warrior. Now listen to this. His last battle was fought in Cooper County, Missouri. He was riding with George Todd when they encountered Union troops. Young Riley was leading the charge when he was shot from his saddle with a load of buck and ball, that's buckshot in a big ball, fired by a Yankee soldier who was hidden in ambush behind a fence corner. His death was lamented by his comrades, but in revenge they fought furiously and won a victory with 114 federal troops killed, 80 horses captured, 50 recruits gathered up, and a half a million dollars of federal property destroyed.
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Now I want to get to something that you probably never thought of. As I told you earlier, you remember I told you that after his father, Jephthah Crawford, was murdered by the federal troops, after his home was burned down, his mother and children put out in the cold without anything. He remembers Mrs. Crawford who took her sons, four sons, to Quantrill and ask him to make soldiers out of them.
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Her oldest son, William, was 22. The twins, Marshall and Marion, were 15. Young Riley was 13 years of age. Young Riley was a hardened, intrepid, courageous, and extremely dangerous combat veteran when he was shot down at the age of 16. There are a few researchers that list his age at 17. But in the book, James Simeon Whitsett, Quantrill Raider, a man who wrote with Quantrill. Whitsett said that young Riley did not live to see his 17th birthday.
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I want you to listen. Hemlock justice. Injustice. whether done by individuals, groups, or governments, always lead to reprisals. When one is denied justice, he will either seek it by overthrowing those who refuse to give it, or by personal revenge. Either way, the results are catastrophic. Governments composed of wicked men cannot and will not issue true justice. Remember, I told you last week that true justice is biblical justice, and it's based upon the precepts laid down in God's law. When the wicked are justified and the righteous are condemned, according to Proverbs 17, verse 1, both are an abomination to God. Such wicked rulings only serve to harden the determination of others to seek real justice. You know what the Bible says in Proverbs 29 verse 2? Listen to this. "When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked bear rule, the righteous mourn." Why? Because there is no justice. Here's another application.
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This is something we need to think about, folks. Children are just as easily and just as quickly affected by injustice as are adults. When you consider that a 13-year-old boy can become a hardened combat veteran and be killed in battle fighting for what he believes is real justice at the age of 16, you've got to understand, yes, injustice does affect everyone. It should open our eyes to the results of a wicked, ungodly civil government that is not interested in justice.
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Thirdly, I want you to remember this. God ordained civil government. Why did God ordain civil government? He tells you in Romans chapter 13, he said, "for he," the civil ruler, "is God's minister of thee for good." How is he to be God's minister for us for good? If you read in Romans 13 in verse four, the role of civil government is twofold. On the one hand, they're to punish the wicked and on the other hand, they're to protect the righteous. That's it. God instituted civil government so that civil government may protect the righteous and punish the wicked.
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Let me ask you a question. Who determines what righteousness is? Who determines what wickedness is? The answer is it's God. It's given us in his word. The civil government is bound to be biblical, obligated to be biblical, not only because God ordained it, and not only because it's answerable and accountable to him, but it can only render true justice as it renders biblical justice. Do you realize that one of the most potent reasons to fight against injustice is self-preservation? You don't have to fight for your life, but your family, your home, your friends. Protection of life. One of these days, if God allows me to live long enough and gives me the time, I'm going to bring a message on outlaws. And I'm going to show you all of the famous or you want to use the term infamous outlaws in this country were made so by government when it refused to give true justice.
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I wonder, in light of present day circumstances, where we're going in this country. And what is going to happen when the people get fed up with the wickedness, the corruption, the fraud and the injustice that's being perpetrated upon us? If you know where you've come from, if you know where you are, you probably have a pretty good idea where you're going. Let's pray. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we ask for your grace, for your mercy, for your goodness, for your kindness. We pray, Lord, that you would teach us, open our eyes, make us aware, make us alert. And may we understand our times, Lord, that we may prepare our hearts and our lives and be more holy and more godly and more obedient. In the name of Jesus Christ we ask and pray, Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T12:27:22Z

Exploits & Death of Riley Crawford

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver uses the story of Riley Crawford, a young Confederate guerrilla, to illustrate the destructive consequences of 'hemlock justice'—a perversion of true biblical justice by civil government. He argues that the injustices perpetrated by Union forces in Missouri during the Civil War, including the murder of Crawford's father and sisters, turned a 13-year-old boy into a hardened killer, demonstrating that wicked rulers produce only death and societal breakdown. The message serves as a warning about the direction of modern America if injustice continues.

Introduction: Defining 'Yankee' and Hemlock Justice

Scripture Reading — Hebrews 11:32-38

"And what shall I more say?" "For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthah, of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets, who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again, and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea moreover of bonds and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with a sword." "They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented, of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains and dens and caves of the earth."

Scripture Reading — Amos 6:12

"Puritans long ago abandoned anything that might be good in their religion, but have never given up on the notion that they are the chosen saints whose mission is to make America and the world into the perfection of their own image." Can you think of Clintons? Can you think of Chuck Schumer? Can you think of that political crowd who indeed are what you and I would call real Yankees? So when you hear the term Yankee, don't just think of a northerner because it's not just a northerner. A Yankee is someone with these attitudes and these dispositions who hold everything that's contrary to Scripture. And want to ruin and rule the lives of other people. So, in order to begin today, I want to remind you of the message that I preached last week from Amos 6 and verse 12 on hemlock justice. And I've dealt with that verse where God said that the civil rulers had turned judgment or justice into gall and the fruits of righteousness into hemlock. So hemlock justice is not really justice. Hemlock justice is a perversion. It is an injustice. It is a fraud. It is a corruption. It produces only death.

The Importance of Knowing History

Weaver emphasizes that knowing where we come from helps us understand where we are going, quoting Karl Marx's statement that a people deprived of their history are easily persuaded.

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 8:36

"All they that hate me love death."

Introducing Riley Crawford: An 'Other' Hero

The Injustice Against the Crawford Family

Weaver details the murder of Jephthah Crawford by Union soldiers, the burning of the family home, and the destitution of his widow and children, all without any charges or trial.

Riley Crawford's Transformation into a Guerrilla Fighter

After his father's murder, Riley's mother took her sons to Quantrill, asking him to make soldiers of them. Riley became one of the youngest and fiercest fighters, driven by a desire for revenge.

The Murder of Riley's Sisters and Its Aftermath

Riley Crawford's Death and Legacy

Applications: The Consequences of Hemlock Justice

Conclusion: A Warning for Modern America

Weaver warns that if present-day injustice continues, the people may rise up. He urges the congregation to understand the times and prepare their hearts through holiness and obedience.

Exploits & Death of Riley Crawford

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	33109182463
Subject	Civil Government
Course	Civil Government: Magistracy, Authority, and Romans 13: Christian & Civil Government
Genre	Sermon
Date	2008-11-30
Dictation Name
Book	Book 008: Civil Government: Magistracy, Authority, and Romans 13 — Chapter 11
Source Timed Segments	62

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: Defining 'Yankee' and Hemlock Justice: Weaver clarifies that 'Yankee' refers not to all Northerners but to those with an ungodly, arrogant, and oppressive mentality, originating in New England. He connects this to last week's message on hemlock justice from Amos 6:12, where civil rulers pervert justice into poison.
The Importance of Knowing History: Weaver emphasizes that knowing where we come from helps us understand where we are going, quoting Karl Marx's statement that a people deprived of their history are easily persuaded.
Introducing Riley Crawford: An 'Other' Hero: Weaver introduces Riley Crawford as an example of the 'others' mentioned in Hebrews 11:36—unnamed, unknown heroes who remained faithful despite lack of recognition. Crawford was a young Confederate guerrilla from Missouri.
The Injustice Against the Crawford Family: Weaver details the murder of Jephthah Crawford by Union soldiers, the burning of the family home, and the destitution of his widow and children, all without any charges or trial.
Riley Crawford's Transformation into a Guerrilla Fighter: After his father's murder, Riley's mother took her sons to Quantrill, asking him to make soldiers of them. Riley became one of the youngest and fiercest fighters, driven by a desire for revenge.
The Murder of Riley's Sisters and Its Aftermath: Weaver recounts how Riley's two sisters were killed when a Union guardhouse was deliberately undermined, after which Riley never spared a Union soldier. This event fueled his participation in the raid on Lawrence, Kansas.
Riley Crawford's Death and Legacy: Riley was killed in battle at age 16, leading a charge against Union troops. His comrades avenged him by inflicting heavy casualties. Weaver notes that Riley was a hardened combat veteran by that young age.
Applications: The Consequences of Hemlock Justice: Weaver draws lessons: injustice leads to reprisals; children are deeply affected by injustice; civil government must administer biblical justice by punishing the wicked and protecting the righteous; and self-preservation is a potent reason to fight injustice.
Conclusion: A Warning for Modern America: Weaver warns that if present-day injustice continues, the people may rise up. He urges the congregation to understand the times and prepare their hearts through holiness and obedience.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Hemlock justice produces a culture of death

Weaver argues that when civil rulers pervert justice, as in Amos 6:12, the result is a society that loves death, exemplified by the Union's treatment of Missourians.

Weaver says, 'Our Lord said it very plainly in Proverbs 8 and verse 36. He said, "All they that hate me love death." Hemlock justice can only produce a society and a culture of death.'

Union orders in Missouri were tyrannical and murderous

Weaver details General Orders No. 10 and 11, and other directives, to show that Union commanders authorized the execution of civilians, confiscation of property, and forced displacement, creating widespread suffering.

Weaver quotes General Ewing's order: 'All persons living in Jackson, Cass, and Bates Counties... are hereby ordered to remove from their present places of residence within 15 days hereof.'

The Crawford family suffered extreme injustice without cause

Jephthah Crawford was murdered, his home burned, and his family left destitute, despite never taking up arms against the government, illustrating the arbitrary cruelty of hemlock justice.

Weaver recounts the eyewitness account: 'Mr. Crawford... was a Southern sympathizer, but had never taken up arms against the government... they shot him down before the eyes of his wife and children.'

Personal tragedy transformed Riley Crawford into a relentless killer

After the murder of his father and sisters, Riley Crawford became a fierce guerrilla who never spared Union soldiers, demonstrating how injustice hardens individuals.

Weaver says, 'After his sisters were killed so viciously, Riley Crawford was never known to spare a Union soldier.'

The raid on Lawrence, Kansas, was a reprisal for Union atrocities

Weaver argues that Quantrill's raid was motivated by the murder of Southern women in the guardhouse collapse, not wanton violence, and that no women were killed during the raid.

Weaver quotes Riley Crawford: 'I'm here for revenge and I've got it.'

Biblical civil government must punish the wicked and protect the righteous

Weaver asserts that the only legitimate role of civil government is to execute biblical justice, and when it fails, it becomes an abomination to God.

Weaver says, 'When the wicked are justified and the righteous are condemned, according to Proverbs 17, verse 1, both are an abomination to God.'

Injustice can radicalize even the young

Riley Crawford's story shows that a 13-year-old can become a hardened combat veteran when subjected to extreme injustice, warning that children are not immune to its effects.

Weaver says, 'When you consider that a 13-year-old boy can become a hardened combat veteran and be killed in battle fighting for what he believes is real justice at the age of 16, you've got to understand, yes, injustice does affect everyone.'

Modern America is on a similar path of injustice

Weaver implies that the present-day corruption and injustice in the U.S. government will lead to similar catastrophic results if not corrected.

Weaver asks, 'I wonder, in light of present day circumstances, where we're going in this country. And what is going to happen when the people get fed up with the wickedness, the corruption, the fraud and the injustice that's being perpetrated upon us?'

Scripture References

Hebrews 11:32-38: Weaver reads this passage to introduce the concept of unnamed heroes ('others') and to parallel the faith and suffering of biblical figures with Confederate guerrillas.
Amos 6:12: Weaver references last week's message on hemlock justice, where God condemns civil rulers for turning justice into gall and righteousness into hemlock.
Proverbs 8:36: Weaver quotes this verse to support the idea that hemlock justice produces a culture of death: 'All they that hate me love death.'
Proverbs 17:1: Weaver cites this verse to argue that justifying the wicked and condemning the righteous is an abomination to God.
Proverbs 29:2: Weaver quotes this verse to show that when the wicked rule, the righteous mourn because there is no justice.
Romans 13:4: Weaver references this verse to define the God-ordained role of civil government: to punish the wicked and protect the righteous.

Historical References

General John C. Frémont's martial law declaration (August 30, 1861): Weaver cites Frémont's order to show early Union tyranny in Missouri, including execution of armed Southerners and confiscation of property.
General Thomas Ewing's General Orders No. 10 and 11 (1863): Weaver details these orders to illustrate the forced displacement and execution of civilians in Missouri, calling Order No. 11 the harshest treatment of U.S. citizens under military necessity.
Colonel William 'Bill' Penick's actions: Weaver describes Penick as a radical Unionist who hanged innocent farmers, burned homes, and placed bounties on guerrillas, exemplifying the brutality of Union forces.
Murder of Jephthah Crawford (February 1863): Weaver recounts the specific injustice against Riley Crawford's father, who was shot in front of his family and his home burned, despite never taking up arms.
Collapse of the Union guardhouse in Kansas City (1863): Weaver describes how the building where Southern women were held was undermined, killing five, including Riley Crawford's two sisters, fueling his desire for revenge.
Quantrill's raid on Lawrence, Kansas (1863): Weaver mentions Riley Crawford's participation in the raid, portraying it as a reprisal for Union atrocities and noting that Quantrill ordered no harm to women and children.
Harry S. Truman's account of his uncle's treatment by Kansas Red Legs: Weaver quotes Truman to illustrate the brutality of Union forces, who tried to hang a 13-year-old boy to make him an informer.
General Orders No. 30 by Union General Curtis: Weaver cites this order to show that guerrillas were to be treated as reptiles and given no quarter, justifying the harsh treatment of Southern fighters.
Albert Castel's assessment of General Order No. 11: Weaver quotes historian Castel to emphasize that Order No. 11 was the most drastic military measure against civilians in U.S. history.
Colonel Basil F. Lazier's letter describing the suffering of displaced Southern families: Weaver quotes Lazier's heart-sickening description of women and children fleeing their homes in accordance with Ewing's order.

Important Quotes

Hemlock justice is not really justice. Hemlock justice is a perversion. It is an injustice. It is a fraud. It is a corruption. It produces only death.

This quote encapsulates Weaver's central thesis that perverted justice leads to societal death, setting the stage for the historical illustration.

Most real heroes, whether you consider Biblical heroes or Confederate heroes or Southern heroes, ever how you want to say it, most real heroes are the others.

Weaver uses this to elevate the story of Riley Crawford as an example of an unnamed, faithful hero, paralleling Hebrews 11:36.

They, the Kansas Federal Red Legs, tried to make my Uncle Harrison into an informer, but he wouldn't do it. He was only a boy. They tried to hang him. Time and again they tried it.

This quote from Harry S. Truman illustrates the brutality of Union forces against civilians, even children, supporting Weaver's argument about systemic injustice.

It is heart-sickening to see what I have seen. A desolated country and many women and children, some of them almost naked and some on foot and some in old wagons. Oh, God help us.

A Union colonel's own words confirm the devastating human cost of General Order No. 11, lending credibility to Weaver's portrayal of Union cruelty.

After his sisters were killed so viciously, Riley Crawford was never known to spare a Union soldier.

This marks the turning point in Riley's life, showing how personal tragedy fueled his relentless violence, a direct result of hemlock justice.

I'm here for revenge and I've got it.

Riley's own words during the Lawrence raid explicitly state his motive, reinforcing Weaver's argument that injustice breeds reprisals.

When the wicked are justified and the righteous are condemned, according to Proverbs 17, verse 1, both are an abomination to God.

Weaver uses this biblical principle to condemn the Union's actions and, by extension, any government that perverts justice.

Children are just as easily and just as quickly affected by injustice as are adults.

This application highlights the long-term societal damage of injustice, as seen in Riley Crawford's transformation from a 13-year-old to a killer.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

How does the biblical concept of 'hemlock justice' from Amos 6:12 apply to the historical events described in this message?

[Context]

Weaver introduces hemlock justice as a perversion of true justice that produces death, and uses the Crawford story as an illustration.

[Question]

In what ways does the story of Riley Crawford exemplify the 'others' mentioned in Hebrews 11:36?

[Context]

Weaver draws a parallel between unnamed biblical heroes and unknown Confederate figures like Crawford.

[Question]

What does Weaver's definition of a 'Yankee' reveal about his view of the spiritual and moral roots of injustice?

[Context]

Weaver defines Yankee not geographically but as a mindset of arrogance, greed, and oppression, originating in New England Puritanism.

[Question]

How did the Union military orders in Missouri violate the biblical role of civil government as described in Romans 13?

[Context]

Weaver argues that civil government is to punish the wicked and protect the righteous, but the Union orders did the opposite.

[Question]

What lessons can we draw from the fact that Riley Crawford became a hardened fighter by age 16?

[Context]

Weaver emphasizes that children are deeply affected by injustice, and this should warn us about the long-term consequences of societal wickedness.

[Question]

According to Weaver, what is the relationship between personal revenge and the failure of civil government to provide justice?

[Context]

Weaver states that when justice is denied, people will seek it through reprisals or personal revenge, leading to catastrophic results.

[Question]

How does Weaver use the quote from Karl Marx ('a people deprived of their history are easily persuaded') to support his message?

[Context]

Weaver stresses the importance of knowing history to understand the present and future, and to resist manipulation.

[Question]

What parallels does Weaver imply between the injustices of the Civil War era and the present-day United States?

[Context]

Weaver concludes by asking where the country is headed given current wickedness and corruption, suggesting a similar trajectory of reprisal.

Applications

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