How old was William Quantrill when he and his band of ruffians
sacked Lawrence? And where was John Brown? n Ohio native,
Quantrill was 26 when he and his men raided Lawrence on Aug. 21,
1863. Most of his "men," were still in their teens, said Edward
Leslie, author of "The Devil Knows How to Ride: The True Story
of William Clarke Quantrill and His Confederate Raiders." Brown,
the radical abolitionist, was in his grave. He was executed Dec.
2, 1859, after an unsuccessful raid on the federal arsenal at
Harper's Ferry, then in western Virginia.