The Last Ride of the James-Younger Gang: Jesse James and the Northfield Raid 1876

Description

It was the beginning of the end for the James gang. In the past ten years Frank and Jesse James had gone from unknown ex-Confederate guerrillas to the most famous outlaws in the world. A string of daring robberies of banks, trains, and stagecoaches had brought them fame, admiration, hatred, and a surprisingly small amount of wealth. In 1876 they planned their most daring raid yet-to ride hundreds of miles from their home state of Missouri to rob the First National Bank at Northfield, Minnesota. This book will tell the story of one of the most daring bank jobs in American history. With most of the gang being former bushwhackers, they used many guerrilla tactics in the planning and execution of the raid, yet failed because of poor discipline and their own fame, which meant that every town in the Midwest had their guns loaded waiting to fight off bandits.

Sean McLachlan worked for ten years as an archaeologist before becoming a full-time writer. He has published several books on history and travel. His novel, A Fine Likeness, is set in Civil War Missouri and includes Jesse James as a character. Visit him on the web at civilwarhorror.blogspot.com. Peter Dennis was born in 1950. Inspired by contemporary magazines such as Look and Learn he studied Illustration at Liverpool Art College. Peter has since contributed to hundreds of books, predominantly on historical subjects, including many Osprey titles. A keen wargamer and modelmaker, he is based in Nottinghamshire, UK.

"Wild West aficionados will probably already be familiar with what is presented in this 80-page offering, but they may be intrigued by the book's approach, along with the many photographs, maps and graphic depictions." --Wild West Magazine (August 2013) "...chronicles one of the most daring bank jobs, analyzes their strategy, and is an intriguing pick for history and military collections alike." --The Midwest Book Review (February 2013) "... a fact fiolled, photographically rich book that would appeal to the historian or the gamer looking to recreate this Western event." --Richard Mataka, www.mataka.org (May 2013)