A group of Confederate guerillas or “bushwhackers” carried out the second daylight, peacetime, armed bank robbery in U.S. history.
The hold-up in Lexington, Mo., was led by Archie Clement, known for his brutality toward Union soldiers and pro-Union civilians in Missouri. The robbery netted $2,000.
About a week after the bank robbery, the bushwhackers rode back into Lexington, where they drove pro-Union Republican voters away from the polls and secured a Republican defeat. A detachment of state militiamen was dispatched to the town. They convinced the bushwhackers to disperse, then attempted to capture Clement, who still had a price upon his head. Clement refused to surrender, and was shot down in a wild gunfight on the streets of Lexington.
After Clement’s death, his organization continued to rob and be pursued by government troops. Out of this group rose then 19-year-old Jesse James.
