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Though the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Albany is in 2014, 

it’s not too early to start planning for activities to commemorate 

the event. 

That was the message Robbie Maupin put forth during the Annual 

Meeting of the Ray County Historical Society  in January 2012.  The 

Historical Society and Maupin are now working together to make the 

event a reality and would like to get other interested county residents 

involved in the idea. 

Volunteers will be needed to help with fundraising, concessions, ac- 

tivities, marketing, parking, and management. 

Maupin is passionate about Civil War history and was instrumental in 

organizing and planning the Battle of Lexington reenactment this past 

fall and he felt the time had come for Ray County to reenact one of the 

principal battles that took place locally. 

Maupin is joining forces with the Ray County Historical Society to 

stage the Battle of Albany on its 150th Anniversary in October 2014. 

Several other 150th anniversary special events will also be planned, 

including a formal dedication of a State Historic Marker at the gravesites 

on the Murrell Thomas property north of Orrick. 

“There’s a ton of people out there, not just locally, that will be extremely 

excited to hear that finally someone is going to recreate 

this battle and recognize Bloody Bill Anderson, his men, and the 

Federal Troops who were able to finally bring an end to Bloody 

Bill. It’s a time to celebrate their victory and to honor the men 

who fell on that field. 

“To be able to do that for the first time in 150 years, I’m very 

excited to attempt.” 

Maupin has an extensive background in Civil War reenacting 

and has been involved in it for 15 years, taking part in most na- 

tional events and in some movies. 

He’s been involved with productions by “Wide-Awake Films”, 

KCPT television, the History Channel, and National Geographic. 

“I’ve been very fortunate to be involved in all aspects of it — 

infantry, civilian, cavalry, heavy artillery — on both sides. “I’ve 

fought Union and I’ve fought Southern. 

“Most of us had family members who fought on both sides. 

It’s our duty to honor those people who fought in that war.” 

Being a Civil War re-enactor has changed the way Maupin 

feels about history and his family. 

“My mother’s been instrumental in opening my eyes to my family history, 

which goes all the way back to the Revolutionary War. 

“It’s an honor for me to be a part of recreating these events and this history so we don’t 

forget where we’ve come from and the people 

who were instrumental in creating the country we live in today. 

What we hope to do is give Ray County, 

the community of Richmond, and the area of 

Orrick something to celebrate during the 

50th Anniversary of the Civil War. 

The two-day reenactment would also recreate larger battles 

with cannons and charging cavalry. 

He mainly wants Ray County residents to 

recognize what occurred at the Battle of Albany and 

believes that recognition is long 

overdue. 

“This really wasn’t a big battle,” Maupin 

said. “It wasn’t like the battle of Lexington. 

It was a small skirmish. 

But what happened there is due recognition and the men who fought there, the men 

ho died there, the circumstance that happened there. 

It’s way over due to bring attention to this event and this area. 

He didn’t think we should miss the oppor- 

unity to recognize the death of Bloody Bill 

Anderson. 

“Be it good or be it bad, some people look 

at this man and the men who rode with him 

is nothing more than a marauding band of 

murderers and thieves and pillagers. But they 

weren’t. They were men. Young men mostly. 

Anderson was 25 years old. 

Three of Maupin’s relatives rode with 

Anderson when they were 17 or 18 years old. 

They were young men. They were caught 

up in a war that changed their lives and they 

fought for the ideals and beliefs that they 

thought were right. 

It is not our place to judge those people who 

fought on either side. It is our place, if we’re 

going to recreate these events, to do it as fairly 

and accurately as possible. 

In the Battle of Albany, Bloody Bill Ander- 

on and his men were on that spot of land 

and they did what they normally do. They 

mounted their horses and they charged head- 

long into the enemy. That’s what they were 

known for. That’s how they fought. 

The outcome of that day wasn’t what they 

hoped for. 

Maupin said organizers will have to find a 

location that will accommodate everybody — 

the re-enactors, the settlers, the vendors, and 

the spectators and have the room and all the 

amenities to do it. 

He would like to see a four-battle weekend 

with two generic battles with one on Satur- 

day and one on Sunday. 

In and of itself, the Battle of Albany would 

be too short-lived to draw very many re-en- 

actors. 

He said more re-enactors would get in- 

volved “if you give all these guys a chance to 

come for a full weekend of activities” with 

two generic full-scale battles with all the ar- 

tillery, the entire cavalry, and all the infantry. 

At a certain time after a generic battle, re- 

enactors would re-create the Battle of Albany 

and the death of Bloody Bill Anderson. 

Along with the battles, he hopes the event 

will include a Civil War ball, the unveiling 

and dedication of a state highway marker, a 

parade, and tours of the Ray County Museum 

and the cemeteries where Capt. Anderson and 

Bob Ford are buried. 

A weekend event would also provide the 

opportunity to recreate  the graveside funeral 

service for Bloody Bill Anderson, which oc- 

curred nearly 42 years after his death when 

Cole Younger brought his Wild West Show 

to Richmond. 

“All these things are things you could draw 

as you plan and get ready for this event,” he 

said. 

He would also like to include a formal 

dedication of the monument to the Parti- 

san Rangers located on the Murrell Tho- 

mas property north of Orrick. While this 

area could not accommodate a large assem- 

blage, family members, city, county and 

state officials, and re-enactors would be 

invited to participate in the dedication. 

Maupin envisions a select group of 

mounted riders positioned nearly out of 

sight in the wooded area around the graves. 

When the service ended, the riders would 

withdraw solemnly. 

Maupin has already started working with 

the Missouri Department of Natural Re- 

sources to get a State Historic Marker 

placed at the site. 

He said it takes a lot of planning, fund- 

ing and volunteers to produce an event of 

this magnitude. 

Organizers will have to take care of both 

spectators and re-enactors. 

“You have to let them know they are in- 

volved in something very special and we 

are very thankful for them to be here. 

I am hoping if we can do this event in 

Ray County, it will be a phenomenal expe- 

rience and everybody will be proud to be 

involved in it.