The James-Younger Gang

The James boys, Jesse and Frank. In an era before sport stars and movie actors, they were not only the most dangerous outlaws of their time, but also its biggest celebrities .

Bio Undergoing Editing

                       

The Weapons

Long Range- Winchester Rifle: Model 1873

Caliber- .40-.44
Range- 91.4 meters/ 300 ft
Weight- 4.3 kg/ 9.5 lb
Length- 49.3 in/ 125.2 cm
Barrel Length- 30 in/ 76.2 cm
Ammo Capacity- 15 rounds
Action- Lever Action
 Known as the "Gun that Won the West", the Winchester definitely deserved this title, not only for its mass production, but for the overall quality of its design. Its basic design was an updated version of the Winchester model 1866 "Yellow Boy" rifle, and they shared many of the same features (integrated lever under the grip, and a tube magazine underneath the barrel). The lever action design was extremely quick, allowing its user to get off multiple shots in quick succession. Some today complain that this system lacks power, but it makes up for it in speed. The Winchester was the first rifle of its kind to use the larger, .40-.44 rimfire cartridges, which were propelled with a greater black powder charge (40 grains). This gave the gun greater power than previous models. The Winchester would see mass production (720,000 were thought to be in circulation), and developed a quick popularity; and even it the face of the newer model 1892 it still maintained a high popularity. Although the Army decided not to adopt lever action rifles during the Civil War (they turned down the 1873's predecessor, the Henry, in favor of old single shot rifles), but everybody from Native American tribes, to outlaws like the James-Younger gang saw the advantges of this gun.

         

            Mid-Range-  Colt .45 Single Action Army Revolver

Caliber- .45
Range- 91.4 meters/ 300 ft
Weight-1.04 kg/ 2.31 lb
Length- 27.94 cm- 11 in
Barrel Length- 13.97 cm/ 5.5 in
Ammo Capacity- 6 rounds
Action- Single Action Revolver 

Perhaps the most iconic gun to come out of the West, the Colt SAA (sometimes called "Peacemaker") was introduced in 1873 as the new sidearm of the American military. It would see extensive use during the Civil War and the Plains Indians War. The Colt was a remarkable piece of hardware for its time; the gun's greatest strength was its durability. It could be operated in the rain, snow and dirt and still fire accurately, even with several pieces missing. The only concern as far reliability is concerned is that the .45 cartridges, while powerful were often of mediocre quality at best, and could often cause the gun to misfire. Another major design flaw was the clumsy reloading of the cartridges into the gun, which had to be done one at a time, and was time consuming. Despite these flaws, skilled Western gunmen could shoot the Colt with speed and accuracy that surpassed what seemed possible with its simple design. Gunmen could even increase their rate of fire by a process called "fanning", in which you hold down the trigger of the revolver, and hit the hammer repeatedly. It looks fancy but has been known to be inaccurate.

Short Range- Colt Model 1878 Shotgun

Caliber- 12 Gauge
Range- Unknown, but very close
Barrel Length- 38 in/ 96.5 cm
Ammo Capacity- Two 12 gauge shells

Western gunmen loved their shotguns; they required almost no skill to use, and the spray of the shotgun shells was useful at short distances. This particular model of shotgun, the Colt 1878, was part of Colt's production of many rifles and shotguns that's, not usually well remembered, due to Colt's emphasis on pistols. It had the typical side-by-side, double barrel design, with its dual triggers allowing it to fire both barrels in quick succession, or both at the same time. The gun does have a few flaws however; it can only hold two shells at a time, meaning the user will have to reload often.

(some other design qualities of the Colt 1878)   

Special Weapon- Bowie Knife 

Length- 6 in-24 in/ 15.24 cm- 60.96 cm

Weight- 1.5 lbs

Material- Steel Blade and Wooden Handle  

A legendary Western knife, the massive Bowie could be used as both a utility tool, and for combat. The knife was named after, and designed by legendary frontiersman Jim Bowie, who was also a skilled knife fighter, and wanted a knife that fit his needs. He turned to blacksmith, James Black to build it for him. Bowie would take this knife with him to the Alamo, and the knife, like him would go down in legend. The knife was well known by the time of the Alamo; Bowie had used it at the the Sandbar Fight in 1827. After word of the fight got out, almost everybody in the West wanted one. The knife was praised for both its design (said to be modeled after the Spanish navaja)  and its versatility (it could stab, cut, and chop equally well). The greatest strength of the knife was its size, the blade length could range anywhere from 6 in. to 24 in. This size meant it could cause massive damage to the human body when it hit. The knife was could even be thrown, although this was a method of last resort. Most members of the James-Younger gang would not have been as skilled with the Bowie as they would have been with their guns, probably using it more for utility purposes rather than as a weapon. But it is still a fierce hand to hand combat weapon, to anyone on the other side of it.         

 (not quite the type the James-Younger carried with them, but still a very good Bowie)

Explosive Weapon- Dynamite

Explosive Material-  Nitroglycerin, Diatomaceous earth, and Sodium Carbonate 
Blast Radius- 6-12 meters/19.68- 39.37 ft

 This may be a bit of a controversial weapon choice, as there isn't really any historical records that mention the James-Younger gang using dynamite in their train robberies. But it was a very common weapon in most other Western train robberies; often the train conductors weren't  given the key to the safe were the real expensive goods were kept, on the fear that gangs could just strong-arm it off of them, or easier yet just kill them. As often was the case, gangs had to blow the safe open, and their explosive of choice was dynamite. Invented by Swedish chemist, Alfred Noble in 1867, dynamite has been used for a variety of purposes, from helping to build the Trans Continental railroad, to limited military purposes. A mixture of nitroglycerin, diatomaceous earth, and sodium carbonate, dynamite is usually formed into small sticks, wrapped in paper. Dynamite is an extremely powerful explosive, releasing 2.1 million joules of force per blast, and having a blast radius of 6m-12m. But is also extremely unstable and "shock sensitive", meaning that if one of the gang members were to drop it hard enough, it could go off.

          

X Factors/Intangables

Tactics- The James-Younger Gang proved very skilled in adapting the guerrilla style tactics they picked up while serving with Quantrill's Raiders, to their robberies. There general strategy when they hit a bank would be something that can be best described as shock and awe. They would ride into town on their horses, whooping their rebel yell through the air, as they fired their pistols. This would drive the townspeople from the street and allow them to get what they needed without harassment, as the townspeople were usually too afraid afraid of them to do anything to stop them. They knew that like a raid on a Union supply line, these robberies had to be quick, efficient, and brutal. They knew that if they lingered too long in a town, the townspeople would eventually start to fight back. Like any good guerrilla that knew the land around them well, and they planned their robberies, and getaway routes very well. 

Training- Most members of the gang would have got their training as kind of on the job experience, while serving with Quantrill. Their experience in preparing and executing raids on Union troops, and their supply lines could be seen as sort of a trial run for the eventual bank and train robberies. Additionally, a few of the members would have had limited training in the Confederate Army. Overall, they could be trusted to keep their cool under fire, and could fire back just as well

Quantrill, he was the perfect Southern gentleman,  that is, until he killed you

Morale/Motivation- When Confederate guerrillas were captured by Union troops, they weren't taken prisoner, they were simply shot on sight. The James-Younger gang would have had a long memory for how their comrades were treated by the Union, and armed robbery was there own special way of paying the Union back. They hated the North with a passion; in their eyes the Union soldiers had invaded their homes, killed their families, and destroyed their way of life. With the war officially over this was the only way the could think to continue it. The bond between the gang members was very strong; many of them shared blood ties, and even if they didn't they still had fought together, and would die for each other.

Combat History- In the history of American bank robbing gangs,the James-Younger gang stands nearly unprecedented, only rivaled by Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch, and later by John Dillinger's gang. While most gangs at the time really weren't all that effective, they managed to outwit, and out shoot lawmen, and even the Pinkerton Detective Agency (although this was often due to sheer dumb luck, and lots of stupidity on the Pinkerton's part) .They had experience against hardened Union soldiers during the Civil War. The only mark against them is the Northfield raid, were the most vicious gang in the West was taken apart by a few determined farmers.

Don't laugh, they were the most vicious enemies the gang would ever face

       

these guys, not so much...

Leadership- Jesse James was a natural born leader. He was charismatic and quick thinking, if a bit hot headed. Although he was head of the gang, it was hardly an official affair. The gang most likely operated more as a committee, they kept Jesse in charge if he followed what was in their best interests. The gang still had a very close bond however, up until the incident at Northfield, they stuck close together, and Jesse had almost their complete loyalty.

Well that's it for now, I hope I did one of the legends of the West justice. Please let me know below how you think Jesse and his boys will fair in their rematch with one of America's most dangerous crime syndicates, The Chicago Outfit!