Charles Hamilton
Proslavery supporter. Born: Circa 1822, Georgia. Died: 1880, Georgia.
Charles A. Hamilton (Hamelton) was born in Georgia around 1822 to Dr. Thomas and Malinda (Clower) Hamilton.
He married Madeline Scott on January 2, 1850.
Living in Missouri Hamilton became a proslavery supporter. He conducted raids into Kansas during the era of Bleeding Kansas. He was the leader of the Marais des Cygnes Massacre, a deadly assault on free-state supporters in Kansas. Hamilton and 30 men rode into the village of Trading Post along the Kansas-Missouri border, capturing 11 free-state men. They marched them to a ravine and opened fire. Five men were killed, five severely injured, and one managed to escape unharmed.
Soon after the massacre Hamilton left the area and returned to Georgia where he ran into trouble with creditors. He moved to Texas where he farmed and bred horses. He later moved back to Georgia and became a state legislature in 1878.
Hamilton was never convicted or charged with the crimes in Kansas. He died in Georgia in 1880.
Entry: Hamilton, Charles
Author: Kansas Historical Society
Author information: The Kansas Historical Society is a state agency charged with actively safeguarding and sharing the state's history.
Date Created: July 2016
Date Modified: July 2016
The author of this article is solely responsible for its content.
