Wakarusa War

Wakarusa War
Part of Bleeding Kansas
DateNovember–December 1855
Location
Result Formal truce
Belligerents
Free-State abolitionists Pro-slavery settlers
Commanders and leaders
Charles L. Robinson
James Lane
John Brown
Samuel J. Jones
David Rice Atchison
Strength
800 700–1,500
Casualties and losses
2 killed

The Wakarusa War was an armed standoff that took place in the Kansas Territory during November and December 1855. It is often cited by historians as the first instance of violence during the "Bleeding Kansas" conflict between anti-slavery and pro-slavery factions in the region.

The incident took place in Douglas County, centered on the Wakarusa River Valley and the town of Lawrence, where the opposing militias confronted each other for the first time. At the behest of Territorial Governor Wilson Shannon, the two sides eventually agreed to a truce, but it was short-lived, and widespread violence resumed the following spring.